Hanekawa sword dance is rooted in the community of Hanekawa, in the Shimohama area in Akita City. In the middle ages, this area was governed by Nitta Yoshimasa, one of the twelve lords of Yuri, who had a castle here. Hanekawa is the new family name taken by Nitta Yoshimasa. When Hanekawa Kotarō invaded the Semboku region and conquered Ōmagari Castle, he danced with a sword at the banquet of victory and invited people to dance with silver fans. The sword dance was discontinued, but the fan dance was inherited by women. Today, the dance also has been performed and learned at school to preserve it.
The performance consists of three parts, the dance part, the drum part, and the flute part. The dance part is also divided into two parts, the fan dance by women and the sword dance by men. Women dance with the gold and silver fan wearing a white garment and a navy hakama skirt. Men dance with the sword wearing a black garment and a silver hakama skirt. The musical instrument part uses the different sizes of Japanese drums, Japanese flutes, and a hand drum.
Introducing how it is performed
Full performance of this dance
Current activities
YOSHITAKA, a jazz dancer, performed the creative version of the Hanekawa sword dance. He learned the dance from local people and created a new dance based on the movements of the Hanekawa sword dance.