阿波踊り Awa-odori Awa Dance
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The Awa dance is the general name for Bon dances (Bon is the Buddhist ritual praying to ancestors) held in Tokushima Prefecture. The history of the Awa dance goes back 400 years ago.
‘Great people! Great people! Yoi, Yoi, Yoi, Yoi! Fool dancing or fool seeing. If both are fools, you should dance!’ ‘Yatto-sa-! Yatto-sa-!’ These are the phrases sung at the Awa dance. The Awa dance in Tokushima is the biggest and most famous; and is also one of the three major Shikoku festivals, the three major Bon dances in Japan and three major world dances.
The musical instruments used in the Awa dance are called narimono. They consist of flutes, shamisen, shime drums, big taiko drums, small drums and gongs.
The music is up-tempo and two-beat; these are important factors for such n ‘airy’ dance. In old times, Japan was an agricultural country, so a dance such as the Awa dance, with the rhythm of an equestrian people is very rare.
‘Great people! Great people! Yoi, Yoi, Yoi, Yoi! Fool dancing or fool seeing. If both are fools, you should dance!’ ‘Yatto-sa-! Yatto-sa-!’ These are the phrases sung at the Awa dance. The Awa dance in Tokushima is the biggest and most famous; and is also one of the three major Shikoku festivals, the three major Bon dances in Japan and three major world dances.
The musical instruments used in the Awa dance are called narimono. They consist of flutes, shamisen, shime drums, big taiko drums, small drums and gongs.
The music is up-tempo and two-beat; these are important factors for such n ‘airy’ dance. In old times, Japan was an agricultural country, so a dance such as the Awa dance, with the rhythm of an equestrian people is very rare.
- address
- 2-20 Shinmachiibashi, Tokushima,Tokusima Prefecture, 770-0904
- name
- Awa Dance Building
- phone
- 088−611−1611
- tokushima@awaodori-kaikan.jp