Dainichido Bugaku -- A 1,300-year-old dance tradition

The Manila Times

Dainichido Bugaku -- A 1,300-year-old dance tradition  At an old shrine in Kazuno in Akita, Dainichido Bugaku has been held continuously for 1,300 years. It consists of seven ancient dances, kept alive through the centuries by local families. This is a sacred Shinto ceremony, so the dancers purify themselves in advance with ritual observances that include abstaining from meat. This unbroken tradition taught directly by fathers to sons throughout the ages not only binds families closer together, it also gives the town an unmatched community spirit.  VIDEO BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPAN  Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe    Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net    Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion    Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital    Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein   #TheManilaTimes #Japan #traditional #dance #community

Transcript

00:00 [Music]

00:10 [Music]

00:11 Kazuno in Akita in northern Japan.

00:14 Winter here blankets the town with heavy snow.

00:17 [Music]

00:20 Each year on January 2nd, Kazuno's Dai-Nichido shrine hosts an ancient traditional event.

00:27 [Music]

00:31 Dai-Nichido Bugaku consists of seven dances.

00:34 Performers come from each of Kazuno's four districts.

00:38 This is a living tradition that's been taught directly by fathers to sons for 1,300 years.

00:44 [Music]

00:48 Since this is a sacred ceremony, the dancers prepare themselves through purification rites

00:53 that include abstaining from meat.

00:56 [Music]

00:59 As year-end approaches, rehearsals begin in earnest.

01:02 [Music]

01:04 Hello.

01:05 [Music]

01:11 Yasunobu Narita and his son Yoshiki will represent the community of Ōsato.

01:17 [Music]

01:20 Yasunobu's dance is the Komamae, which imitates the lively actions of a horse.

01:25 [Music]

01:29 Yoshiki will perform the Torimai, a dance inspired by the movements of a bird.

01:34 This is the only dance performed by children.

01:37 [Music]

01:40 There's no break in rehearsals and preparations, even for New Year.

01:45 [Music]

01:47 Your hands are too high. Drop your shoulders like this.

01:51 This has been a tradition in the Narita family for many generations.

01:56 Yasunobu danced the Torimai when he was a child, too.

02:00 That's my father in costume.

02:03 [Music]

02:06 And this is me as a kid, ready for the Torimai.

02:10 [Music]

02:12 In our family, keeping this tradition alive is more important than anything else.

02:18 [Music]

02:20 This will be Yoshiki's last Torimai.

02:23 He's growing fast and will be too tall next year.

02:27 It's a dance that requires small, adorable children.

02:30 [Music]

02:34 The seven-year-olds who will dance next year watch Yoshiki intently, memorizing every movement.

02:39 [Music]

02:44 January 2nd has arrived.

02:47 [Music]

02:54 The dancers walk two hours through the snow to the shrine,

02:57 following a route that's barely changed over the centuries.

03:00 [Music]

03:07 As always, a large crowd is waiting for the ceremony to begin.

03:11 [Music]

03:17 Yasunobu, absorbed in the dance, seems to actually take on the personality of a horse.

03:23 [Music]

03:32 Now it's Yoshiki's turn.

03:34 [Music]

03:54 The Torimai demands perfect coordination from its three young dancers.

03:59 For his final performance of this dance, Yoshiki showed his best.

04:04 [Music]

04:14 All three of us got the timing just right, thank goodness.

04:20 Next year, it's our turn.

04:23 [Music]

04:26 Dai Nichido Bugaku, an unbroken tradition that's lasted for 1,300 years.

04:32 Fathers teaching sons, and those sons teaching their sons in turn.

04:37 [Music]

04:41 [Silence]

04:47 [Mouse click]

04:48 [Bell ring]

04:49 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Category

Transcript

Recommended