For me, the month of October has to be "The Month Of Little Sleep". In our area the rice has been harvested and now it is time for matsuri, and around here matsuri means all night kagura. Every village has their own matsuri and there are some I try to visit every year as well as many I have not had time to visit yet.... the first for me this year was saturday night in Ichiyama...
Got there around 10pm and the Iwato dance was just starting....
Next dance was Hachiman with the almost obligatory demon/hero battle.... I keep rooting for the demons but they never win.....
Next up was a ceremonial dance, Kenmai, which means "sword dance" but involved no swords. It was seperated from the sword part of the dance which is performed at Omoto Kagura.....
Next up was Jimmu, a dance based on the exploits of the mythical first emperor of Japan who subjugated the various clans and tribes of Western Japan in his invasion from Kyushu to kansai....
Next up was Kakko, a dance about a comedic figure who steals a sacred drum and attempts to unlock its power.....
Around 2:30am, we took our leave of the good folks in Ichiyama and started to walk towards home...
More information about these dances, including videos, can be found by clicking on the labels of this post...
i do miss the kagura of iwami. i never went to an all night one, though.
ReplyDeleteMakes me think I may well want to shift my trip plans to a bit later in the year. I have little doubt it will be my last trip to the Floating World and am trying to plan things at some point that isn't peak season... I don't know, seems like there's only a week or two between major events in Japan... Yes, I'd love to see all I can but I don't want to pay the highest rates to be there because everybody is on holiday at he same time...
ReplyDeleteHi Victor. Summer is when most of the big events occur in the cities. In the countryside however November is much busier. Is also the best weather and off-peak especially in Kyushu, Shikoku, and the west...
ReplyDelete