Shimozuru Usudaiko Odori

About this event

At Minamikata Shrine, Hitotsuse Riverbed, and Shimozuru Community Center in Minamikata, Saito City, Miyazaki Prefecture, the "Shimozuru Usudaiko Odori" dance is dedicated. Offered annually on the 1st day of the 8th lunar month with prayers for bountiful crops and protection against flood and fire disasters, this dance is a representative example of Usudaiko dances passed down in Miyazaki Prefecture and is designated as a National Intangible Folk Cultural Property. Dancers perform while changing formations between circles and columns, which is said to originate from a clever military tactic used by Kato Kiyomasa during the Bunroku and Keicho campaigns. The jingasa hats and jinbaori coats worn by the gong players feature Kato Kiyomasa's family crest, the "Janome" (bull's-eye). The troupe consists of 24 performers in total: 4 gong players, 16 dancers, and 4 singers. Dancers perform carrying a 15 kg banner on their back and holding a mortar-shaped drum (usudaiko) across their chest. An inscription dating back to Kyowa 2 (1802) on one of the gongs indicates that the dance was already performed in the mid-Edo period. There are various theories about the origins of Usudaiko dance, including martial arts training and morale boosting, or an artistic evolution of the Jugoya (harvest moon) dance. Because the Shimozuru Usudaiko Odori takes place on the 1st day of the 8th lunar month—Hassaku, one of the three major unlucky days for farmers—it clearly reflects prayers to ward off agricultural calamities. Compared to dances from other districts, it is characterized by a faster tempo and vigorous, intense movements; tradition holds that the spirited leaps gradually appease the spirits of the deities.

Venue

Shimonaminakata Community Center

Ko 2229-3 Aza Kunitomi, Gunjibun, Miyazaki, Miyazaki 880-0924