Daikagura (Dai Kagura)

Japanese: 太神楽(代神楽) - だいかぐら

A folk art form. A type of Kagura. Arose in the early modern period with the rise of pilgrimages to Ise Shrine, and is a lion dance performed by two people (one leading the other as a tail), who travel around the country dancing the lion as a purification and exorcism for substitute pilgrimages and giving out sacred talismans. It was originally written as Dai Kagura, meaning substitute pilgrimage, but later came to use the honorific "Ta", as in the writings Kotai Jingu and Taichi. In recent years it has also been written as Dai Kagura. It is classified as Shishi Kagura, but in addition to simply dancing the lion, dancers also performed acrobatics as entertainment from early on, and eventually some dancers made acrobatics their main art.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

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。

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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