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The song is usually sung at a point in the parade where the dancers can stop and perform a stationary dance — for example a street intersection or in front of the ticketed, amplified stands which are set up at points around the city. Not every group has a singer, but dancers and musicians will
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prominently features lead cast members along with their friends in their college club, the
Japanese Festival Culture Research Society, performing the Awa dance multiple times during the story. Posters representing popular anime characters practicing the Awa dance are also printed every year for the
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Men and women dance in different styles. For the men’s dance: right foot and right arm forward, touch the ground with toes, then step with right foot crossing over left leg. This is then repeated with the left leg and arm. Whilst doing this, the hands draw triangles in the air with a flick of the
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allows only the smallest of steps forward but a crisp kick behind, and the hand gestures are more restrained and graceful, reaching up towards the sky. Women usually dance in tight formation, poised on the ends of their
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This suggests that by the 17th century, Awa's bon-odori was well established as a major event, lasting over three days—long enough to be a major disruption to the normal functioning of the city. It implies that
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for a few days of the year. The term "Awa Odori" was not used until the 20th century, but Bon festivities in
Tokushima have been famous for their size, exuberance and anarchy since the 16th century.
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Children and adolescents of both sexes usually dance the men's dance. In recent years, it has become more common to see adult women, especially those in their 20s, dancing the men's style of dance.
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The
Japanese production company Tokyo Story produced a version of Awa Odori in 2015 in Paris by bringing dancers from Japan in order to promote Awa Odori and the Japanese "matsuri" culture abroad.
310:". In 1685 revelers were prohibited from dancing after midnight and dancers were not allowed to wear any head or face coverings, suggesting that there were some serious public order concerns.
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for giving the people Awa Odori and is quoted in the majority of tourist brochures and websites. However, according to local historian
Miyoshi Shoichiro, this story first appeared in a
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are forbidden to attend the public celebration. They may dance on their own premises but must keep the gates shut. No quarrels, arguments or other misbehaviour are allowed.
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call and response patterns such as "Ayattosa, Ayattosa", "Hayaccha yaccha", "Erai yaccha, erai yaccha", and "Yoi, yoi, yoi, yoi". These calls have no
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568:. It is the second largest Awa Dance Festival in Japan, with an average of 188 groups composed of 12,000 dancers, attracting 1.2 million visitors.
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325:(1926) when Tokushima Prefectural authorities first coined the name "Awa Odori" and promoted it as the region's leading tourist attraction.
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trade, which had financed the festival, collapsed due to imports of cheaper chemical dyes. The festival was revitalised at the start of the
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and merchants, disgracing themselves with brawling and unseemly behaviour. In 1674, it was "forbidden for dancers or spectators to carry
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wrists, starting at different points. Men dance in a low crouch with knees pointing outwards and arms held above the shoulders.
541:. In some versions, other male dancers crouch down forming a sinuous line representing the string, and a man at the other end
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This version of events is supported by the lyrics of the first verse of "Awa
Yoshikono Bushi", a local version of a popular
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Awa Odori's independent existence as a huge, citywide dance party is popularly believed to have begun in 1586 when Lord
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1009:- Awa Odori related blog by an experienced performer (English site, contains pictures and behind the scenes insight)
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bell. Performers wear traditional obon dance costumes, and chant and sing as they parade through the streets.
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dance. This usually involves one brightly dressed, acrobatic dancer, darting backwards and forwards, turning
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The women's dance uses the same basic steps, although the posture is quite different. The restrictive
368:. Parts of it are sung, and others are chanted. The origins of the melodic part have been traced to
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newspaper article in 1908 and is unsupported by any concrete evidence. It is unclear whether the song
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72:. Awa Odori is the largest dance festival in Japan, attracting over 1.3 million tourists every year.
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Awa Odori video available from
Tokushima Prefecture International Exchange Association (TOPIA)
499:. As suggested by the lyrics of the chant, spectators are often encouraged to join the dance.
217:, began to drunkenly weave and stumble back and forth. Others picked up commonly available
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frequently break out into the Awa
Yoshikono chant as they parade through the streets:
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Official homepage of Tokyo
Ebisuren, a Tokyo-based classical style Awa Odori team
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and began to play a simple, rhythmic song, to which the revelers invented
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is performed, but at night the dancers switch to a frenzied dance called
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Some evidence of the festival's history comes from edicts issued by the
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Japan Atlas - festivals by the
Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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in
English-speaking countries), during the scene where the film's
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What Awa's Lord Hachisuka left us to the present day is Awa Odori
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157:, a lively harvest dance that was known to last for several days.
1015:- home page of Awa Odori Paris 2015 (English & Japanese site)
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festival. They featured "Fate/stay night", for example, in 2014.
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3. The dancing of bon-odori is prohibited in all temple grounds.
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Dance of Fools: Awa Odori Festival, Japan by www.pilotguides.com
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of Awa Province hosted a drunken celebration of the opening of
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590:. The festival is also prominently featured in the 2007 movie
225:. The lyrics are given in the 'Song' section of this article.
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Japanese Line Dance? by www.country-dance.com (many pictures)
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Awa no tono sama Hachisuka-sama ga ima ni nokoseshi Awa Odori
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79:(連) dance through the streets, typically accompanied by the
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Dyeing to Dance: an English Translation by Mark Wisniewski
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feudal administration, such as this one dating from 1671:
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The earliest origins of the dance style are found in the
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The Awa Odori festival grew out of the tradition of the
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Groups of choreographed dancers and musicians known as
317:(1868–1912) the festival died down as the Tokushima's
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Wisniewski, Mark (2003:3) "The Awa Odori Trilogy" in
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Wisniewski, Mark (2003:2) "The Awa Odori Trilogy" in
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Awa Odori by the Japan National Tourist Organization
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Miyoshi Shoichiro (2001:35) Tokushima Hanshi Tokuhon
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were written before or after this article appeared.
887:Wisniewski, Mark (2003) "The Awa Odori Trilogy" in
796:Wisniewski, Mark (2003) "The Awa Odori Trilogy" in
1021:(English site, contains pictures and information)
738:Miyoshi Shōichirō (2001) Tokushima Hanshi Tokuhon
213:. The locals, having consumed a great amount of
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1019:Awa-Dance in Koenji "Sui-ren" official website
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901:House, Ginevra (2004) "Dancing for the Dead",
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41:
491:During the daytime a restrained dance called
356:The song associated with Awa Odori is called
56:is held from 12 to 15 August as part of the
1003:(English site, contains pictures and video)
626:use their transformation magic to put on a
462:meaning but help to encourage the dancers.
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749:Awa-Odori Folk Dance Festival in Tokushima
172:celebration where the spirits of deceased
1080:Festivals established in the 16th century
253:Awa Odori dancers in tight formation (in
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18:
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968:Awa Dance homepage by www.awaodori.net
944:Awa Dance homepage by www.awaodori.net
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380:, from where it spread back down to
832:"Official Koenji Awa Odori Website"
107:name for Tokushima Prefecture, and
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956:Golden Time official anime website
360:and is a localised version of the
277:may be danced for only three days.
14:
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1075:Festivals in Tokushima Prefecture
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16:Obon festival in Tokushima, Japan
537:and somersaults, with freestyle
376:, but the Awa version came from
1038:Awa Dance Festival in Tokushima
970:(English translation by Google)
860:from the original on 2023-04-14
842:
824:
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721:from the original on 2021-07-29
671:from the original on 2013-09-29
176:are said to visit their living
164:which is danced as part of the
932:Koenji Awa Odori official site
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294:joined the festival alongside
1:
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598:. The novel series and anime
549:Awa Dance Festivals elsewhere
894:de Moraes, Wenceslau (1916)
689:Moriarty, Elisabeth (1976).
615:Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko
7:
1095:1586 establishments in Asia
962:English/English translation
937:
633:
525:(dance groups) also have a
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48:
10:
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974:Awa Odori by web-japan.org
928:(click "19" for Awa Odori)
881:Miyoshi, Shōichirō (2001)
168:"Festival of the Dead", a
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483:Dancers and musicians at
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153:(1185–1333), and also in
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1070:Dance festivals in Japan
883:Tokushima Hanshi Tokuhon
665:"Japan Atlas: Awa Dance"
650:
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437:Both are fools alike so
392:of the first verse are:
915:Official Japanese sites
854:ww38.ilovetokushima.com
454:The dancers also chant
426:The watchers are fools
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302:(wooden or otherwise),
125:The Dance of Fools (in
1090:Summer events in Japan
896:Tokushima no bon odori
695:Asian Folklore Studies
545:controlling the kite.
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415:The dancers are fools
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23:Awa Odori dancers (in
1032:Awa Odori dance video
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105:feudal administration
22:
1013:Awa Odori Paris 2015
850:"ilovetokushima.com"
838:on January 22, 2009.
566:Tokushima Prefecture
255:Tokushima Prefecture
187:A dancer wearing an
62:Tokushima Prefecture
25:Tokushima Prefecture
521:Some of the larger
219:musical instruments
141:priestly dances of
1065:Festivals in Japan
1043:2015-05-26 at the
984:2012-05-17 at the
754:2011-06-18 at the
575:In popular culture
562:Awa Dance Festival
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378:Ibaraki Prefecture
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37:Awa Dance Festival
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596:Matsushima Nanako
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170:Japanese Buddhist
139:Japanese Buddhist
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485:Kōenji Awa Odori
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337:Narimono players
239:Mainichi Shimbun
234:Hachisuka Iemasa
211:Tokushima Castle
201:Hachisuka Iemasa
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448:Why not dance?
434:Onaji ahou nara
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366:Yoshikono Bushi
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151:Kamakura period
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113:means "dance".
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364:popular song
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58:Obon festival
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723:. Retrieved
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608:In the 1994
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1007:Awa Odorian
701:(1): 7–16.
601:Golden Time
588:Nana Eikura
527:yakko odori
145:-odori and
103:is the old
1059:Categories
1034:(Japanese)
952:(Japanese)
946:(Japanese)
876:References
864:2023-04-14
725:2021-07-29
675:2006-06-24
582:is a 2007
535:cartwheels
362:Edo period
155:kumi-odori
147:hiji-odori
905:Issue 58.
594:starring
586:starring
580:Awa dance
515:sandals.
423:Miru ahou
275:bon-odori
230:folk song
178:relatives
174:ancestors
162:Bon Odori
49:Awa Odori
1041:Archived
982:Archived
938:Japanese
889:Awa Life
858:Archived
811:Awa Life
798:Awa Life
786:Awa Life
752:Archived
719:Archived
669:Archived
634:See also
620:Pom Poko
460:semantic
370:Kumamoto
348:Narimono
296:peasants
143:Nembutsu
89:shinobue
81:shamisen
715:1177647
645:Yosakoi
493:Nagashi
313:In the
304:daggers
292:samurai
281:Samurai
273:1. The
259:Shikoku
191:hat in
189:amigasa
149:of the
117:History
87:drums,
66:Shikoku
29:Shikoku
713:
624:tanuki
554:Kōenji
508:kimono
497:Zomeki
487:, 2017
442:踊らな損、損
431:同じ阿呆なら
390:lyrics
388:. The
386:Kansai
382:Nagoya
374:Kyūshū
319:indigo
300:swords
244:lyrics
223:lyrics
206:daimyō
203:, the
193:Koenji
127:Kōenji
83:lute,
747:e.g.
711:JSTOR
651:Notes
612:film
592:Bizan
558:Tokyo
543:mimes
529:, or
466:Dance
409:踊る阿呆に
308:poles
131:Tokyo
110:odori
85:taiko
70:Japan
531:kite
513:geta
420:見る阿呆
384:and
329:Song
215:sake
93:kane
43:阿波踊り
35:The
1048:NHK
703:doi
523:ren
342:鳴り物
306:or
279:2.
166:Bon
100:Awa
77:ren
68:in
64:on
60:in
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