At the Arts and Culture festival on Ojika Island in Nagasaki, I was lucky enough to experience "Kenbu," an ancient art of Japanese samurai dancing. In this style of dancing, the performer uses a replica of a sword known as a katana, as well as a fan, to illustrate periods of time in history using movement.
The dance style also includes a specific outfit featuring wide legged pants, emulating the style of ancient samurai. Historically, kenbu was performed by samurai to develop more focus and mental strength before going out into battle, to defeat an enemy. The performances are normally set to spoken Japanese poetry or music.
On this day in Ojika, we got to see three performances of this style of dance. The first was a duet by two women, the second was a solo by a woman who showcased an in-battle suicide, and the third was another solo performer who was a young man who wowed the audience with his skills at such a young age!
The dance was percussive, featuring loud slaps onto the dancer's thigh, shouts, and rhythmic movement. It was very engrossing to watch, and truly illustrated a rich cultural history.
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