also: じょがく
music performed by women
General term for music played by women, often in historical or traditional contexts.
In the Heian-period court, music performed by women was popular.
female court musicians and dancers
Only with reading じょがく
Specifically refers to women who performed Bugaku (court music and dance) in historical Japanese courts. Restricted to reading じょがく.
女楽 refers to the women who performed gagaku music and dance.
Standard kanji spelling; reading じょがく is more common for this historical term.
Alternate reading; less common and may be considered non-standard.
Compound of 女 (woman) and 楽 (music). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is associated with Heian-period court culture.