The is the main cultural

military tattoo A military tattoo is a performance of music or display of armed forces in general. The term comes from the early 17th-century Dutch phrase ''doe den tap toe'' ("turn off the tap"), a signal sounded by drummers or trumpeters to instruct innkeeper ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, which features guest bands from the Asia-Pacific regions as well as bands of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. It is regularly held at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo every November. The festival was established in 1963, and is one of the oldest military tattoos in the

Asia-Pacific Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on context, but it generally includes East Asia, Russian Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Pacific Isla ...

region.

History

The first event was held at the

Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium is a sporting complex in Sendagaya, Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Built in 1954 for the World Wrestling Championship, it was also used as the venue for gymnastics at the 1964 Summer Olympics, and hosted the table tennis competition at the 2020 Summe ...

as an independent Self-Defense Force commemorative event on 27 October 1963.日本最高峰の吹奏楽団は自衛隊にあり！　魅惑の「自衛隊音楽隊」＜後編＞
/ref> It has been held every year since 1964, particularly during the Tokyo Olympics and in 1988, when Emperor Showa's medical condition worsened and celebratory events were therefore requested. From 1973, Nippon Budokan began to be used as a venue, however in 2019 (the first year of the

Reiwa era is the current era of Japan's official calendar. It began on 1 May 2019, the day on which Emperor Akihito's elder son, Naruhito, ascended the throne as the 126th Emperor of Japan. The day before, Emperor Akihito abdicated the Chrysanthemum ...

), it was held at the

Yoyogi National Gymnasium Yoyogi National Gymnasium, officially is an indoor arena located at Yoyogi Park in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, which is famous for its suspension roof design. It was designed by Kenzo Tange and built between 1961 and 1964 to house swimming and d ...

due to the renovation of the Budokan.

Overview

The content of each performance is a 2-hour presentation, which is composed of various songs such as pops, classical, jazz, theme music of movie and TV drama,

anime song , also shortened to , is a genre of music originating from Japanese pop music. Anime songs consist of theme, insert, and image songs for anime, video game, and audio drama CD series, as well as any other song released primarily for the anime mar ...

game music Video game music (or VGM) is the soundtrack that accompanies video games. Early video game music was once limited to sounds of early sound chips, such as programmable sound generators (PSG) or FM synthesis chips. These limitations have led to ...

, and Japanese folk songs. Every year, the last performance on the last day is broadcast simultaneously on the Internet, and edited DVDs are also marketed at a later date. The organizer is

Minister of Defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

, with

JGSDF The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

Chief of Staff being in charge of implementation.

Notable participants

The following multinational units have participated in the three day festival over the years:

Regular and semi-regular participants

Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Central Band The Music Corps ( ja, 音楽隊, Ongakutai) is a department of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force that is tasked with presiding over military bands in the JGSDF. Similarly, the Maritime Self-Defense Force and the Air Self Defense Force each have ...

Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

Band,

(JMSDF's central band) *

Japan Air Self-Defense Force The , , also informally referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the air and space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and electronic warfa ...

Central Band *

JGSDF Northern Army The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force ( ja, 陸上自衛隊, Rikujō Jieitai), , also referred to as the Japanese Army, is the land warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces. Created on July 1, 1954, it is the largest of the three service b ...

Band * JGSDF North Eastern Army Band * JGSDF Eastern Army Band * JGSDF Central Army Band * JGSDF Western Army Band * JGSDF 302nd Military Police Company (National honor guard) * National Defense Academy Honor Guard *

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

III Marine Expeditionary Force Band III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF) is a formation of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps. It is forward-deployed and able to rapidly conduct operations across the spectrum from humanitarian assistance and d ...

United States Army Japan United States Army, Japan (USARJ) is a Major Command of the United States Army. It consists of operating port facilities and a series of logistics installations throughout Honshū and Okinawa. USARJ participates actively with the Japan Ground Se ...

Band (which has participated in the festival consecutively since 1980) * United States Seventh Fleet Band * United States Air Force Band of the Pacific-Asia

Guest participants in past

* Korean Navy Band *

Bagad Lann Bihoue The Bagad de Lann-Bihoué is a bagad, a Breton pipe band. It is the bagad of the French Navy. It represents the French Navy and France in multiple national and international events. It has performed regularly in front of Heads of State. It is a s ...

of the

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

Singapore Armed Forces Band The Singapore Armed Forces Band (commonly known as the SAF Band) form the musical arm of the Singapore Armed Forces. Consisting of the SAF Central Band and the SAF Ceremonial Band, the SAF Band provides musical support for key events such as ...

Philippine Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Team The Philippine Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Team (MDBT) is the drum and bugle corps as well as the prime musical unit of the Philippine Marine Corps. The MDBT is now the only full-time active duty drum corps in the Armed Forces of the Philippines ( ...

* Australian Army Band *

Indian Army Chief's Band The Indian Army Chief's Band is the Indian Army's full-time music band. It was founded in 1990 as the official band of the Indian Army and the foremost in the armed forces. It also, as its name implies, represents the Chief of the Army Staff at ...

Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA ( th, กองทัพบกไทย; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's so ...

Band *

Royal Thai Air Force "Royal Thai Air Force March" , mascot = , anniversaries = 9 April 1937 (Royal Thai Air Force Day) , equipment = , equipment_label = , battles ...

Band * Military Ceremonial Troupe of the Vietnam People’s Army *

Staff Band of the Bundeswehr The Staff Band of the Bundeswehr (german: Stabsmusikkorps der Bundeswehr) is the main representative brass band of the Bundeswehr, stationed in Berlin. It works together with the Wachbataillon in the Berlin Garrison Command, having responsibility f ...

Photos

File:NOH 4141 平成25年度自衛隊音楽まつり 38.jpg,

JMSDF , abbreviated , also simply known as the Japanese Navy, is the maritime warfare branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. The JMSDF was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

Band, Tokyo File:TS3 5503 平成25年度自衛隊音楽まつり 73.jpg,

military singer File:09 133 R 自衛隊音楽まつり 126.jpg, ''

Taiko are a broad range of Japanese percussion instruments. In Japanese, the term refers to any kind of drum, but outside Japan, it is used specifically to refer to any of the various Japanese drums called and to the form of ensemble drumming m ...

'' playing File:HAR 2903 R 自衛隊音楽まつり 140.jpg, National Honor Guard File:NOH 2958 平成25年度自衛隊音楽まつり 99.jpg,

National flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...

admission File:NOH 4158 平成25年度自衛隊音楽まつり 98.jpg, JMSDF military singer File:HAS 3858 平成25年度自衛隊音楽まつり 26.jpg,

JASDF The , , also informally referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the air and space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and electronic warfare. ...

color guard File:TAK 3589 平成25年度自衛隊音楽まつり 6.jpg, National Defense Academy Honor Guard File:SEK 1044 平成25年度自衛隊音楽まつり 169.jpg, Taiko

drumline Marching percussion instruments are instruments specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness (also called a carrier or rack) worn by the drummer, although not all marching bands us ...

File:09 021 R 自衛隊音楽まつり 129.jpg, JGSDF 15th Brigade '' eisa'' corps File:NOH 4093 平成25年度自衛隊音楽まつり 52.jpg, USMC III MEF Band

References

External links

(Japanese) {{Commons category, Japan Self-Defense Forces Marching Festival Festivals established in 1963 Military tattoos Tourist attractions in Tokyo