is a form of folk dance

Folk dance

The term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....

 unique to the people

Ryukyuans

The are the indigenous peoples of the Ryukyu Islands between the islands of Kyūshū and Taiwan. The generally recognized subgroups of Ryukyuans are Amamians, Okinawans, Miyakoans, Yaeyamans, and Yonagunians. Geographically, they live in either Okinawa Prefecture or Kagoshima Prefecture...

 of the Ryukyu Islands

Ryukyu Islands

The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...

. Although it is performed many times throughout the year at various festivals, Eisa performances are concentrated around lunar

Lunar calendar

A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the lunar phase. A common purely lunar calendar is the Islamic calendar or Hijri calendar. A feature of the Islamic calendar is that a year is always 12 months, so the months are not linked with the seasons and drift each solar year by 11 to...

 mid-July. This is a centuries-long tradition, to mark the end of the Obon Festival

Bon Festival

or just is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist-Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed...

.

It is danced by 20-30 young men and/or women, mainly in a circle to the accompaniment of singing, chanting, and drumming by the dancers, and folk songs played on the sanshin

Sanshin

The sanshin is an Okinawan musical instrument and precursor of the Japanese shamisen. Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings....

. Three types of drums

Taiko

means "drum" in Japanese . Outside Japan, the word is often used to refer to any of the various Japanese drums and to the relatively recent art-form of ensemble taiko drumming...

 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 , a small hand drum similar to ones used in Buddhist ceremony. The dancers also sometimes play small hand gongs and yotsutake castanets. Eisa 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 Ryūkyū-style knotted turban. Special vests and leggings are also popular.

History

The Eisa originated from a group dance called esa omoro, to which Buddhist songs and dances were later added. The primary theory on the dance's name is that it is derived from the word "Esa", from the line "Iro Iro no Esa Omoro" in volume 14 of Okinawa's "Omorosoushi", or book of ancient poems. "Eisa" was a refrain in Buddhist prayers for the dead. Though regarded today as entertainment, the Eisa originally had an important religious function of giving repose to the dead. An Eisa performance on street corners and at homes of villagers was comparable to performing a memorial service for village ancestors. Thus, the Eisa dance always began with songs, particularly of the Joudo sect, which invoked the Buddha

Gautama Buddha

Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...

. These songs were called "nembutsu" songs, and sung by wandering priest-substitute minstrels (ninbuchaa) and, later, priests themselves; some examples of these songs include "Mamauya Nembutsu", "Chouja nu Nagari", and "Yamabushi". Just as Buddhist priests used these songs to popularize Buddhist teachings, so did Ryūkyū musicians begin use Eisa dancing to popularize Ryūkyū music by replacing the Buddhist prayers with folk songs, which remain popular for Eisa accompaniment. (Ooshiro, 14, 28)

Works cited

• Eisaa by Manabu Ooshiro, trans. by Marie Yamazato. Yui Publishing Co. for Okinawa Department of Culture and Environment, Cultural and International Affairs Bureau, Culture Promotion Division, Naha City, 1998.

External links

• Eisa Picture at HDR Japan. Okinawa Living Photographer image of Eisa in Okinawa Japan
• Eisa Dancing at Wonder-Okinawa. An detailed resource for very specific information.
• Eisa dance troupe performing block-to-block in a neighborhood in Chatan, Okinawa.