Dengaku
[1] Some of these events ended peacefully, while others descended into violence; however, all were characterized by parades of people dressed in colorful costumes while dancing and playing loud music.
[1] This form of rural entertainment evolved during the Heian period in response to diverse social, economic, political, and cultural movements.
The second originated in the Kyoto-area temples and shrines which started adding dengaku to their sacred rites and services on account of the entertainment's growing popularity and its ability to attract large audiences.
[1] Its earliest mention appears in the Nihon Kiryaku, where a performance is recorded taking place at the Matsuo festival in Yamazaki in 998.
][1] Fūryū is a generic term for the processions that developed during the second half of the Heian period, when catastrophes repeatedly struck Kyoto and its environs.
Processions were organized to placate the deities, demons, and ghosts thought responsible, characterized by the colorful costumes worn by the performers and the loud music.
Dengaku was adopted by some of the most powerful shrines in Kyoto and came to be regularly performed at the goryō-e (one of the capital's main festivals and meant to appease agitated spirits).
[1] The original dengaku of the rice fields continued to flourish in rural society and in fact still survives in many agricultural areas.
The new type of government took advantage of the public interest in dengaku shown by the growing participation of the masses in religious, political, and cultural affairs.
The presentation of Japan's folk performing arts occur frequently "out-of-context" at a number of events for folk-culture and tourism where context is "taken to mean local Shinto or Buddhist festivals and ceremonials".
These performing arts have been divided into categories by scholars that incorporate these contexts: those known as dengaku are typically part of the late-winter or early-spring festivals to guarantee a successful agricultural cycle.
Dating from the same time period as the second pattern, the third focuses on those performing arts that were incorporated into the ceremonials of Buddhist temples established by local clans.
[3] According to the legend, Shuten Dōji (overlord of the oni) and his followers were "abducting and devouring young Kyoto maidens" and warriors were sent by the imperial court to destroy them.
This contrast between a fertility ritual and the deaths of innocent people is important to this carnivalesque event: it represents both destruction and renewal.
The growth of the performing arts was considered by part of Japanese society to be a bad omen: "the sudden appearance of oni as a dengaku troupe in the story can be seen as a harbinger of Shuten Dōji's doom".
The defeat of Shuten Dōji brings a time of peace in Japan with renewed imperial authority and additional recognition of the warrior class.
The company ACT.JT performed a dengaku dance on the terrace of Casa de Vacas in Madrid, spain[5] with the participation of ten Spanish volunteers in a cultural exchange in 2017.
