NIPPON Kichi - 日本吉

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2008/7/10


東山温泉盆踊り Higashiyama-onsen-bon-odori Higashiyama Hot Spring Bon Dance Festival

Jp En

Bon Dance Festival is held from August 13 to 18 in Higashiyama Hot Springs in the suburbs of Aizu Wakamatsu City in Fukushima Prefecture. Higashiyama is a fine hot spring town with a lot of Japanese style hot spring inns lining along the both sides of the Yukawa River. The history of this hot spring town dates back to about 1,000 years ago, when hot springs were discovered by Priest Gyoki. It thrived as the entertainment center of the area since then and is still favored by many tourists today as the inner sanctum of Aizu.

During the festival period, a large yagura tower is constructed over the Yukawa River. A lot of chochin lanterns are hung all around and illuminate the town. A lot of citizens together with tourists and geisha ladies in yukata join the circle and dance around the yagura tower to the dance songs such as “Aizu Bandaisan” until late at night. The town is filled with up-tempo dance songs and drum beats every night. The quiet hot spring town takes on a cheerful atmosphere during the festival period.
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2008/4/22


和太鼓 Wadaiko Wa-daiko (Japanese Taiko Drum)

Jp En

Wa-daiko are percussion instruments and a general term used for Japanese stick drums.
They are made from the trunk of a tree such as Keyaki wood which is hollowed out and sealed on both ends of the drum body with animal skin, mostly from cows.  The  player beats the skin and it vibrates to make sound.
There is another traditional percussion instrument called tsuzumi which has the same construction as wa-taiko but a smaller size.  Tzuzumi are played with the hand, as opposed to the taiko drum which is struck with a drumstick or other instrument.
The history of the taiko drum goes back to ancient times -  as early as the Joumon period (BC10,000 – BC300) in which a musical instrument with a similar structure is said to have already existed.
In the Middle Ages, when Dengaku - dance performance to celebrate the harvest, was developed, Ohayushi-daiko, smaller stick drums, became popular. In the Sengoku period, taiko drums were used for military purposes (Jin-daiko) and, in the Edo period, they were used inside the Edo Castle to announce the time.  Over the ages, taiko drums were used for many occasions and purposes and they have become rooted in people’s everyday life.
The fact that taiko drums have been used as ceremonial tools to communicate with  God in temples and shrines has made them very special instruments that resonate deeply in the Japanese people’s hearts.
In the Showa period, contemporary ensemble style drumming called Kumi-daiko became popular.  It is made up of various different kinds of taiko drums, and the unique sound has been enchanting people around the world ever since.
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2007/11/15


古高鼓踊り Furutaka-ko-odori The Koodori Dance in Furutaka

Jp En

Koodori (drum dance) is dedicated at Daishogun Shrine in Furutaka Town in Moriyama City, Shiga Prefecture. It is a traditional folk performing art, prefecturally selected as an intangible folk cultural property.

In the Middle Ages, farmers often suffered droughts and offered prayers for rain by, in extreme cases, offering their beloved daughters as the sacrifice to the god. Koodori (drum dances) have their origin in the Dengaku Odori dances performed in hope or appreciation for rain during the Kamakura period (1192-1333). They are danced to the chants with distinctive tunes.

The Koodori dance in Furutaka Town also derives from Furyu dances, a boisterous dance that the townspeople in the Muromachi period (1336-1573) amused themselves, in that the dancers in flamboyant costumes dance to the Ohayashi music and chanting. It is said that the repertoire of Koodori in Furutaka comprises 19 traditional pieces. In one of the pieces that was revived recently, more than 50 dancers including handy drum players and “Gonbe,” who have referee's fans in their hands, dance in double circle around four chanters singing a traditional folk song.
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2007/1/11


エイサー Eisaa The Eisa Dance

Jp En

Eisa is a Bon odori dance held in Okinawa during the Bon festival according to the lunar calendar.

Eisa appears in mentions of Naha (Okinawa) in the 'Records of the Joseon Dynasty' in 1479. It is believed that Eisa had started somewhere around this period. One idea suggests that the word 'eisa' derives from one of the Ryukyu 'omorosaushi' songs; another suggests that it comes from from the call 'eisaa, eisaaa'. Neither suggestion is certain, however.

During Eisa, people walk to each house within their own 'shima' (area). This is called 'michi-jyunae' and happens especially after the 15th, after the 'miokuri'. However, there are places where they do 'michi-jyunae' during the three days of Bon festival, according to the lunar calendar.

Eisa mainly consists of taiko drums and dances. Strenuous dances are performed to the beat of the drums, alongside singing from the 'jiutai' chorus.  The dozens of dancers moving in step to the taiko drums and the dynamism of the whole, is part of the great attraction of Eisa.
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