Japanese Ritual Dances Added to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List

UNESCO has registered 41 Japanese furyū odori, ritual dances, from 24 prefectures on its representative list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The dances combine eye-catching visual elegance with lively music from flutes and drums. Each region has its own style, reflecting local history and customs, but they all express prayers for a peaceful life, whether through commemoration of the dead, wishes for good harvests, or protection from disasters.

UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Committee noted that the dances promote the formation of networks and a sense of belonging in communities, contributing to the overcoming of crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.

The group of 41 dances, listed below, includes Kanagawa Prefecture’s Chakkirako, which was previously registered individually, and so Japan’s number of listed Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity elements remains at 22.

Tōhoku

Nagai no Dainenbutsu Kenbai (Morioka, Iwate Prefecture)

Oni Kenbai (Kitakami and Ōshū, Iwate Prefecture)

Nishimonai no Bon Odori (Ugo, Akita Prefecture)

Kemanai no Bon Odori (Kazuno, Akita Prefecture)

Akita Prefecture’s Nishimonai no Bon Odori. (© Pixta)

The Oni Kenbai in Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture.

Kantō

Ogouchi no Kashima Odori (Okutama, Tokyo)

Niijima no Ōodori (Nījima, Tokyo)

Shimohirai no Hōō no Mai (Hinode, Tokyo)

Chakkirako (Miura, Kanagawa Prefecture) (Inscribed in 2009)

Yamakita no Omineiri (Yamakita, Kanagawa Prefecture)

Kōshin’etsu

Ayako Mai (Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture)

Dai no Saka (Uonuma, Niigata Prefecture)

Mushōno no Dai Nenbutsu (Uenohara, Yamanashi Prefecture)

Atobe no Odori Nenbutsu (Saku, Nagano Prefecture)

Niino no Bon Odori (Anan, Nagano Prefecture)

Wagō no Nenbutsu Odori (Anan, Nagano Prefecture)

The Ayako Mai in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture. (© Kashiwazaki municipal government)

Chūbu

Gujō Odori (Gujō, Gifu Prefecture)

Kanomizu no Kake Odori (Gujō, Gifu Prefecture)

Tokuyama no Bon Odori (Kawanehonchō, Shizuoka Prefecture)

Utōgi no Bon Odori (Shizuoka, Shizuoka Prefecture)

Ayado no Yonenbutsu to Bon Odori (Toyota, Aichi Prefecture)

Katte Jinja no Shinji Odori (Iga, Mie Prefecture)

Ōmikonan no San’yare Odori (Kusatsu and Rittō, Shiga Prefecture)

Ōmi no Kenketo Matsuri, Naginata Furi (Moriyama, Kōga, Higashiōmi, and Ryūō, Shiga Prefecture)

The Gujō Odori in Gujō, Gifu Prefecture. (© Gifu Prefecture Tourism Federation)

Kansai

Kyoto no Rokusai Nenbutsu (Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture)

Yasuraibana (Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture)

Kuta no Hanagasa Odori (Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture)

Ama no Furyū Ōodori Koodori (Minamiawaji, Hyōgo Prefecture)

Totsukawa no Ōodori (Totsukawa, Nara Prefecture)

Chūgoku

Tsuwano Yasaka Jinja no Sagi Mai (Tsuwano, Shimane Prefecture)

Shiraishi Odori (Kasaoka, Okayama Prefecture)

Ōmiya Odori (Maniwa, Okayama Prefecture)

The Tsuwano Yasaka Jinja no Sagi Mai in Tsuwano, Shimane Prefecture. (© Shimane Prefecture Tourism Federation)

Shikoku

Nishiiya no Jindai Odori (Miyoshi, Tokushima Prefecture)

Ayako Odori (Mannō, Kagawa Prefecture)

Takinomiya no Nenbutsu Odori (Ayagawa, Kagawa Prefecture)

Kyūshū

Kannōgaku (Buzen, Fukuoka Prefecture)

Hirado no Jangara (Hirado, Nagasaki Prefecture)

Ōmura no Okita Odori, Kuromaru Odori (Ōmura, Nagasaki Prefecture)

Tsushima no Bon Odori (Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture)

Nobara Hachimangū Furyū (Arao, Kumamoto Prefecture)

Yoshihirogaku (Kunisaki, Kumamoto Prefecture)

Gokase no Ara Odori (Gokase, Miyazaki Prefecture)

The Kuromaru Odori in Ōmura, Nagasaki Prefecture. (© Nagasaki Prefecture Tourism Federation)

(Originally published in Japanese. Banner photo: The Ayako Mai in Kashiwazaki, Niigata Prefecture. © Kashiwazaki municipal government.)