{{short description|Traditional styles of Japanese dance}} {{More citations needed|date=July 2022}} thumb|upright=1.3|An early photograph of Japanese women in dance pose. '''Japanese traditional dance''' describes a number of Japanese dance styles with a long history and prescribed method of performance. Some of the oldest forms of traditional Japanese dance may be among those transmitted through the {{transliteration|ja|kagura}} tradition, or folk dances relating to food producing activities such as planting rice ({{transliteration|ja|dengaku}}) and fishing, including rain dances.<ref name="frederic1">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p2QnPijAEmEC&pg=PA147 |title=Japan Encyclopedia|first= Louis |last=Frederic |page=147 |publisher=Harvard University Press |edition=new |date=6 May 2005|isbn=978-0674017535}}</ref> There are large number of these traditional dances, which are often suffixed {{transliteration|ja|-odori}}, {{transliteration|ja|-asobi}}, and {{transliteration|ja|-mai}}, and may be specific to a region or village.<ref name="frederic1"/> {{transliteration|ja|Mai}} and {{transliteration|ja|odori}} are the two main groups of Japanese dances, and the term {{nihongo||舞踊|buyō}} was coined in modern times as a general term for dance, by combining {{nihongo||舞|mai}} (which can also be read as {{transliteration|ja|bu}}) and {{nihongo||踊|odori}} (which can also be read as {{transliteration|ja|yō}}).<ref name=oshima>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wtkm3O3nWXkC&pg=PA75 |title=The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japanese Culture |first=Mark|last=Oshima|editor= Sandra Buckley |publisher=Routledge |date=29 June 2009|isbn=978-0415481526 |page=75}}</ref>
{{transliteration|ja|Mai}} is a more reserved genre of dance that often has circling movements, and dances of the Noh theatre are of this tradition.<ref name=oshima/> A variation of the {{transliteration|ja|Mai}} style of Japanese dance is {{transliteration|ja|Kyomai}}, or Kyoto-style dance. {{transliteration|ja|Kyomai}} developed in the 17th century Tokugawa cultural period. It is heavily influenced by the elegance and sophistication of the manners often associated with the Imperial Court in Kyoto.{{citation needed|date=August 2014}} {{transliteration|ja|Odori}} has more vigorous stepping movements and is more energetic, and dances of the kabuki theatre belong to this category.<ref name=oshima/>
==Classification== thumb|Japanese traditional ''oiran'' dance, 2023
There are several types of traditional Japanese dance. The most basic classification is into two forms, {{transliteration|ja|mai}} and {{transliteration|ja|odori}}, which can be further classified into genres such as Noh {{transliteration|ja|mai}} or {{transliteration|ja|jinta mai}}, the latter style having its origins in the pleasure districts of Kyoto and Osaka.
The {{transliteration|ja|mai}} style is reserved and typified by circling movements where the body is kept low to the ground. The {{transliteration|ja|odori}} style includes folk dances performed at annual {{transliteration|ja|Bon}} festival events and dances that were part of traditional kabuki performances. The {{transliteration|ja|odori}} style features larger movements and is typically more energetic.<ref name=buckley>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japanese Culture|last=Buckley|first=Sandra|date=2002|publisher=Routledge}}</ref>
Traditional dance forms in the present day have also been influenced by Western dance forms like ballet, which were introduced to Japan during the Meiji Restoration. In {{transliteration|ja|Sagi Musume}} ('The Heron Maiden') the dancer's role is the spirit of the heron. In classical versions, the spirit assumes a handsome, strong pose at the end of the dance. However, this classical ending was altered in later versions (which borrowed heavily from Anna Pavlova's performances of ''The Dying Swan'') so the spirit gradually became lifeless, ultimately sinking to the floor.<ref name=buckley />
==Kabuki== {{main|Kabuki}} [[File:Renjishi by Heisei Nakamura-za during the APEC Summit week.jpg|thumb|upright|A {{transliteration|ja|Renjishi}} performance]] {{Nihongo|Kabuki|歌舞伎}} is a classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.
The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean {{nihongo|'sing'|歌}}, {{nihongo|'dance'|舞}}, and {{nihongo|'skill'|伎}}. Kabuki is therefore sometimes translated as 'the art of singing and dancing'. These are, however, {{transliteration|ja|ateji}} characters which do not reflect actual etymology. The kanji of 'skill' generally refers to a performer in kabuki theatre. Since the word 'kabuki' is believed to derive from the verb {{transliteration|ja|kabuku}}, meaning 'to lean' or 'to be out of the ordinary', ''kabuki'' can be interpreted as 'avant-garde' or 'bizarre' theatre.<ref name="Frederic">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p2QnPijAEmEC&pg=PA441 |title=Japan Encyclopedia|first= Louis |last=Frederic |pages=441–442 |publisher=Harvard University Press|edition=new |date=6 May 2005|isbn=978-0674017535 }}</ref> The expression {{nihongo||歌舞伎者|kabukimono}} referred originally to those who were bizarrely dressed and swaggered on a street.
The history of kabuki began in 1603, when Izumo no Okuni, possibly a shrine maiden of Izumo Taisha Temple, began performing a new style of dance drama in the dry riverbeds of Kyoto, and they were then called "strange" or "unusual" (''kabuki'').<ref name="Frederic"/> This new form of dance drama is thought to have been derived from folk-dances performed only by women, {{transliteration|ja|furyū-ō odori}} and {{transliteration|ja|nembu odori}}.<ref name="Frederic"/> Kabuki became a common form of entertainment in Yoshiwara, the registered red-light district in Edo. During the Genroku era, kabuki thrived. The structure of a kabuki play was formalized during this period, as were many elements of style. Conventional character types were established, as were many of the most popular and still-performed plays.
==Noh {{transliteration|ja|mai}}== {{main|Noh}} [[File:春日神社ー篠山ー翁奉納P1011774.jpg|thumb|Noh is a stylized dance drama that originated in the 14th century. Performers wear various masks and play the roles of kami, ''onryō'' (vengeful spirits), and historical and legendary figures.]] The origin of Noh {{transliteration|ja|mai}} can be traced back to as far as the fourteenth century.<ref name="The Noh">[http://www.the-noh.com/en/world/dance.html Introducing the world of Noh : Noh Dance]. The-noh.com. Retrieved on 2012-03-13.</ref><ref>[http://www-staff.it.uts.edu.au/~don/pubs/noh.html Noh Dancing]. Don Herbison-Evans (2009-05-07). [https://web.archive.org/web/20090702002320/http://www-staff.it.uts.edu.au/~don/pubs/noh.html archived] at the Wayback Machine, 2009-07-02.</ref> Noh {{transliteration|ja|mai}} is a dance that is done to music that is made by flutes and small hand drums called {{transliteration|ja|tsuzumi}}.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Malm|first=William P.|title=Japanese Music and Musical Instruments|publisher=Tuttle|year=1959|isbn=|location=|pages=113}}</ref> At various points the performers dance to vocal and percussion music; these points are called {{transliteration|ja|kuse}} or {{transliteration|ja|kiri}}. Noh {{transliteration|ja|mai}} dances are put together by a series of forms.<ref name="The Noh"/> Forms are patterns of body movements that are done elegantly and with beauty.
There are several types of Noh {{transliteration|ja|mai}} dances.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.the-noh.com/|title=the-noh.com : Introducing the world of Noh : Noh Dance|website=www.the-noh.com|language=en|access-date=2020-03-31}}</ref> A type that is neither slow nor fast is called {{transliteration|ja|chu no mai}}, and is usually performed by a female dancer. A slower type of dance is the {{transliteration|ja|jo no mai}}, which is also done by a female, sometimes dressed up as a ghost of a noble woman, a spirit, or a deity. A male's dance is {{transliteration|ja|otoko mai}}. In {{transliteration|ja|otoko mai}} the performer does not wear a mask and is portraying the character as being heroic. Another male dance is {{transliteration|ja|kami mai}}, where the dancer acts as though he is a deity. This is a very fast dance. The female version of this is called {{transliteration|ja|kagura}} and can be performed in various ways. {{transliteration|ja|Gaku}} is a dance that imitates music played at the imperial court and is usually done by the main character in a Noh drama. These are the six varieties that make up the Noh {{transliteration|ja|mai}} dance types.
Costumes are a major part of Noh theatre, including the Noh {{transliteration|ja|mai}}. Dances and play may start out slowly, so actors create flamboyant, colourful costumes to keep the audience engaged. They also dress to fit the aspects the characters represent, for example a bamboo hat worn by a character represents country life. The most important part of the Noh costumes are the masks. The Noh {{transliteration|ja|mai}} masks are thought to be the most artistic masks in Japan. The masks are only worn by the main characters.<ref>Ishii, 1994, pg. 43</ref> The masks have neutral expressions so it is the job of the actor to bring the character to life.<ref>Pitt Rivers Museum</ref>
=={{transliteration|ja|Nihon buyō}}== {{main|Nihon-buyō{{!}}''Buyō''}} [[File:Japan-Kyoto-Geisha.jpg|thumb|left|Two {{transliteration|ja|maiko}} performing a dance]] {{transliteration|ja|Nihon buyō}} is different from most other traditional dances.<ref name="nihonbuyou">[http://www.nihonbuyou.or.jp/english/nihonbuyo.htm The Japanese Classical Dance Association Inc.｜What is nihon buyo?]. Nihonbuyou.or.jp. Retrieved on 2012-03-13. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060707171644/http://www.nihonbuyou.or.jp/english/nihonbuyo.htm |date=July 7, 2006}}</ref> It is intended for entertainment on stage. {{transliteration|ja|Nihon buyō}} is a refined dance that has been improved throughout four centuries.<ref name="nihonbuyou" />
There are four parts to {{transliteration|ja|nihon buyō}}, the most significant part being kabuki {{transliteration|ja|buyō}}.<ref name="nihonbuyou" /> Most of the repertoire has been borrowed from 18th and 19th century kabuki theatre and even from the {{transliteration|ja|yūkaku}} (pleasure quarters) of Edo Japan.<ref name=buckley />
{{transliteration|ja|Nihon buyō}} was created directly from kabuki {{transliteration|ja|buyō}} before it became theater. The second part of {{transliteration|ja|nihon buyō}} is Noh.<ref name="nihonbuyou" /> {{transliteration|ja|Nihon buyō}} takes a few key elements from Noh such as the circular movements and the tools used in its dances. The third part of these dances comes from the folk dances; the spinning and jumping used in folk dances was incorporated into {{transliteration|ja|nihon buyō}}. The last part came from a mixture of European and American culture that is found in Japan today.<ref name="nihonbuyou" />
{{transliteration|ja|Nihon buyō}} did not reach its present form until the Meiji Restoration of 1868 during a time when Western dance forms were being introduced to Japan. Thus, the present day form of {{transliteration|ja|nihon buyō}} was influenced by dance forms like ballet.<ref name=buckley />
==Folk dances== [[File:Suzume Odori.jpg|thumb|Katsushika Hokusai published {{transliteration|ja|suzume odori}} in his manga in 1815.]] thumb|{{transliteration|ja|Suzume odori}} contestants at Aoba {{transliteration|ja|matsuri}} festival with a flutist
There are a wide variety of folk dances in Japan. Folk dances are often the basis from which other dance forms developed. An example of a Japanese folk dance is the {{Nihongo|sparrow dance|雀踊り|suzume odori}}, a dance based upon the fluttering movements of the Eurasian tree sparrow.<ref name="aoba">{{cite web|url=http://www.aoba-matsuri.com/english/e-suzume.html |title=Sendai Suzume Odori (Sendai Sparrow Dance )|website= Aoba-matsuri.com. |access-date=2012-03-13}}</ref> It was first performed and improvised by stonemasons who were constructing Sendai Castle for the {{transliteration|ja|daimyō}} Date Masamune. The emblem of the Date clan incorporates two tree sparrows. The sparrow dance is now performed yearly in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture at the Aoba festival in mid-May.<ref name="aoba" /> School children in Miyagi prefecture learn and perform the sparrow dance, especially during the Obon Festival. [[File:Culture Day Parade (Nagoya, Japan).jpg|thumb|An {{transliteration|ja|awaodori}} dance troupe at Osu in Nagoya, Aichi.]]
=={{transliteration|ja|Bon odori}}== {{main|Bon Festival#Bon Odori}} [[File:Bon-odori-2014.ogv|thumb|thumbtime=1|Video of dancers in a {{transliteration|ja|bon odori}} festival in Adachi-ku, Tokyo]] {{transliteration|ja|Bon odori}} is a type of folk dance performed during the Obon Festival.<ref>[http://www.japan-101.com/art/art_bon_odori.htm Bon Odori – Japanese Traditional Dance]. Japan-101.com (2007-01-27). Retrieved on 2012-03-13. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031207055550/http://www.japan-101.com/art/art_bon_odori.htm |date=December 7, 2003 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.bonodori.net/E/ Invitation to Bon Dancing]. Bonodori.net. Retrieved on 2012-03-13.</ref><ref>[http://www.japanese-city.com/calendar/events/japanese-city-events-locations-summer-obon-odori-taiko-line-dancing-dango-drums-games-food.php 2012 Japanese Obon Festival & Bon Odori Schedule]. Japanese-City.com (2012-02-29). Retrieved on 2012-03-13.</ref> It was originally a dance to welcome the spirits of the dead. These dances and the music that accompanies them are different for every region of Japan. Usually, the {{transliteration|ja|bon}} dance involves people dancing around a {{transliteration|ja|yagura}}, a high wooden scaffold. The people move either counter clockwise or clockwise, away and towards the {{transliteration|ja|yagura}}. Sometimes they switch direction.
The movement and gestures in a {{transliteration|ja|bon}} dance often depict the history, work or geography of the region.<ref>[http://www.bonodori.net/E/sekai/framework/framework10.htm The Framework of Bon Dancing10] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110911005512/http://www.bonodori.net/E/sekai/framework/framework10.htm |date=2011-09-11 }}. Bonodori.net (2002-08-31). Retrieved on 2012-03-13.</ref> For example, {{transliteration|ja|tankō bushi}} is a coal mining work song that originates from Miike Mine in Kyushu, and the movements in the dance depict digging, cart pushing and lantern hanging. {{transliteration|ja|Soran Bushi}}<ref>[http://www.lyricstime.com/mawaca-soran-bushi-lyrics.html Mawaca – Soran Bushi Lyrics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927052547/http://www.lyricstime.com/mawaca-soran-bushi-lyrics.html |date=2011-09-27 }}. Lyricstime.com. Retrieved on 2012-03-13.</ref> is a sea shanty, and the movements in the dance depict net dragging and luggage hoisting. {{transliteration|ja|Bon}} dances may employ the use of different utensils, such as fans, small towels and wooden hand clappers. For the {{transliteration|ja|hanagasa odori}},<ref>[http://www.ikechang.com/summer/sum9602e.htm Hanagasa Odori (Flower Hat Dance)]. Ikechang.com. Retrieved on 2012-03-13.</ref> the dancers use straw hats with flowers on them.
=={{transliteration|ja|Jiuta mai}}== {{nihongo||地唄舞|Jiuta mai}} (or {{transliteration|ja|kamigata mai}}) is a refined dance form that comes from the pleasure quarters in Osaka and Kyoto. The dance style is represented by classical elements of {{transliteration|ja|mai}} style such as fan movements, pantomime and circular movements. This form of dance is intended to be performed only by women.<ref name=buckley />
== See also == * Glossary of Japanese theater (includes dance and performance arts) * Contemporary dance in Japan * Sword dance
==References== {{Reflist|35em}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20080312071844/http://www.sfusd.k12.ca.us/schwww/sch618/japan/Music/Japanese_Music_and_Dance.html Japanese Music and Dance] *[http://michikokurata.com/index.php/2010/11/10/3-dance-clips-from-japan/ Video: Example of Traditional Japanese Dance, Nihonbuyo]
{{Dance}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Japanese Traditional Dance}} Category:Dance in Japan Category:Articles containing video clips