What is the Gujo Odori Dance Festival?
The Gujo Odori Dance Festival is held for over 30 nights from the middle of July to the end of September and is the longest-running bon odori festival in Japan (*1). Gujo Odori has been continually held for 400 years in the castle town of Gujo Hachiman.
You could say that summer in Gujo Hachiman begins and ends with dancing. The Gujo Odori Dance Festival is held in only one location per night and moves to a different venue each night. Some nights the people dance in the town near the castle while on other nights the venue moves to a shrine.
No special outfits are necessary for dancing. One attraction of the Gujo Odori is that anyone can easily participate, and when you look at the town of Gujo Hachiman filled with the summer atmosphere of Japan, you will most certainly feel the temptation to join in the dancing in a Yukata (casual summer kimono) yourself. Some kimono stores also carry yukata for rent.
*1: Performance folk art familiar to all Japanese dating back to the 15th century. The Bon Odori Festival is held throughout the country around August 15 mainly during the bon (event to worship the spirits of the ancestors) period.
Kawasaki
“Kawasaki” is the most commonly known song for the Gujo Odori Dance Festival. It’s popular among a wide range of people for its calm lyrics and elegant choreography.
Harukoma
This dance is perfect for Gujo, which was a major horse farming town back in the Edo Period. The heroic appearance of a rider on horseback handling the reins has been incorporated into these energetic dance moves. As the dance goes on, the sound of the flute starts to resemble the cries of a horse while the sound of the shamisen from the bouncy use of the plectrum starts to resemble the galloping of a horse.
San-byaku (300)
In 1759, Aoyama, who was transferred as the new domain lord of Gujo, gave 300 mon (unit of currency in the Edo Period) to each Gujo residence, who were poor and starving, regardless of their titles. This dance originated when the village people, in gratefulness and surprise, presented the local dance. Simple farming movements have been incorporated into the choreography and the lyrics of the song, including the motions of throwing sheaf and the way farmers walk through wet paddies with wooden clogs used in rice paddies.
Yacchiku
Various traveling performers came through Gujo Hachiman, which was a thriving castle town, toward the end of the Edo Period. In one of the songs, the performers make sounds with 8 pieces of bamboo held in each hand as if they were strolling for money. This dance was created by adding simple choreography to the song.
Gengen Balabala
This dance originated from the game of thread balls enjoyed among palace maids in the Edo Period. This dance is characterized by the elegant moves of folding long kimono sleeves.
Neko no Ko (kitten)
Cats were preciously kept by silk-raising farmers as exterminators of mice that would eat the silk worms. This is a fun dance, into which the adorable motions of kittens have been incorporated, and is danced in a freewheeling manner.
Sawagi
This dance originated from Sawagi-uta (boisterous songs), that were popular in red-light districts in the Genroku Period (1688-1703). This dance is accompanied by lively hand clapping and many of the lyrics are flirtatious words to express the emotions between men and women.
Gujo Jinku
This was often sung when Sumo folk songs that became popular toward the end of the Edo Period came to Gujo, where local sumo was very active. This is interestingly characterized by motions of the sumo ring entrance ceremony that have been perfectly incorporated into the song.
Old Kawasaki
This dance originated when Kawasaki Ondo (Kawasaki dance song) of Ise-furuichi came to the land of Gujo in 1580. Farming motions have been made into dance moves, and farming songs remained in the lyrics as well. Accordingly this is highly valuable as folklore material and has been designated as a national important intangible cultural property.
Matsuzaka
This is a dance that gives off deep emotions, despite its simple melodies. As an old tradition, this Matsuzaka is always the last dance of the night.
photo:
Gujo Hachiman Tourist Association