Abstract
Local traditional cultures and their agents in the modern era were objectified when outsiders intervened and carried over their ideologies and images as cultural resources. Although local agents were forced to submit to the rules constructed by outsiders, they were also able to appropriate those rules for their own benefit
There has been considerable debate over the practices of local traditional cultures. However, these debates have not been able to sufficiently grasp the essence of the practices that developed in local areas and shaped the people's fundamental standpoints. In this paper, I will discuss this issue while focusing on the case of the transmission of Take Kagura in Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture.
The core of the practice of Take Kagura is what I define as the "play of the present," which has developed from elements from the past and local religious rituals. The play of the present belongs to the realm of feeling as internal unification. It remains detached from unanticipated changes instigated by third parties, such as the transformation of the Kagura into a cultural heritage or a resource for tourism. While standing in the play of the present, players reject and appropriate the meaning of "cultural heritage" and "tourism" constructed by outsiders.
