《The Lineage of 'Lightwork'》 - The Lineage of Lightwork

...A temporary entertainment event held in the precincts of a temple or shrine, showcasing entertainment and various unusual things, and charging an admission fee.
[History of shows in Japan]
Spectacles began as street performances such as picture explanations and sermons, which were held under the pretext of fundraising, and tent-based performances such as Houka and Kumomai (acrobatics) can be said to have begun in the Muromachi period, but they did not reach their peak until the Edo period. Performances were popular in Shijogawara in Kyoto, Dotonbori and Namba-Shinchi in Osaka, Osu in Nagoya, Ryogoku, Ueno Hirokoji, and Asakusa Okuyama in Edo, and in the Meiji period, Asakusa Park Roku-ku and the grounds of Shokonsha (now Yasukuni Shrine) became famous performance locations.

*Some of the terminology explanations that refer to "The Lineage of 'Light Techniques'" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…寺社の境内や盛場で，臨時に小屋掛けして，芸能および種々珍奇なものを見せて入場料をとる興行物のこと。
【日本における見世物の歴史】
　見世物は勧進を名目にした絵解き，説経などの大道芸にはじまり，小屋掛けの興行は，放下（ほうか）や蜘舞（くもまい）(軽業（かるわざ）)など室町時代にはじまるといってよいが，盛行をきわめたのは江戸時代に入ってからである。京都では四条河原，大坂では道頓堀や難波新地，名古屋では大須，江戸では両国，上野広小路，浅草奥山などで盛んに興行され，明治時代になってからは浅草公園六区や招魂社(現，靖国神社)境内などが興行地として名高かった。…

※「《‘かるわざ’の系譜》」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