Gibyo Odori

Festival highlights

Highlights include a natural, large, unusual gourd measuring 3 shaku in length, carried at the front, and the dancers wearing flower hats.

People carrying drums, hand drums, gongs, and small gourds dance slowly to the singing, forming 2 facing lines or a circle.

Enjoy the distinctive expression of Gibyo Odori, which blends solemnity with humor.

Source: 戯瓢踊 | わかやまの文化財

Gobo’s Buddhist-invocation-style dance, passed down with a large gourd at the front, drums, and singing

What to expect

The event begins with the reading of the “Shionjo,” a letter of commendation bestowed by Tokugawa Harusada, the ninth lord of the Kishu domain. The dance then begins.

Led by a large, unusual gourd, dancers carrying drums, hand drums, gongs, and small gourds form lines or circles as they sing.

Performances take place in front of Betchin Hall and at the otabisho in Hamanose, Misato-cho.

How to take part

The Gyo Hyotan Odori was once performed mainly by people aged 50 or older among the ujiko of the Gobō group. It is said that these restrictions were lifted around 1955, after which local residents began participating more widely.

For the current application period and participation requirements for dancers, check the information provided for each festival year.

Source: 戯瓢踊(けほんおどり)とは？ 意味や使い方 - コトバンク

Location and access

Venue and address

In front of Betchin Hall and at the otabisho in Hamanose, Misato-cho (Gobo City, Wakayama Prefecture).

Event venue 和歌山県御坊市 別院堂前および美里町浜之瀬の御旅所

This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.

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Dates and season

The Gyo Hyotan Odori is held in October and is dedicated at Kotake Hachiman Shrine’s festival.

Cultural heritage information says it is performed as an offering on October 5, while another account says it is performed during the eve festival on October 4 and the main festival on October 5.

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Origins and History of Gibyo Odori

The origins of Gibyo Odori are unclear, but it is thought to belong to a tradition of furyu dances based on the bowl-tapping performances popular in the capital, and to have reached Gobo in the early Edo period.

One name for the dance is said to derive from the sound of tapping a bowl, and the performers sing a bowl-tapping song attributed to Kuya.

During the Edo period, a form in which a letter of commendation associated with the Tokugawa family was read aloud before the dance was also passed down.

Official information

Information about the dance as a cultural property can be found in Wakayama Prefecture’s cultural property listings and the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of Nationally Designated Cultural Properties.

The Gibyo Odori Preservation Society is listed as the preservation organization, and the dance is introduced as an intangible folk cultural property designated by the prefecture and selected nationally.

Gibyo Odori at a Glance

Gibyo Odori is a Buddhist-invocation-style furyu dance handed down in Gobo City and performed as an offering at Kotake Hachiman Shrine’s festival.

A distinctive feature is the line or circle formed by dancers carrying drums, hand drums, gongs, and small gourds, led by a large, unusual gourd, as they sing.

Though aspects of its origins remain unclear, it is a local folk performing art thought to date back to the early Edo period.