Tekomai - Tekomai

These were people who sang Kiyari songs and paraded around in front of the floats as a decoy during festivals in Edo. In the Edo period, men such as Tobi (scaffolders) also participated, but later, the daughters of parishioners took on the role, and eventually geisha took on the role. The name is said to be a play on the characters used to derive from the name of the Tekomae (pawn) who uses a lever to move the stones and wooden poles during Kiyari. It is also said to have come from the sound of the festival float music, and is a corrupted version of Suteteko-odori (suteko dance). One theory is that it means "maidens who serve the gods." He wears a man's topknot, a flashy undershirt with the right side of his body removed, a belly wrap, a formal attire, navy blue tabi socks, straw sandals, a flower hat on his back, an iron bar, and a black-bone fan with a peony painted on it. This custom can be seen in the geisha Miyokichi in the kabuki play "Chijimiya Shinsuke," and it also appears in dances depicting festivals, such as the kabuki dance "Kioi-jishi."

[Kisaragi Aoko]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

主として江戸の祭礼のとき、山車(だし)の前に露払いとして木遣(きやり)を歌って練り歩いた者のこと。江戸時代には鳶(とび)の者など男も行ったが、のちには氏子の娘が扮(ふん)し、やがて芸者がつとめるようになった。この呼び名は、木遣のときにてこで木石を運行させる役の挺前(てこまえ)のあて字といわれ、また祭りの屋台囃子(ばやし)の音から出たもので、すててこ踊の転訛(てんか)ともいう。一説には「神に仕える乙女」の意ともいう。男髷(まげ)に右肌ぬぎのはでな襦袢(じゅばん)、腹掛、裁着(たっつけ)、紺足袋(たび)に草鞋(わらじ)、背に花笠(はながさ)を負い、鉄棒(かなぼう)を引き、牡丹(ぼたん)を描いた黒骨の扇を持つ。歌舞伎(かぶき)『縮屋(ちぢみや)新助』の芸者美代吉にこの風俗を知ることができ、歌舞伎舞踊『勢獅子(きおいじし)』など祭礼を描く踊りにも登場する。

［如月青子］

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