代々木囃子
| Cultural property name | Yoyogi Bayashi |
|---|---|
| Commentary | Yoyogi Bayashi (music for festivals) is said to have begun when the priest of Yoyogi Hachimangu Shrine taught to area farmers Meguro-ryu Hayashi, which was being performed at the shrine at the end of the Edo period. A hayashigane (small metal percussion instrument) that the Yoyogi Bayashi Preservation Society currently uses is inscribed with the following date and word: “(year) 563 kanoto February Yoyogi waka.” Thus, that this legend is true is highly probable. Subsequently, Yoyogi Bayashi was frequently performed during the Meiji era and the Taisho period until the Great Kanto Earthquake when residents temporarily stopped performing it. When the Showa era arrived people still regularly performed it, but after World War II began, its popularity dropped. Eventually, because of loss of popularity, Yoyogi Bayashi could not be performed anymore. After the war, the effort to revive Yoyogi bayashi led by the worshippers of Yoyogi Hachimangu Shrine succeeded in resuscitating it. In 1946, the Yoyogi Bayashi Preservation Society was formed, and it works to preserve Yoyogi Bayashi even today. The Yoyogi Bayashi Preservation Society continues to be active, and its main activity is participating in the festivals of Yoyogi Hachimangu Shrine. The society parade through the area during the Hatsuuma Festival in February, the Goshamiya Festival in May, and the Reitaisai Festival in September. At the end of each festival, the society goes to the shrine and dedicates a performance to it. Furthermore, during New Year’s holiday, the society and a lion dancer (shishimai) perform in front of the homes of the society’s members and homes where the society was asked to visit. The society arrives at the shrine and dedicates a performance to it after it finishes performing in front of houses. |