Hair play - Mou Asobi

Japanese: 毛遊び - もうあそび

A social custom that young men and women engaged in at night outdoors in Okinawan villages. "Ke" means field, and "asobi" means singing and dancing. In coastal villages, the activities took place on the beach, so it was also called Hamaasobi. Eligibility to participate was limited to unmarried men aged 17 to 25 and women aged 15 to 22. Girls would sing and dance to the sounds of the sanshin and taiko drums played by the men, and sometimes lovers would spend the night together, making it an important opportunity for young men and women to socialize. It was practiced on the main island of Okinawa until the end of the Meiji period, and on the outlying islands until around the end of the Taisho period.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

沖縄の村で青年男女が夜間野外で行なった交際習俗。「毛」は野原，「遊び」は歌と踊りのことで，海岸の村では遊びが浜辺で行われていたので，浜遊びとも呼ばれた。参加資格は男子が 17歳から 25歳，女子は 15歳から 22歳までの未婚者に限られた。おもに男たちが弾く三線や太鼓の音に合せて，娘たちが歌い踊り，さらに好きな者同士が一夜をともにすることもあって，若い男女の重要な交際の機会であった。沖縄本島では明治末期まで，離島では大正末期頃まで行われていた。

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