Iruka - Dolphin

Japanese: 入鹿 - いるか

The title of a Kōwaka dance piece. Also known as Kamatari and Iruka no Daijin. The author and year of creation are unknown. The first recorded performance was in 1581 (Tenshō 9) (Ietada Nikki). It tells the story of Fujiwara Kamatari's slaying of Soga no Iruka, and together with the dance Taishokan, it is a legend of Kasuga Shrine and Kofuku-ji Temple in Nara. In this piece, Kamatari's birthplace is Kashima in Hitachi Province, and his name comes from a sickle given to him by a fox when he was a child, with which he cut off Iruka's head. These points appear at the end of the medieval biography of Prince Shotoku, as well as in the Haruya Shinki and Tabijuku Mondo, and are thought to be related to the medieval Shinto enthronement ceremony (also known as Setsuro Engi), in which Kashima-no-kami became Dakini-ten (a fox) and performed secret rituals on Kamatari, making him the emperor's teacher.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

幸若舞曲の曲名。別名《鎌足》《入鹿大臣》。作者，成立年次不詳。上演記録の初出は1581年(天正9)(《家忠日記》)。藤原鎌足による蘇我入鹿退治の物語で，舞曲《大織冠（たいしよかん）》とともに奈良春日神社，興福寺の縁起譚（えんぎたん）をなす。本曲では鎌足の出生地を常陸国鹿島とし，名の由来を幼時に狐の与えた鎌にちなむとし，その鎌で入鹿の首を打ち落としたとする。これらの点は，中世の聖徳太子伝の末尾や，《春夜神記》《旅宿問答》などにみえ，鹿島神が吒枳尼（だきに）天＝狐となって鎌足に秘儀をほどこし，天子の師範となったとする，中世神道の即位法(摂籙（せつろく）縁起とも)との交渉が考えられる。

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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