Ise Daikagura

Japanese: 伊勢大神楽 - いせだいかぐら

…(4) In Shishi Kagura, the lion's head is worshipped as a gongen (a divine figure), and a lion dance is performed to purify and calm the performers, followed by a variety of entertainments. In Iwate Prefecture's Yamabushi Kagura, old-fashioned Noh dances and Kyogen plays are performed, which are considered to have been performed before Nohgaku was perfected, while in the so-called Dai Kagura, such as Ise Dai Kagura, acrobatic and humorous performances are performed in the style of Sangaku. The names Daidai Kagura and Daidai Kagura contain various meanings, such as the size of the performance, a beautiful title, and the act of proxy attendance (performed by participants in the religious group). …

From "Lion Dance"

...A folk performing art in which the performers wear lion's heads (mainly wooden carvings) and dance. It has the longest history of all Japanese performing arts, and has changed little in style or form. Lion dance, which involves wearing the heads of animals such as boars and deer, has a very long history, as described in the Kojiki, where King Oke danced while offering deer antlers, and in the Manyoshu, where there is a song that suggests deer mimicry (see below). On the other hand, the lion was an animal unknown to ancient Japanese people, and it is thought that it gained widespread national support from an early stage due to its hearsay knowledge that it was the strongest beast, and its religious belief that it was a sacred animal that warded off evil spirits as the guardian beast of the Buddhist Pure Land.

From [Daikagura (Daikagura)]

...Folk art. A type of Kagura. A lion dance performed by two people (one leading the other) that arose in the early modern period with the rise of pilgrimages to Ise Shrine, in which the lion dancers dance to purify and exorcise the deputy pilgrims and travel around the country, bestowing sacred talismans, etc. In the past, it was written as Dai Kagura, referring to the deputy pilgrim, but later the honorific "Ta" came to be used, as in the writings Kotai Jingu and Taichi. In recent years, it has also been written as Dai Kagura. It is classified as a lion kagura, but in addition to simply dancing the lion, dancers have performed acrobatics as entertainment since early times, and eventually some dancers began to make acrobatics their main art. ...

*Some of the terminology used in reference to "Ise Daikagura" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…(4)獅子神楽は獅子頭（ししがしら）を権現(神の仮託した姿)とあがめ，潔め鎮（しず）めの獅子舞を舞わせたのち，数々の余興を演ずる。岩手県の山伏神楽などでは能楽大成以前と目されるような古風な能舞や狂言を演じ，伊勢大神楽などのいわゆる太（だい）神楽では散楽系の曲芸や滑稽を演じてみせる。太々（だいだい）神楽，代々神楽の名称には規模の大きさ，美称，代参(信者講中の参加者による)などさまざまな意味が含まれている。…

【獅子舞】より

…獅子頭（ししがしら）(おもに木彫)をかぶって舞い，踊る民俗芸能。日本の芸能の中でもっとも古い歴史をもち，また様式や芸態の変化の少ないものである。猪（いのしし），鹿（かのしし）など獣類の頭をつける獅子舞は，《古事記》には弘計（おけ）王が鹿の角を捧げて舞ったこと，《万葉集》には鹿擬態を示唆する歌がある(後述)など，その来歴はきわめて古い。一方，獅子は古代の日本人にとって未見の動物であり，最強の獣との伝聞的認識と，仏教浄土の守護獣として悪霊を払う霊獣という信仰的認識により早くから広く国民的支持を得ていたと考えられる。…

【太神楽(代神楽)】より

…民俗芸能。神楽の一種。近世初頭から伊勢参宮の隆盛に伴って起こった二人立ち(頭役と尻役)の獅子舞で，代参祈禱の清め祓いの獅子を舞わせ，神札を授けるなどして諸国を巡って歩く。代参の意味から古くは代神楽と書いたが，のちに皇太神宮，太一などの表記と同じように美称の〈太〉を用いるようになった。近年は大神楽とも書く。獅子神楽に分類されるが，単に獅子を舞わすだけでなく，早くから余興芸として舞い手が曲芸を演じてみせ，やがて曲芸を本芸とするものも出た。…

※「伊勢大神楽」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について | 情報

<<: Ise Grand Shrine

>>: Ise Sozui