Sanbasou in Ogano Kabuki (1)

―Discovering it’s historical background―

Abstract

　Ogano Kabuki, a folk style of kabuki originating over 200 years ago in the village of Ogano in the Chichibu region of Saitama, opens with the Japanese traditional dance called, Sanbasou. This dance is thought to have adopted the basic ‘kata’ forms by Yamatoza, the performing group founded by Otowaya Bando Hikogoro III in the Meiji Period. Yamatoza enthusiastically taught Sanbasou dance to local people whenever they held village festivals. Today, however, the performing style of Sanbasou varies among the many regional group who perform it in Ogano Kabuki. In this paper, the author examines the historical background and the current performing styles of Sanbasou in Ogano Kabuki, as well as the strong connection between Yamatoza and Sanbasou, which she discovered from her research and visits to regions of Chichibu.