This is a Nenbutsu dance that has been passed down in the Kawanishi area of Kinugawa, Oshu City for about 900 years.
When Kiyohira, the first generation of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, who built Chuson-ji, a world heritage site, prayed to bring the souls of those who died in the battles of 1995 and 3000 to Buddhahood, a monkey (an incarnation of Buddha) appeared and prayed to him. It is said that he danced and guided the souls of the deceased to the Pure Land.
Before dancing, it is customary to recite the Nembutsu in memory of the ancestors, and then, to the sound of drums and flutes, the dancers wear horse tails and torizai (horse tails) on their heads. They dance in a dignified and heroic manner, wearing chicken tail feathers and holding a fan, aya bamboo (kongou-zue), and a sword in their hands.
Every year, it is dedicated at Chuson-ji Temple on May 3rd and November 3rd during the Fujiwara Festival, and on August 24th at Osegakie.
As one of the "furyu dances", "Kenkenbu", which includes Kawanishi Daenenbutsu Kenbu, has been registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. (2022.11.30) → [ Oshu City Homepage ]
- Location
- Kinugawa, Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture
- Inquiries
- Onikanbu Union Preservation Society Secretariat (Oshu City Board of Education Historical Heritage Division)
Phone number 0197-34-1315 - Other
- Iwate's cultural information encyclopedia Iwate's local performing arts
Oshu City Arts and Culture Association Oshu City's cultural property inheritance and creation project
