Yakko Dance

This dance is performed by people dressed as servants of samurai families in the Edo period. These servants were popular for their chivalrous behavior and their flamboyant attitude, and this dance is based on their customs and customs. There are two types of dance: Kabuki dance and Furyu dance, a type of folk performing art. In Kabuki dance, the first was "Babasaki-odori" (Babasaki dance), which was created around the Genroku period (1688-1704) and depicts a bearded slave carrying a keyari (keyari), and many other "slaves" were created afterwards, such as "Sekisan-yakko" and "Otsue-yakko" (both spear dance pieces), "Yakko-tanzen" (tanzen piece), "Higenyakko", "Ukare-yakko", and "Tomo-yakko" (transformation pieces). In folk performing arts, it is called "Yakko-odori" as well as "Tori-ge-furi" and "Daimyo-gyoretsu" (feudal lord procession), and is danced in groups at festivals and Obon, or as an offering in the Shinko Festival procession, and is found all over the country. There are many different types of dances, such as the "Tachibana Yakko Dance" of Kitakami City, Iwate Prefecture, a dance with spears, the "Araodori" of Takeo City, Saga Prefecture, a hand dance, the "Shiraishi Dance" of the Bon Odori festival in Kasaoka City, Okayama Prefecture, a mixed dance with palace maids, and the "Yakko Dance" of Hinode Town, Nishitama District, Tokyo, a dance for young boys, but they all basically share the same unique way of walking. The "Oyakko" of Yoshida Town, Haibara District, Shizuoka Prefecture, and the "Katsuragi Shrine Parade" of Naruto City, Tokushima Prefecture are processions in the style of feudal lords, in which the yakko perform choreography using bird feathers and scissors boxes. Sometimes "yakko songs" are also performed.

[Masahiro Nishikado]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸時代の武家の下僕であった奴の姿に扮(ふん)して踊る舞踊。奴は義侠(ぎきょう)的な言行を誇り、伊達(だて)ぶりが人気をよんだが、その風俗などを題材とする踊りで、歌舞伎(かぶき)舞踊と民俗芸能の風流(ふりゅう)系の舞踊との二種類がある。歌舞伎舞踊では、元禄(げんろく)（1688～1704）ごろ成立の毛槍(けやり)を担ぐひげ奴(やっこ)を描写した『馬場先(ばばさき)踊』を嚆矢(こうし)として、以後『関三(せきさん)奴』『大津絵(おおつえ)奴』（以上槍踊物）、『奴丹前(たんぜん)』（丹前物）、『ひげ奴』『うかれ奴』『供(とも)奴』（変化(へんげ)物）など多くの「奴物(やっこもの)」がつくられた。民俗芸能では、「奴踊」のほか「鳥毛振り」「大名行列」などの名でよばれ、祭礼や盆のおりに集団で踊り、神幸(しんこう)祭のお練りに供奉(ぐぶ)したりで、全国的に散在する。岩手県北上(きたかみ)市の「立花(たちばな)の奴踊」は毛槍の踊り、佐賀県武雄(たけお)市の「荒踊(あらおどり)」は手踊り、岡山県笠岡(かさおか)市の盆踊り「白石(しらいし)踊」は御殿女中と混成の踊り、東京都西多摩郡日の出町の「奴舞」は少年の踊り、とさまざまであるが、奴の六方(ろっぽう)（独特な歩き方）ぶりは基本的に共通している。静岡県榛原(はいばら)郡吉田町の「大奴」や徳島県鳴門(なると)市の「葛城(かつらぎ)神社のお練り」は大名行列式で、奴が鳥毛や挟箱(はさみばこ)の曲振りを見せる。「奴歌」を伴うこともある。

［西角井正大］

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