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Paper short abstract

This paper explores how classical music—namely, art music of European origin—was cultivated among the Japanese public in the latter half of the twentieth century, focusing on the large-scale classical music appreciation activities of the Workers’ Music Council (Rō-on).

Paper long abstract

The aim of this paper is to explore how classical music—namely, art music of European origin—was cultivated among the Japanese public in the latter half of the twentieth century, with particular attention to the large-scale efforts to promote classical music appreciation. The Workers’ Music Council, known as Rō-on, was established in Osaka in 1949. The organization sought to cultivate audiences for classical music under the slogan “good music at affordable prices.” During the 1950s and 1960s, Rō-on expanded nationwide, reaching its peak in 1965 with 185 branches and approximately 630,000 members. At this point, it constituted one of the largest music-related social movements in the country. Rō-on played a significant role in the dissemination and institutionalization of classical music in postwar Japan.

Although Rō-on emerged in the postwar period, it maintained ideological continuities with earlier approach to classical music, including the ideal of cultural cultivation (kyōyō shugi) and the promotion of music for workers’ welfare and cultural enrichment. These ideas emphasized the acquisition of cultural competence in European classical music and contributed to the formation of music appreciation societies not only in major urban centers but also in regional areas. As the organization expanded its memberships, however, its repertoire broadened to include popular genres such as jazz, chanson, and tango. Notably, these genres were also of Western origin, reflecting a persistent orientation toward the West in Japan’s postwar musical culture.

This paper examines the aims and activities of Rō-on during the first ten years following its establishment, focusing on Osaka, where the organization was founded and which played a leading role in the movement. I argue that the repertoire promoted by Rō-on reveals a strong preference for Western music as an "authentic" form of music, and that this preference was connected to a broader aspiration toward Western culture, with roots in the prewar ideal of cultural cultivation.