Ohayashi - Ohayashi

...A term in Japanese music. The word comes from "hayasu," which means to make something stand out or to bring out something special, and refers to a solo performance, an instrumental performance that accompanies a main piece of music or performance, or the performers of such a performance. There are distinctive "hayashi" in each of the arts, such as folk performing arts, Noh, Kyogen, Kabuki, and vaudeville.
[Folk performing arts]
In the narrow sense, hayashi refers to musical performances that mainly use instruments, but in folk performing arts, there are examples where people at ritual sites chant while beating drums to pray for the arrival of the gods and to celebrate the prosperity of the land and people, and these are called "shikibayashi" or "uchihayashi" (at the Flower Festival in Kitashitara County, Aichi Prefecture), and it is believed that there was a magical intention to activate the divine spirits through the power of words and instruments and to strengthen and extend the life force of things.

*Some of the terminology that refers to "Ohayashi" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…日本音楽の用語。映えるようにする，ひきたてるという意味の〈はやす〉から出た語で，独唱，中心となる音楽や演技に添える楽器主体の演奏，またはその演奏者をいう。民俗芸能，能，狂言，歌舞伎，寄席など，それぞれに特徴のある〈囃子〉がある。
［民俗芸能］
　囃子は狭義には楽器主体の演奏をいうが，民俗芸能では，祭場で神の来臨を乞い，土地･人の繁栄を祝う文句を太鼓をたたきながら唱和することを〈しきばやし〉〈うちはやし〉(愛知県北設楽（きたしたら）郡の花祭)などと呼ぶ例があり，ことばや楽器の力で，神霊を発動させ，ものの生命力の強化･伸張をはかろうとする呪的意図があったとみられる。…

※「お囃子」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