This is one of a series of posters designed in 1981 by twelve top Japanese graphic design artists under the curation of the art and design critic Masaru Katsumi. They commemorated a series of lectures, masterclasses and performances relating to five types of traditional Japanese theatre, dance and music. Performers calling themselves the Classical Performing Arts Friendship Mission of Japan spent five weeks performing on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, and across the country as part of the UCLA Asian Performing Arts Institute.

Gagaku, meaning elegant music, is a traditional type of ancient Japanese classical music largely imported from China and Korea that was established at the Imperial Court in Kyoto during the 8th century.