Side dance - gawaodori

Japanese: 側踊 - がわおどり

...In the Edo period, the idea of amazed people, which was the lifeblood of elegant dancing, faded away, but the elegant dancing performed in August 1604 (Keicho 9) by the town association of Kyoto to commemorate the seventh anniversary of Hideyoshi's death, with expenses covered by the Toyotomi clan, was a historic and large-scale event, and the performance is depicted in the Toyokuni Shrine Festival Folding Screen.
[Artistic Form]
The "middle dance" includes dancers carrying elegant umbrellas, people in various costumes, stick players, and musicians playing flutes, drums, Japanese drums, and gongs. Surrounding them are the "side dancers" wearing matching costumes, headgear, and accessories. The leader, Shinhoki, gives a speech to encourage the dancers, and the leader sings a dance song that fits the theme.

From [Bon Odori]

...However, this Nembutsu Hakumono could not yet be called a dance, and was distinctive in that it was a repurposed version of the Matsubayashi music of New Year's and the elegant Hakumono (music) performed at festivals, and was accompanied by Nembutsu chants. According to the Kyogaku Shiyosho and other sources, in Nara in the late 15th century, in addition to the playing of flutes and drums on large, elegant structures, dancers could be seen surrounding them in matching designs (gawadori). In the 16th century, this spread to rural areas, mainly in Kyoto...

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

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…江戸時代に入ると風流踊の生命でもある人の目を驚かす趣向が薄らぐが，1604年(慶長9)8月に，京の町組が豊臣家から経費を保証されて演じた秀吉七回忌の風流踊は，歴史に残る大がかりなもので，そのようすは《豊国神社祭礼屛風》に描かれて残る。
［芸態］
　囃子物の伝統を引く風流の大傘や，思い思いの仮装の者，棒振り，笛･太鼓･鼓･鉦などの囃し手が〈中踊り〉として踊り衆の中に入り，それを取り巻いてそろいの衣装，被り物，持ち物を身につけた〈側踊（がわおどり）〉が並ぶ。音頭取りである新発意が口上などを述べて踊りを促すと，趣向に沿った踊り歌を音頭が歌う。…

【盆踊】より

…ただし，この念仏拍物はまだ踊りとはいえず，正月の松囃子（まつばやし）や祭礼に行われた風流の拍物(囃し物)を転用し，念仏で囃したところに特色があった。《経覚私要鈔》などによれば，15世紀後半の奈良では，大がかりな風流の作り物を笛，太鼓で囃すことに加えて，それを取り巻くそろいの意匠で飾った踊り手(側踊（がわおどり）)の姿が見られる。それは16世紀に入ると，京都を中心に地方の郷村へも伝播（でんぱ）した。…

※「側踊」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

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