Eisa (dance)

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Okinawan folk dance

title: "Eisa (dance)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["dances-of-japan", "group-dances", "ritual-dances", "culture-in-okinawa-prefecture", "festivals-in-okinawa-prefecture"] description: "Okinawan folk dance" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eisa_(dance)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Okinawan folk dance ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1d/Eisa,_a_traditional_Okinawan_dance.jpg" caption="Eisa}} performance in [[Naha"] ::

ryu () is a folk dance originating from Okinawa Island in Ryukyu Islands. It is derived from the Bun / Usjooroo () dance that is performed by young people of each community during ryu to honor the spirits of their ancestors. It underwent drastic changes in the 20th century and is today seen as a vital part of Okinawan culture.

Style

Modern ryu is danced by 20 to 30 young men or women, mainly in doubled lines or circles to the accompaniment of singing, chanting, and drumming by the dancers as well as by folk songs played on the ja. Three types of drums are used in various combinations, depending upon regional style: the , a large barrel drum; the , a medium-sized drum similar to ones used in Noh theatre; and the ryu (), a small hand drum similar to ones used in Buddhist ceremony. The dancers also sometimes play small hand gongs and ja castanets. ryu dancers wear various costumes, usually according to local tradition and gender of the dancer; modern costumes are often brightly colored and feature a characteristic, colorful knotted turban. Special vests, leggings, and shoes are also popular.

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Eisa_dance_by_Tokeshi_Youth_Association_at_Amis_Music_Festival_2016_IMF0874.jpg" caption="Eisa}} in [[Dulan, Taiwan"] ::

Origin

The origin of ryu is unclear, like for many other folk performing arts. Iha Fuyū argued that the name of ryu was related to ryu (), a phrase appearing in Volume 14 of the ryu (16th–17th centuries). This theory is no longer supported. It is more likely that the name derived from an exclamation used in the original song of ryu, the ryu (). The standardization of the written form was relatively new. Meiji era newspaper articles used various forms including ryu (イェンサー), ryu (ヤイサー), and ryu (エンサー).

The core of ryu consists of ja songs. The ryu (1713) attributes the introduction of ja to Taichū (1552–1639), a Jōdo sect monk from Mutsu Province. According to the record, he translated Buddhist teaching into the vernacular speech and taught it to the people of Naha during the reign of Shō Nei. Other sources confirm that Taichū stayed in the capital region for three years in the early 1600s and converted the king and other high-ranking officials. Some researchers speculate that he introduced ja or dancing nembutsu to Naha. However, Taichū's teaching did not prevail; it was barely carried on by his followers in Kakinohana, Naha.

Another important factor related to the origin of ryu is ryu (チョンダラー), a group of puppeteers. The ryu records two theories regarding the etymology of ryu. One is that it indicates their origin, Kyoto. The other is that its founder was named Kyō (no) Kotarō. The fact that their origin had been obscured by the early 18th century suggests that they came from mainland Japan a long time ago. Based on modern-day Shuri Kubagawa-chō (part of the capital Shuri), they performed puppet plays, chanted ryu (ja) on celebratory occasions and sang nembutsu songs as a funeral service. For these reasons, they were also called ryu (ja prayer) or ryu (ja chanter). It is uncertain if the ryu performed ja from the very beginning or learned later from a different group. Unlike Taichū's followers, they wandered around Okinawa Island.

The spread of ja from mainland Japan was not limited to Okinawa. In the Yaeyama Islands, Bon dance is usually called rys and is accompanied with ja songs. The Amami Islands also have ja songs, but at least some of them may belong to a tradition different from Okinawa's ryu. Note that these traditions are not identified with ryu. ryu is considered specific to the Okinawa Islands.

Pre-World War II traditions

It is not clear when ja songs spread to central Okinawa, which later played a central role in transforming ryu. According to an oral tradition, ryu was introduced to Kamiyama, Ginowan in the Meiji period, when a wealthy farmer invited performers from Shuri and made them teach Bon dance to young villagers. The community of Ganeko, Ginowan has a similar oral history. It appears that ryu spread to northern Okinawa from the late Meiji period to the early Shōwa period. Several communities in northern Okinawa believe that ryu was introduced from Sesoko, Motobu, a supplying center of seasonal workers.

ryu was originally performed at the Bon Festival. It is not known when it extended to other occasions. Newspaper articles confirm that ryu, together with other folk performing arts, had been performed as an attraction at various government-sponsored exhibitions in central Okinawa already in 1900s.

Post-World War II transformation

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Eisa_dance_by_Tokeshi_Youth_Association_at_Amis_Music_Festival_2016_IMF0854.jpg" caption="Eisa}} performer from the Tokeshi Youth Association of [[Yomitan"] ::

ryu underwent drastic changes in post-World War II Okinawa. In 1956, then under U.S. occupation, the first ryu Contest was held in Koza (part of the modern-day Okinawa City). It was originally an effort to recover from the great damage to the base-dependent commercial city caused by the "Off Limits" ordinance by the U.S. military. As a contest, participating groups were judged by screening criteria such as costumes, formation, technique, the number of performers, and innovativeness. Folklorist Kumada Susumu noted values imposed by the criteria. They clearly emphasized group dynamics, although earlier groups were not necessarily large. Contrary to today's perception of ryu as Okinawa's tradition, they did encourage the creative nature of ryu. In fact it was not uncommon to wear Western clothing during the performance.

Another major event, the "Youth ryu Festival," began in Naha in 1964, originally under the name of "All Okinawa ryu Contest." At first, both events were competitive. In 1975, the latter abolished the contest and changed itself into a non-competitive festival, which was followed by the former in 1977. One reason behind the change was that some youth associations started showing their dissatisfaction at values imposed by the contests. ryu had changed itself into spectacular group dynamics that was to fascinate the audience. To give the performance more punch, participating groups adopted an increasingly large number of drums. The adoption of luxurious uniforms was another effort to win the contest.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Taiko_Eisa_at_Kijimuna_Theatre_in_Ryukyu_Mura.webm" caption="Taiko Eisa}} performance at [[Ryukyu Mura]]'s Kijimuna Theatre"] ::

In modern Okinawa, ryu has gradually changed itself into popular entertainment by incorporating non-Buddhist folk songs and by adding visually appealing choreography although the ryu dance still began with ja songs such as ryu, ryu (長者の流れ), and . It has also developed regional variants. Yukio Kobayashi, a researcher of Okinawan folk songs, identifies four forms of ryu:

  1. ryu: mainly performed in central Okinawa. A parade is led by male drummers and is followed by female or mixed dancers. A dozen songs are performed in a mid-tempo.
  2. ryu: distributed in Uruma of midwestern Okinawa. A parade led by hand drummers and followed by a mixed group of men and women. A dozen songs are performed in an unhurried tempo.
  3. Drumless ryu: typical of the Motobu Peninsula (Nago, Motobu and Nakijin) in northern Okinawa. Men and women line up in a circle around a wooden scaffold where ja is played. Dancers use no drum. A dozen to twenty songs are performed in a fast tempo.
  4. Female ryu: distributed in the northern end of Okinawa. A dozen to twenty songs with varying tempo are performed solely by women.

Kobayashi analyzes modern Eisa as a result of the effort by each community's newly organized youth associations, an influence from sophisticated theatrical performance of Naha, and a social movement of modernization that forced young people to turn from "sexually explicit" gatherings to the "healthy" dance.

Creative {{Transliteration|ryu|Eisa}}

The 1980s saw the beginning of a new style of ryu, called "creative ryu" or "club team ryu," which holds many distinctions from traditional forms of ryu. Whereas traditionally ryu groups consist of people from a village or community due to the sacredness of the activity in honoring the ancestors of a specific community, creative ryu teams are usually independent of local communities, and admit anyone regardless of their heritage. Creative ryu is characterized largely by its song selection, with groups usually choosing to dance to newer songs, rather than the traditional standards. Hidekatsu, a Taketomi-born Ryukyu music artist, has become one of the most popular artists that creative ryu groups dance to. His hit song, ryu, has become one of the most frequently performed creative ryu dances. Hidekatsu is unique in that his songs are almost entirely sung in the Ryukyuan languages, which is a marked departure from most modern day Ryukyu pop singers, who sing primarily in Japanese, making Hidekatsu's music a vital link for young modern Ryukyuans to the languages of their ancestors, who otherwise receive little exposure to the languages. All of the Ryukyu languages are endangered due to over a century of social and political prejudice against the Ryukyu languages by the Japanese government.

Some examples of creative ryu clubs include ryu and ja (based in Hawaiʻi). ryu, formed in 1982, was one of the first creative ryu clubs, and has since expanded to form chapters in mainland Japan, Hawaiʻi, the mainland United States, and other locations with Okinawan populations. Whereas traditionally men would dance ryu utilizing drums, while women would dance drumless, creative ryu features many women who choose to dance with drums.

In addition to having the freedom of dancing to new songs, creative ryu groups often create their own choreographies, typically using elements of traditional ryu and karate.

Since its formation, creative ryu has become hugely popular in Okinawa, and has also been exported to the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands, Yoron Island (1992) Okinoerabu Island (1993), Kagoshima Prefecture, and to the Kantō and Kansai regions, where people of Okinawan descent concentrated. Creative ryu has also been exported internationally to virtually anywhere with sizeable Okinawan populations, such as Hawaiʻi, the continental United States, and South America.

For many young Ryukyuans in the 21st century, creative ryu has become an integral part of their cultural identity, providing a vital link between tradition and modern creativity.

One consequence of the rise of creative ryu is a crisis in authenticity. In response, youth associations increasingly see their community-based ryu as Okinawan tradition although the perceived tradition is a result of "growing pains" up to 1970s.

References

References

  1. "大琉球語辞典".
  2. Kumada Susumu 久万田晋. (2011). "''Okinawa no minzoku geinō ron'' 沖縄の民俗芸能論".
  3. Fujita Reio 藤田励夫. (2011). "''Ryūkyū to Taichū Shōnin ten'' 琉球と袋中上人展".
  4. Sakai Masako 酒井正子. (1996). "''Amami utakake no diarōgu'' 奄美歌掛けのディアローグ".
  5. Kumada Susumu 久万田晋. (2011). "''Okinawa no minzoku geinō ron'' 沖縄の民俗芸能論".
  6. Takahashi Takayo 高橋孝代. (2006). "''Kyōkaisei no jinruigaku'' 境界性の人類学".
  7. (2017). "'Transmitting the message of Okinawa by drums': Representations of Japanese-ness and Okinawan-ness in Okinawan dance in Santa Cruz, Bolivia". Contemporary Japan.
  8. Kobayashi Kayo 小林香代. (2003). "''Shutoken ni okeru Eisa no sōsei'' 首都圏におけるエイサーの創成". Ajia Yūgaku アジア遊学.

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dances-of-japangroup-dancesritual-dancesculture-in-okinawa-prefecturefestivals-in-okinawa-prefecture