"There are various styles of koma odori. Each region has each koma odori. You can see the color of the region through each koma odori." - Nina Soma
Copyright (C) HAPPO TOWN All Rights Reserved.
Historical Background
In 1602, in the early Edo period, when Satake Yoshinobu was transferred from Hitachi (Ibaraki Prefecture) to Dewa (Akita Prefecture), his retainers began performing the dance to comfort the homesickness of their lord on the journey. Koma odori was passed down to male members of the family. However, it seems that this tradition is now rarely carried on.
A similar dance called Ishikawa Koma odori has been passed down in the area ruled by Satake Yoshinobu. Records and costumes for this dance were destroyed in the Ishikawa Great Fire in 1963. However, the following year, the Ishikawa Koma odori Preservation Society was formed and began working to revive the dance. Two years later, the revived Koma odori was able to be performed, and it is still being passed down today. Although it has a similar historical background, it is slightly different in that it is still being passed down today.
Characteristics
Koma odori is a performing art that is widespread in the Tohoku region, and can be seen in Aomori Prefecture (Hachinohe city, Towada city and Misawa city), Iwate Prefecture (Takizawa city), and Akita Prefecture (Happo town, Kitaakita city). The Ishikawa and Yakko odori in the Ishikawa region of Happo Town are the town's intangible folk cultural assets. They depict the beginning and end of a horse battle on the battlefield, wearing costumes that make it look like the performers are riding horses. Furthermore, the odori is performed in the order of Yakko odori and Koma odori. As can be seen from the fact that it is performed during the Obon period, it has a strong significance as a memorial for ancestors now.
Let's compare!
The Koma odori seen in Aomori and Iwate prefectures is a little different from the Kawai and Ishikawa Koma odori. These areas were formerly part of the Nambu domain, and the Nambu Koma odori began as a simulacrum of capturing wild horses, Noma-tori. As described in its origins, the Nambu Koma odori depicts the capture of horses that have been released into pastures. The dance is performed at shrines as a prayer for bountiful harvests, safety for the home, and as a memorial for the horses' souls. Because the dance expresses the strength and charm of released horses, the costumes of the Nambu Koma odori are colorful and gorgeous, unlike the battlefield-themed costumes of the Kawai and Ishikawa Koma odori. The performance is also timed to coincide with the Chagu Chagu Umakko event. The area from Takizawa city to Morioka city is a region with a strong connection to horses, as evidenced by the Chagu Chagu Umakko festival.
Copyright © 滝沢わくわくNavi. All Rights Reserved.
To know more
Kawai Koma odori / Yakko odori [Japanese only]
Ishikawa Koma odori (2017/ 8/13) [Japanese only]
Takizawa Koma odori "17th Takizawa City Folk Performing Arts Festival" [Japanese with English subtitles]
Event
While the Kawai Koma odori is no longer an event where you can experience it, there are still opportunities to see the Ishikawa Koma odori. For example, the Ishikawa koma odori was performed at the local performing arts stage of the Tohoku Rokkon Festival in 2015.
Direct Voice from Author
"What I found interesting through this project was that even if the same Koma Odori has the same origins, the appearance and frequency of activity that has been passed down varies depending on the region. The Nambu-style Koma Odori like Takizawa Koma Odori, which focuses on horses, and the Akita-style Koma Odori, which focuses on the battlefield, look different. There are probably other similar traditional performing arts and festivals all over Japan, but in this case, it's not a question of which came first and which came later, so it's good that both have survived as genuine Koma Odori. Also, since I'm from Iwate prefecture, I was surprised to see place names from Iwate prefecture pop up when I researched “Koma Odori”. When I started the project, I never imagined that Chagu Chagu Umakko was related to Koma Odori. Since Akita and Iwate prefectures are neighboring each other, it's exciting to think that there may be other performing arts that share the same origins."
Akita Prefecture. (n.d.). Ishikawa koma odori to yakko odori [Ishikawa Koma Odori and Yakko Odori]. Akita Genkimura. https://common3.pref.akita.lg.jp/genkimura/archive/contents-336
AkitaMinzokuGeino. (2013, January 7). Kawai koma odori / Yakko odori [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPA4yrBpSrk
Happō Town. (n.d.). Ishikawa koma odori. https://www.town.happo.lg.jp/archive/p20230218182334
Japanese Folk Performing Arts. (2024, January 28). Takizawa koma odori: Dai 17-kai Takizawa-shi kyōdō geinō matsuri [Takizawa Koma Odori: 17th Takizawa City local performing arts festival] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx1t193dHQw
Kita-Akita City. (2006, August 13). Dentō no koma odori to yakko odori o hirō: Sumomodai / Kawai chiku [Traditional Koma and Yakko Odori performances: Sumomodai and Kawai districts]. https://www.city.kitaakita.akita.jp/archive/contents-5057
Maturinookkake. (2015, January 9). Ishikawa koma odori [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf3NIKg4RMQ&t=402s
Takizawa Wakuwaku Navi. (n.d.). Takizawa koma odori. https://takizawa-kankou.jp/spot/takizawa-komaodori/
Yamauchi, M. (2017, August 13). Ishikawa koma odori: Akita-ken Happō-machi [Ishikawa Koma Odori in Happō Town, Akita Prefecture] [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE9GanItz4w&t=17s