Local Performing Arts of the Amami Archipelago

Points of Appreciation

There are quite a few traditional events on the Amami Islands which are still held according to the lunar calendar. In particular, according to shima-goyomi （island event calendar）between summer and early autumn, covering August and September in the lunar　 calendar, it is the peak season for harvest festivals and events to honor the elderly. During this time, numerous local performances are held all over the Archipelago. Let us look at points of appreciation for such events.

The first and foremost representative of the local performance is Hachigatsu-Odori (August Dance), which has been passed on to generations in each of the villages in the northern part of the Amami Archipelago. It involves a traditional music verse form of 8-8-8-6 as in Ryuka (Okinawa type of songs), and is danced in a circle, holding wedge-fastened drums. In particular, Sani-no-hachigatsu-odori (August Dance in Sani) of Kasari-cho (Amami City) and Metegutachi-Odori (Metegutachi Dance) of Isen-cho (Okinoerabujima) have been designated as Kagoshima Prefecture’s cultural properties.

The name August Dance is also referred to as Shichigatsu-Odori (July Dance) or Sen-nin-Odori (Thousand People Dance) in Tokunoshima. Inokawa Natsume Odori (Inokawa-Natsume Dance) of Tokunoshima-cho is danced all night long into the following morning. Other traditional music that has been passed on through the generations in other villages, includes Kometsuki-Odori (Rice-Pounding Dance). It is danced while handing over pebbles during an event called Hamaore (heading to the beach), which is intended to dispel pests in early summer in villages of Sumiyo-cho (Amami Oshima). Another traditional event is Setta Mankai, which is held on in Kasari-cho Setta, is a kind of game played while players would sit opposite to each other and is done during the early New Year’s days in the lunar calendar. When we think of traditional performances, we tend to imagine that there is a division between the audience and the performers; however, with these Amami games, old, young, men and women take part. In other words, the point is that there is no division between the audience and the performers; thereby one cannot be simply observing the performance but will have to join it.

The day of Arasetsu (one day in August in the lunar calendar) is a day set side to thank the good rice harvest and to wish for yet another good harvest for the following year. There are two well-known harvest festivals, Shochogama and Hirase Mankai in Tatsugo-cho Akina which take place on Arasetsu day. In the former, men stand up on a makeshift platform with only half a roof and rock to knock it down at a dawn. The latter takes place in the evening of the same day; people who play the role of gods give a prayer facing the ocean standing on top of two sacred rocks on the beach. This reminds us of the Festival of Noro of Ryukyu. Both of these performances carry remains of the traditional songs and movements that carry ritual and religious significance.

The masks donned by local performance on the Amami are also unique. When we think of masks used in performances in Japan, wooden masks as used in the Kagura (Shinto music) or noh performance would come to our minds. However in this region, masks are made of paper. Hosaku Odori (Good Harvest Dance) of Yui, the southern part of Yoronjima, Shodon Shibaya (Shodon Play) of Kakeromajima, and Yoron-jugoya-odori (Yoron Full Moon Night Dance) of Yoronjima are all designated as the national and prefectural cultural properties.

Commonalities in all are: (1) They are performed with masks; (2) Mask bearers are all male; (3) The performance takes place outdoors; and (4) Each performance is made up of several acts which seem to demonstrate the influence of the southern culture of Ryukyu and the north culture of Yamato (Satsuma). However, differences lie in the way each mask is made with different facial expressions, as well as the way of making them.

One of the charms of local Amami performing arts is the way they have created its own style through incorporating cultural impacts from the south and the north in a subtle way and mixing them up with other elements. For example, in the case of Okinoerabu-jima, Kamihirakawa-no-Taija-Odori (Giant Snake Dance of Kamihirakawa) of Chi-na-cho has a popular motif of obsession and hiding, that appears in a traditional Ryukyu Kumi Odori (Ryukyu Combination Dance) or Dojouji (Dojoji Temple), a popular Japanese Noh performance piece. However instead of performing it indoor, the performances in Amami take place outdoors by setting up a massive stage where a giant snake could be seen flying in the sky, while the songs and dance are performed in a theatrical manner. Additionally, Yakko Odori (young folks’ dance) held many places on Okinoerabujima was originally diffused from Satsuma Region in the modern era to which Ryukyu type songs were added to create something original.　Figuring out how each of the elements from South and the North is integrated in the traditional local performances of Amami adds another charm in appreciating the culture of Amami.