Historical Background

According to the oldest records available of dancing at Nishimonai, sometime during the Shōō period (1288–1292), when the priest Genshin established Zaō Gogen Temple (present-day Mitake Shrine), the dance was performed in the premises of the temple to pray for bumper crops. As for the origin of the Bon dance here, one theory advanced is that after the lord of Yashima, Ōi Gorō Mitsumasa, lost in battle and committed seppuku in Nishimonai Castle in 1593, his men and women performed the Bon dance to appease his soul, which became the origin of the Nishimonai Bon Dance. Another theory says that after Nishimonai Castle was destroyed by the Mogami clan’s army in 1601, quite a few warriors settled in at Horimawari and Maegō near the ruins of the castle and performed the Bon dance to console themselves. In 1981, this dance was registered as one of the Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties by the Japanese government. It was the first Bon dance registered in it. Today, it is known as one of the three major Bon dances in Japan. In 2022, it is also registered on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as one of the Furyu-odori: Ritual Dances Imbued with People’s Hopes and Prayers. 

Characteristics

<General Information>

The Nishimonai Bon Odori is one of the traditional Bon Odori, which is the festival held every August as a part of the traditional Buddhist custom called Obon, which shows respect for ancestors. The festival is held at night from the 16th to the 18th of August in Ugo town in Akita prefecture. This schedule is later than normal Bon Odori held in many parts of Japan, and it is said that the late schedule has several meanings, such as it is close to the lunar calendar and it is to hold the festival after the Okuribi, which sends ancestors who come back to their house in Obon to heaven. 

During the program of the festival, at the beginning, an initial music called Yosedaiko is played to gather people to the place of the festival. After the Yosedaiko starts, audiences and performers come to the meeting place, and then the dance performance will start. In the evening, mainly children perform Ondo, which is a style of dance that has an elegant and tranquil inflection. After the dance, late at night.

The performance consists of two types: Ondo and Ganke. Ondo is a calm and graceful dance. Ganke is an upbeat and slightly complicated dance. The striking feature of this dance is that female dancers wear either a black hood covering the face except for the eyes, which is known as Hikosa Zukin, or a narrow straw hat that hides their faces almost entirely, which is called Amigasa. The festival is also called Mouja-Odori (dance of the dead) because of such a feature.

<The unique costume>

The unique beauty of the Nishimonai Bon dance lies in its costumes. 

The first is the Hanui (端縫い). Hanui are costumes for adult female dancers, made of four or five different kinds of kimono together like a patchwork. The principle is that they must be symmetrical, and each Hanui is one of a kind. In Japan in the olden days, costumes were an important asset, and even scraps of cloth were collected and stored. This artistic costume is well-designed and colored and is a highly prestigious garment that a woman is allowed to wear when she is recognized by her mother as an adult woman. Women who wear Hanui wear a hat called an Amigasa (編笠). This hat is meant to cover the face.

The second costume is called an Aizome (藍染). This costume is mainly worn by underage female dancers called Hikosa. Most of them are hand-dyed using traditional dyeing techniques from southern Akita Prefecture. Originally, only old families and other wealthy families were able to make Hanui, and Aizome was a more popular costume. Instead of Amigasa, Hikosa wears a hood called a Hikosa Zukin (彦三頭巾). Only their eyes can be shown, and since it cover their entire face from the head, it is hard to identify who is dancing. Hikosa is the role for young women; nevertheless, this Aizome costume can be worn by men as well.

As history shows, the symbolism of Nishimonai Bon dance today is welcoming and dancing with the returning spirits during the Obon period. The dancers hide their faces, and their appearance represents the spirits. This festival is filled with ingenuity and deep meaning.

For the preservation and succession of the festival and costumes, as well as for the interest of the people, the "Ai and Hanui Festival" has been held in Ugo City on the Sunday of the first week of August since 2000. On this day, each house is opened to the public to display Bon dance costumes. There is also an opportunity to experience Aizome. Since the Nishimonai Bon Odori Preservation Association has been established for more than 70 years, it conveys the desire to carry on this tradition in various forms.

The roles of men and women in Nishimonai Bon Odori are relatively divided. Most of the men play the part of the drummers, flutes, and singers, and there are only a few dancers. Most of the dancers in the dance circle are women. Interestingly, we can see the difference between men and women in their dancing styles. The dancing style of women is graceful and beautiful, while one by men is a little more stout and powerful. However, some men wear costumes similar to those of the female dancers and dance like women, so the boundaries between the genders are flexible in this festival. Nishimonai bon dance is a traditional Japanese festival that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and genders and it values ideas along the lines of history and respect for Japanese ancestors.