Sho
/ʃoʊ/noun
A Japanese mouth organ consisting of free-reed pipes, traditionally used in gagaku court music.
Did you know?The sho’s clustered pipes symbolize the mythical phoenix, and its chords were historically associated with cosmic harmony in Japanese court music.
Etymological Timeline
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
笙 (*sraeng)
“A mouth organ made from bamboo pipes.”
Ancient Japan
Old Japanese
shō
“A court mouth organ adopted from continental East Asian musical traditions.”
8th Century
Japanese
笙 (shō)
“An instrument used in gagaku, the formal music of the imperial court.”
19th Century
English
sho
“An English rendering of Japanese shō.”
Modern English
English
sho
“A Japanese free-reed mouth organ used especially in traditional court music.”
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