Kusemai

Kusemai (曲舞, くせまい) is a dance-like art form originating from medieval Japan (roughly, the Kamakura and Muromachi Periods).

The “dance,” or pre-arranged physical movements of kusemai, are widely held to be the root of kōwakamai’s dance-element.

The young boy-dancer costume consisted of suikan (水干, Heian period-style garments), ōguchi (大口, a long, loose fitted, pleated skirt), and tall style eboshi cap.

Adult male dancers wore warrior-class garments called hitatare (直垂) in place of suikan.

Also, kōwakamai, which is sometimes considered a style of kusemai, is known to have been created sometime in the Muromachi Period and has been passed down to the present day.

Encyclopædia Britannica 2005 Ultimate Reference Suite DVD, article- "Kan'ami" "The Structure of Kusemai" [Qu] [wu] P. G. O'Neill, Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol.