Obonai-bushi Bon-odori Festival 2011

Obonai-bushi Bon-Odori was held on Saturday, August 20th at Semboku City Government Tazawako branch building.

Obonai-bushi (生保内節) is an original folk song from Obonai area of Tazawako, Semboku City, Akita Prefecture. It used to be known as “Obonai-dashi,” which sings about the seasonal wind from the Sengan Mountain Pass (仙岩峠） over Akita and Iwate border. The strong wind is believed to accelerate snow melt in spring, repel insects from the rice in summer, provide rains during the draught, helps drying the harvested rice in fall; therefore, it has been familiarized as "Takarakaze," the Wind of Treasure.

The singing has a unique style of rhythm, so that it is considered one of the most difficult songs to master. Today it has been widely known among the minyo practitioners in all over Japan, so that the national competition has been held in Tazawako every year.

The dance is very simple so that even children can dance. Many people take this opportunity to meet with old friends and family or show their unique costume ideas like kunimasu, black kokanee (an endemic species believed to extinct that was recently discovered in Lake Saiko, Yamanshi Prefecture).

The festival is joined by hundreds of local people, with some stage performances in between the dances. On the stage during the intermission, different groups come to perform in front of the crowd. This year, a few young singers sang some familiar songs.

Last year, we welcomed the famous Nishimonai Bon-Odori group. This year, we welcomed dancers from Shizukuishi High School in Iwate Prefecture.

Watch their energetic performance! They are so joyful that it cheered up the crowd.

Obonai-bushi Bon-odori Festival is held every year after o-bon week.

Come join us next year!

 



The 42nd Obonai-bushi Bon Odori Festival (Saturday, August 20)

The 42nd Obonai-bushi Bon Odori (生保内節盆踊り）Dance Festival will be held on Saturday, August 20th.

 

Every year, the event welcomes local groups of families, friends, and co-workers. Last year, a famous Bon-Odori group from Ugo Town in south Akita Prefecture joined and showed the famous dance. Local traditional performing arts preservation group from Ishigami Area at Lake Tazawa performed as well. People join the dance circle in any costume and make it enjoyable! At the venue there will be food tents as well.

(Sorry - we have no video of Obonai-bushi yet)

 

The dance is not difficult at all! In fact, every year new people jump in the circle. You will have no problem learning the dance because it is easy! If you join, you will be given a LED pen light or a tenugui, a traditional think cotton hand towel.

This year, the event is even more attractive! A group of local kindergarteners will perform Yosakoi-soran( at 18:45). A highschool traditional dance group from Shizukuishi Town in Iwate Prefecture will perform Yoshare and Sansa Dances(at 19:30 – 20:00) Of course, there will be a minyo (local folksong) singing as well(20:30).

The biggest change this year is that the venue is now at the parking lot of Semboku City Government Tazawako Branch Office (5 min. walk from JR Tazawako Station)

The venue will be open at 18:00 pm and the event will start at 19:00 pm. Please join us! For more information, call 0187-43-1061, or ask us. See you there!

Obonai-Bushi Bon-Odori Festival

Bon-Odori is a festival of traditional dances in Japan that takes place during the o-bon holidays (August 13th- 16th). O-bon is said to be when our ancestor’s spirits return home. It is an important time for the family reunion.

Obonai-bushi, is a traditional folksong from Obonai area in Tazawako. Compare to donpan-bushi or akita-obako, Obonai-bushi might be lesser-known; however, many locals and practitioners are familiar with its song and dance.

Obonai Bushi Bon-Odori Festival was held on August 20th at the plaza in front of JR Tazawako Station.

A bon-odori festival in the JR Tazawako Station Plaza

At 7 p.m-- the locals showed up in various costumes.

Before the dance had begun, a local teachers group had a premier performance of the new version of Obonai-Bushi — Obonai-Bushi Samba!




Finally, the main event has begun.

Intermissions were inserted in between the dances, with performances by Ishigami’s children group.

 

When Ishigami Traditional Arts Preservation Group had a performance trip to Taiwan, they were befriended with another traditional dance group from Ugo Town in south Akita. They are dancers of Nishimonai Bon-Odori -- one of the three major bon-odoris of Japan.

Nishimonai’s performing group guested at our Obonai Bon-Odori Festival this year, bringing a glimpse of the famed dance to the audience in Tazawako.

Nishimonai Bon-Odori is said to originate in the 13th century. It is known for the ghost-like but elegant flow in movement accompanying the high-pitch flute and low beats of drum. The tradition had been once interrupted and banned during the 1920s because the local police considered it to be too “disturbing and mind-stirring.”