Ayako-odori（英語訳：English translation）

Ayako Odori

Registered in 2022 as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
Designated in 1976 in Important Intangible Folk Cultural Properties of Japan

Ayako odori is a ritual dance intended to bring rain that has been passed down in Sabumi, Manno Town, Nakatadogun. The Sabumi area is a small basin on the south side of Mt. Zozu, and has long suffered from water shortages. When there were droughts, people performed a rain dance and prayed to the dragon god for rain. Originally, it was danced at Ryuoshi Shrine and Kamojinja Shrine. Currently, it is presented at Kamojinja Shrine once every two years in early September.

The waving of sticks and naginata (a type of polearm) purify the location, and after the genji (the speaker) says a prayer, the dance begins. It is said to retain traces of old kabuki dancing, and boys in colorful costumes perform dances to 12 short traditional songs that were popular in the Japanese Middle Ages.

In 2022, it was registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage as one of the furyu odori (ritual dances). Intangible cultural heritage is a project to protect culture and technology that has continued since ancient times. It covers festivals, performing arts, and knowledges from all over the world, and in Japan, kabuki theater and washoku (traditional dietary culture) are also registered. The ayako odori dance, which has been cherished in this area, has become a cultural heritage that can be boasted of to the world.

Ayako-odori

UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Certificate

Manno Town mascot Manten-chan Ayako odori version

Furyu-odori HP＜外部リンク＞