DENGAKU

Dengaku: translation

   A form of ceremonial music and dance originating in rice-planting songs and later incorporated into shrine festivals in Kyoto in the mid-Heian period. It involves 'rice-maiden' (sa-otome) dances to flutes, drums and sasara (a percussion instrument of two blocks of wood). It is performed (as binzasara) at the sanja matsuri of the Asakusa jinja in Tokyo on May 17th and at the Kumano Nachi Taisba, Wakayama on July 14th.