Eisā Festival, the masterpiece of the Japan's Summer Festival

Last Saturday, July 26th, I managed to attend the Eisā Festival for the first time. Originally, an Okinawan festival,  Eisā Festival is performed as one of the religious rites to send off the spirits of their ancestors on their journey at the end of the Obon season. It is just like the Bon-Odori in most places in the Kanto area, so I guess you can say that it is the Bon-Odori for Okinawans.

Most groups have performers who play the big drum (大太鼓, Oo-Taiko), the shime-daiko drum (締太鼓) and dancers dancing with only hand gestures, (手踊り, Te-Odori) accompanied by singers with playing the sanshin (三線). All in their own rhythm showing the beauty, joy, pride, and love for their dance makes the Eisā festival, one of the most energetic festivals.

Young and energetic

One cheerful performer

I love the determined expression on the performer's face

In the past, every year, when the end of the Obon season nearing, some local government in Okinawa will beat at the town hall drum for the local residents as a reminder that it is THE time to send off their ancestors. Usually made up of young men and women, they all will come together to train for the Eisā Festival. And between July13th - 15th on the lunar calendar, regional groups from different parts of Okinawa gathered together in one place for the 3 last days of Obon, combining their performances to form a masterpiece of a festival.

Like many folk dances, the origin of Eisā Festival and how it started was unclear. There are a few thoughts as to how Eisā started. One is connected to a Buddhist monk named Taichu of the Jodo sect. It is said that this monk was working in the Ryukyu Kingdom, where he successfully converted the Ryukyu king, Shouneiou, and many other high court officials to Buddhism. At the same time, he also translates the Buddhist scriptures (仏典, Butsu-ten) to the common folk by dancing and singing the short verses from the Buddhist scriptures. Naturally, the common people learn Buddhism by dancing and singing too. This is one theory as to how the Eisā folk dance started in Okinawa.

Another is that the word, Eisā was purportedly found in one of the Ryukyu's oldest ballad compilation, the Omoro Saushi (おもろさうし). The Omoro is a collection of ancient poems and songs, complied in volumes, detailing the religious beliefs, the history, the land and the heroes of the Ryukyu Kingdom that forms the unique Okinawa culture today.

Traditionally, a new generation of Eisā group, inherits the distinctive way of performing the Eisā dance from their predecessors. In some areas where they do not have their own group of Eisā performers, these groups usually learn it from the groups in the neighbouring districts. They are allowed to have their own style of Eisā performance. As every Eisā group has their own distinctive style of performance, there is no single form of choreography.

For someone who joined the Eisā Festival for the first time, my body feel alive, listening to the rhythmic beating sounds of drums, but at the same time, my soul is soothed by the relaxing pluck at the strings of the sanshin in the background. This combination of musical instruments creates a very lively and yet, a reassuring atmosphere that is unmistakably Okinawan.

The Eisā Festival performs straight into your soul with an Okinawan energy is one festival that seems to make summer heat not only bearable, but enjoyable. Even the usual crowd-averse me is glad that I decided to be brave and made it to Shinjuku's Kabukicho to witness this magnificent performance in the sweltering heat. It is one summer festival that you CAN'T miss if you are in Japan.

Were you able to join the Eisā performance last Saturday too? What do you think of it?