The Division for Development and Public Relations     Research Project Name: Changing Western attitudes toward Japanese music: Partners: Surname   First Name   Courses   EPPSTEIN URY [Courses List] Research Abstract: Japanese traditional music has been a subject of descriptions,  impressions and evaluations by Western intellectuals since the 16th  century. These can be grouped in several categories of changing  tendencies: 1. Description of musical phenomena as exotic  curiosities. Aesthetic and musical criteria of evaluation are  typically European, sometimes patronizing and frequently arrogant.  Examples of these begin with Portuguese missionaries of the 16th  century. 2. Description aiming at objective appreciation but still  dominated by European criteria (19th century). 3. 20th century  European and American scholars attempting objective research of  Japanese music and an interpretation by standards based on its own  cultural background. 4. Opinions of Western scholars, writers and  music professionals regarding Japanese music as a source of  inspiration for contemporary Western culture and music. In  conclusion, a gradual but consistent change from a Eurocentric  attitude to an objective and appreciative evaluation of Japanese  music can be observed.    © All rights reserved to The Hebrew University of Jerusalem