Village Dances of Ie Island

Festival highlights

Highlights include the distinctive movements and costumes of nisei odori, dances performed by young men.

Performers wear black costumes or formal kimono with family crests and use props such as fans and jingasa hats, accompanied by jiutai musicians playing uta sanshin and drums.

Kipuzo, in which performers tap a wooden, box-shaped tobacco case and sing along with vocal shamisen, and the Okinawan-style kumiodori Chushingura are also distinctive features of this art form.

Source: 「伊江島の村踊」について | 伊江村公式ホームページ

Ie Island’s distinctive traditional performing arts, passed down through island songs and dances

What to expect

The showcase traditionally proceeds from deba, which also introduces the performers, to hashiodori, dance, and kumiodori, concluding with iriba.

Most performers are young people who take part in nisei odori, while jiutai musicians playing uta sanshin and drums support the stage.

The program varies by district and includes a range of performances passed down through generations, such as the kumiodori Chushingura, pieces about avenging a wrong, and Penshima, a demon-mask dance.

Location and access

Address

Ie Village

Host municipality 沖縄県伊江村

This map shows the surrounding area, not the exact venue location.

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Dates and season

The village dances of Ie Island are presented at the Ie Village Folk Performing Arts Showcase, held annually in November.

Some notices say the event is held on the first Saturday of November, with the host district rotating among the districts.

Source: 伊江島の村踊｜文化デジタルライブラリー

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Origins and History of Village Dances of Ie Island

The village dances of Ie Island are said to have been shaped by islanders accompanying journeys to Satsuma and Edo during the Ryukyu Kingdom era and bringing back performing arts they had seen and heard there.

At meeting halls established in the early 19th century, young people set dances to folk songs and performed them at New Year and other occasions.

The Ie Village Folk Performing Arts Preservation Society was established in Showa 48, and since Showa 55 the arts have been presented regularly at a showcase that rotates among 8 districts.

Official information

The Ie Village official website has related pages on “Village Dances of Ie Island,” where you can learn about the art form’s features and history, as well as efforts to preserve and pass it on.

Village Dances of Ie Island at a Glance

The village dances of Ie Island are a traditional performing art in which dances created on the island, performing arts introduced from other regions, and pieces influenced by mainland Japan come together.

Ie Island’s distinctive style is evident in the movements and costumes of nisei odori, the singing style of kipuzo, and the Okinawan-style kumiodori Chushingura.

Every year, at the folk performing arts showcase in November, the rotating schedule among the districts creates a stage for passing these traditions on.