gakusho 楽所

Also called gakuya 楽屋 or gakudokoro 楽所. A small, simple, open building, like a roofed platform at some shrines, where musicians performed music called gagaku 雅楽. Gagaku music was sung at the Kyoto Imperial Palace, Kyoto Gosho 京都御所 in the medieval period, 12th-15th century. However, it is believed to have started in the mid-10th century and continued in popularity until the latter part of the Meiji period (1870). Two buildings for gagaku exist at Kibitsu Jinja 吉備津神社 in Hiroshima Prefecture. These buildings date from the 17th century. Another extant example is the west stage at Kamiomiya Jinja 賀茂御祖神社 (1628) in Kyoto.