Komachi Dance - Komachi Dance

Furyu-odori is a dance performed by young girls on Tanabata Day in Kyoto during the early and middle Edo period. It is also called the Tanabata Dance. The ages of the young girls vary, but they range from 7 or 8 to 17 or 18 years old, and they dress up in flashy costumes. For example, they would wear beautiful medium-length kimonos, a wide sash of light brocade silk draped over their left shoulder, a donsu headband wrapped around their hair with artificial flowers in it, and hold a shime-daiko drum in their hands while they sang short songs such as: "Quails are dancing at Nijo-no-Baba. What are they dancing for? If you stop by, you will see that this year is the year that the Emperor comes to Kyoto. His Lordship is thriving. The City of Flowers is even more prosperous." They would sometimes form a circle, and sometimes form a procession, dancing as they walked.

It is said that later on, they stopped dancing and started just singing and walking around, but the dance still has strong characteristics of a kakeodori (a traditional dance performed by dancing with children). The headbands and sashes worn as props suggest some traces of the ancient shrine maidens, but it had become more of a pastime. Tanabata is close to O-bon, and it has become a precursor to the O-bon dance, but it is said that it originally originated from the Bon kama (a traditional pot used to sip on food) that was a taboo for young girls as they came of age, and was then turned into a performing art.

[Masahiro Nishikado]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代の初・中期ごろ、京都で七夕(たなばた)の日に踊られた娘たちの風流踊(ふりゅうおどり)。七夕踊ともいった。娘たちの年齢は、年代によって一定していないが、7、8歳から17、18歳までの間で、はでな扮装(ふんそう)で身を飾った。たとえば、美々しい中振袖(ちゅうふりそで)の着物を着、左肩に光綾綸子(こうりょうりんず)の幅広の襷(たすき)を掛け、造花を挿した髪頭に緞子(どんす)の鉢巻(はちまき)を巻き、手には締(しめ)太鼓を持ってたたきながら、「二条の馬場に　鶉(うずら)がふける　なにとふけるぞ　立寄ってきけば　今年や御上洛(じょうらく)　上様繁昌(はんじょう)　花の都はなお繁昌」などと小歌を歌って、ときには輪になり、ときには行列をして踊り歩いた。

　のちには踊らずただ歌い歩くだけになったというが、掛踊(かけおどり)の性格が濃い。鉢巻に襷という道具だてに古来の巫女(みこ)の名残(なごり)がうかがえるが、多分に遊戯化していた。七夕は盆に接近しており、盆踊りの前哨(ぜんしょう)にもなったが、もとは娘たちの成女戒(せいじょかい)の物忌みの盆釜(ぼんがま)から発して芸能化したものといわれる。

［西角井正大］

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例