| Description |
“Furyu-odori” refers to various local ritual folk dances, characterized by glamorous costumes accompanied with songs, gong-ringing, and drum-beating. These dances have been performed at certain times of the year for centuries and have been transmitted from generation to generation mainly in rural areas throughout Japan. The nomination encompasses 41 representative furyu-odori of each area.
Life in rural areas was easily affected by severe climate events such as typhoons, droughts, and earthquakes. Local people of such areas created ritualistic performances imbued with their earnest hopes for a tranquil life. They dance furyu-odori for numerous purposes, including end of plagues, repose of the deceased, and praying for a good harvest or safety from such disasters. The eye-catching costumes, lively dances and songs and other accompaniments are indispensable for furyu-odori, since they dispel evil spirits and misfortune and strengthen good forces, such as local deities and ancestral spirits that protect the communities.
While sharing commonalities, furyu-odori have evolved into different forms in response to socio-cultural differences in each region. There are several classifications for furyu-odori; one of them is bon-odori, practiced as part of the Bon festival that takes place in July or August throughout Japan. A large group dance is performed in order to repose and entertain ancestral spirits that return home for several days in the Bon period. People also practice other kinds of furyu-odori, which are kouta-odori (dances with short songs), nenbutsu-odori (dances with Buddhist chanting), taiko-odori (dances with drumming), or hayashimono (dances accompanied by objects in which deities dwell). |
| Social and cultural significance |
The power generated by lively music, glamorous costumes, and attractive dances in furyu-odori plays a key role in the social and cultural life of community members. The preparation and performance of furyu-odori is a community-wide commitment, involving everyone fulfilling given roles. Such cohesive networking of people of all ages and genders creates lively sustainable communities. Bon-odori in particular is now introduced to greying urban communities to rekindle social interactions.
In each community, children grow up with furyu-odori, nurturing a sense of belonging to the community. In times of crisis, the element provides a reliable source of identity to community members in order to overcome hardships. In the 1950s, several parts of Okutama Town had to be sunk underwater to construct a dam. The residents moved to another district of the town. But through furyu-odori, they kept their social and cultural ties and have successfully maintained a common identity.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the element effectively provides social security. Although many communities cannot perform their usual furyu-odori, some performed modified furyu-odori, praying for protection from illness. In Morioka City, community members danced Onikenbai simultaneously in multiple locations, praying to end this pandemic. Furyu-odori proves to have power as spiritual pillars of communities struggling with adversity.
The diversity of furyu-odori demonstrates cultural diversity fostered with the creativity and aesthetic sense of communities. Magnificent sights and atmospheres created by the colourful costumes and powerful dances and music excite practitioners and spectators, enlivening the entire community. Transmitting furyu-odori therefore promotes diversity among local cultures. |
| Transmission method |
The knowledge and skills of this element are transmitted both non-formally and formally. The members of each local preservation association are strongly motivated to transmit their ancestral traditions to the next generations. The elder practitioners of various roles hand down their knowledge and skills to younger generations. Local schools provide classes on furyu-odori to the students who acquire knowledge and skills as part of their formal education in cooperation with the local preservation associations. There are also many projects to promote the respective ritual dances organized by the preservation associations and/or local governments.
In response to the challenges occurring as a result of a greying or declining population, the preservation associations have been modifying the ways the furyu-odori were danced traditionally. For example, they try to be flexible in role division, in that flute players used to be limited to boys, but now girls are also assigned the role. Roles that were traditionally limited to girls are also being opened up to boys.
Ordinary community members have also themselves been agents of change. The performance of furyu-odori has usually brought community members who have moved to other urban areas for work or other reasons back home. In case of Dai no Saka, for example, former Uonuma City residents who live in Tokyo return home to take part in their ancestral ritual dance. They also perform the dance annually in Tokyo at gatherings of those from the same city who now live in Tokyo.
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| Community |
The community consists of 41 local preservation associations responsible for the transmission of a variety of ritual dances included in the nomination file (see 4.d. for details) as well as the National Associations for the Safeguarding and Promotion of the Furyu Folk Ritual Dances that is composed of these local preservation associations. The community concerned also includes the residents of the areas in which these 41 ritual dances are transmitted. |
| Type of UNESCO List |
Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List |
2022 |
