Bugaku Scroll. Culture: Japan. Dimensions: 14 3/8 in. x 55 ft. 8 3/8 in. (36.5 x 1697.7 cm). Date: 17th century.As early as the seventh or eighth century, when formal diplomatic contacts between Japan and the Asian continent were at their peak, dance and music from central and southeast Asia, China, and Korea were combined with native Shinto song for court performances known as gagaku. Bugaku is the dance repertoire of gagaku. Performed by court nobles and by hereditary guilds of professional musicians at rituals and banquets, gagaku was an important part of life at court, particularly during the Heian period (794-1185), and is still performed today. The exotic colors, patterned spatial design of the choreography, and highly controlled energy of the dancers and musicians stand out in this seventeenth-century recording of the tradition. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.