Modernity in the Folk Performing Arts: The impact of modernity on the religious festival performing arts of the common people

Abstract

How did the Japanese common people come to terms with the changes engendered by modernity? This article examines this question through the lens of kagura, a folk performing art that has been passed down within village communities since the late medieval period and which was performed at matsuri (village festivals), one of the few outlets that people had from their lives of toil. Specifically, I examine the case of Iwami kagura, a form that has been preserved in the western part of Shimane prefecture.