Japanese Elegance "Miyabi" Ambient Music on Oud - Nao Sogabe

Composition, oud: Nao Sogabe - Miyabi - Japanese Concept of Beauty - During my last trip to Japan, I had the honor of attending a *miko kagura* performance at Kasuga Taisha, a Shinto shrine in Nara. The music performed here has remained largely unchanged since its establishment around the 8th century. *Kagura* is a sacred dance dedicated to the gods, and as such, the "kaguraden" (the stage for "kagura") at Kasuga Taisha is positioned to face the main sanctuary, where the deities are enshrined. Human spectators like myself observe the performance from the side of the stage. Although the music is played as an ensemble, it lacks a fixed "beat." The timing of the sounds is synchronized through the performers’ shared breathing. Even with percussion instruments that demand precise timing, the performance progresses seamlessly. It was a rare and invaluable moment where I could directly experience a traditional Japanese expression of beauty. Miyabi is a traditional Japanese aesthetic concept that emphasizes elegance, refinement, and a sense of harmonious beauty. While miyabi shares similarities with Western notions of elegance or grace, it also carries a unique Japanese sensibility. It is less about grand displays and more about subtle refinement and the quiet beauty found in impermanence. For example, miyabi can be seen in the way a simple tea ceremony is conducted with precision and grace, or in the understated beauty of a traditional kimono. It’s about finding elegance in the small details and appreciating simplicity over excess. - Download MP3 audio to listen offline - Original version ca. 28 minutes: https://naochika.com/product/miyabi/ Extended version (attention, large file!): https://naochika.com/product/miyabi-ext/ Copyright ©2025 Naochika Sogabe - To use my music for your project or business, please declare it to the performance rights organization (PRO) in your country - e.g. GEMA (Germany) etc. For a video production, please contact me directly. https://naochika.com/inquiry/ Become a Member & support my creative activity! Reduction for MP3, ads-free streaming & membars only special contents https://naochika.com/membership-account/subscription/ Thanks for donation!: https://paypal.com/paypalme/naosogabe If you have no financial leeway, please keep running the skippable ads at for least 30 seconds, you will support me without paying any money. If you are a YouTube Premium member, the creator is automatically paid for each view. "Wow nice sound!" - it took me 30 years!: https://youtu.be/OMm1E54gUr4 Concept of my Channel: https://youtu.be/A3Ose_m3JTM About my Instruments: https://youtu.be/A_ThwxIOaV4 One Instrument - Three Periods: https://youtu.be/s3vk6FxGHMc Tame the Wolf - About Intonation: https://youtu.be/cOvhC7LsfNU Unfair Payment in Music Streaming: https://youtu.be/BzM2rPoODZk 432Hz Healing Frequency or Hocus-Pocus?: https://youtu.be/g2NI95z-Qv8 Only some short versions of my music are on spotify! Youtube is the only platform that pays fair amount to creators. Injustice on music streaming: https://youtu.be/BzM2rPoODZk I'm from Japan and studied historical music and music ethnology in Cologne/Germany and The Hague/Netherlands. Now I live at the border between Germany and France. - Oud & Lute - King of Instruments - The origin of the oud belongs to the ancient times and similar instruments were used by the Babylonian and ancient Egyptian. Until today, oud is played as the "king of instruments" in Arabic culture. The oud found his way to Europe in medieval times and it became "lute". During the Renaissance the lute was also regarded as the "king of instruments". #ambient#oudmusic#japanesemusician