Awa Odori Folk Group
Awa Odori is Japan’s largest dance festival held annually in the city of Tokushima for over 400 years. Awa is the former name of Tokushima and odori is a type of Japanese dance.
There are three versions regarding the origins of Awa Odori dance festival. One is that it is a local version of the Bon Festival celebrating the day of the dead in summer throughout Japan. Another is that it grew from celebrations on the completion of Tokushima Castle in 1587, when the lord of the city provided rice wine to the townspeople who immediately rushed dancing. The third version is connected with the organized dancing troupes known as “Ren” that are a central feature of Awa Odori dance festival, said to show the influence of furyu, an ancient form of dramatic dance that was a predecessor of Noh theater. There are records of a furyu dance performed locally in 1578, and this performance is thought to be the origin of the Awa Dance.
Since 1920s the festival is being promoted as a tourist event. Today the dance is held
in many locations throughout the prefecture as the main event of summer. By far the most
popular area is in Tokushima City where the
Today Awa Dance troupes successfully perform all around the country and abroad. The festival is well established not only in Japan but outside it as well, being placed alongside Rio Carnivale as one of the largest dance event in the world.
