 Mie
Prefecture |
Ise
Daikagura
(Designated by the national government
as an important intangible folk cultural property) |
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| Rangyoku,
in which the shishi performs the role of a courtesan. |
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| Shishimai,
the oldest and most widespread of Japan's local
arts, is performed exactly as it was in the past. |
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Classic
shishimai (lion dance)
and skillful acrobatics
Frequent performances of the Ise Daikagura
began during the Edo period. It is said that it
originated in a so-called substitute kagura,
offered in a ceremony to prevent illness and disaster
and to protect the home for those people unable
to worship in person at the Ise Shrine. This performance
consists of the shishimai, featuring a
lion character with penetrating eyes, and juggling
entertainment using traditional Japanese handballs,
plates, swords, and umbrellas.
At present, six groups of masters are keeping
these various traditional arts alive. Usually,
a single group travels from town to town throughout
the Kansai region to perform these classic arts.
At Masuda Shrine, where these arts originated,
all the masters gather every year on festival
days to joyfully present the shishimai
and juggling in a program with eight performances
of each. Local residents and lovers of these arts
throng the forest of the tutelary god and greet
the performances of these sophisticated arts with
excited cheering. |
Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture
Performed December 24 (Masuda Shrine, Kuwana)
Ise Daikagura Kosha (Representative: YAMAMOTO
Gendayu)
TEL:0594-23-2498
Department of Commerce and Tourism, Kuwana City
Hall TEL:0594-24-1231 |
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| The
performers enter shouting "Omedetai na!",
to the accompaniment of music. This is the origin
of yose manzai. |
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Traditional
street corner-style
manzai still performed today
Manzai is a street corner-style art in
which the performer stands at the entry gate of
a house on New Year's Day to offer congratulations
and good wishes for the health, safety, and the
prosperity of the household. The team of Tayu
and Saizo provokes gales of laughter from
the crowd with their comic dialog and gestures
interspersed with performances on the shamisen,
kokyu (Chinese fiddle), and taiko
drum.
Ise Manzai is said to have become popular when
the Yamato manzai that originated in present-day
Nara Prefecture became the Senzu manzai
of the old capital and was taken to Mikawa and
Owari (Aichi Prefecture). It was widely known
throughout the Kinki region.
Today, one group of manzai artists preserves
these seldom-seen traditional arts in a kadozuke,
or street corner-style performance. Its members
perform many titles, including Hokkekyo Manzai,
Karasuzukushi, and Chushingura.
Though the manzai arts of individual regions
have died out, this group is still active and
well known locally. |
Suzuka City, Mie Prefecture
Ise Manzai / Murata Co. (MURATA Seiko)
TEL:0593-72-0764
Suzuka City Hall
TEL:0593-82-1100 |
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