Activity report

Mai Takahisa, Senior Assistant Professor Department of Japanese Cultures Faculty of Liberal Arts Teikyo University

From 2010 to 2018, he served as a part-time researcher at the Research and Development Promotion Center of the Research and Development Promotion Organization at Kokugakuin University. From 2017 to the present, he has served as a part-time Senior Assistant Professor in the Department of Japanese Faculty of Liberal Arts, Faculty of Letters, Kokugakuin University, and since 2018 has served as a specialist (part-time) in the Cultural Heritage Division, Lifelong Learning Department, Education Bureau, Kanagawa Prefectural Board of Education. Since 2019, he has also served as a part-time Senior Assistant Professor in the Department of History and Culture, Faculty of Human Culture, Showa Women's University, and as a part-time Senior Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Life Science, Ochanomizu University. In 2021, he became Senior Assistant Professor in the Department of Japanese Cultures Faculty of Liberal Arts Teikyo University, where he remains to this day.

Folklore is the study of culture and traditions accumulated in people's lives. The wisdom accumulated in society is endlessly varied and diverse, and the search is endless. It is possible to extract unique and outstanding wisdom and use it to solve modern-day problems. In particular, I specialize in the "performing arts" performed at festivals and events. These range from Bon Odori dances to kagura dances associated with Shinto rituals, as well as Noh plays and Kabuki plays that have been passed down locally. Although performing arts are not related to food, clothing, and shelter, they have been passed down over many years and continue to the present day. Why are people so absorbed in the performing arts? There lies an important theme for better understanding human society.

I focus on the relationship between talented individuals and the groups that pass on performing arts. Performing arts fundamentally begin with planning the event, arranging for related parties, and then connecting with religious ceremonies. Everyone has a role, and each household and individual plays a role. Meanwhile, performing arts and festivals as a whole are events for the entire community, such as a region or village. They cannot exist without both the individuals involved as individuals and the collective members who oversee them and pray for the development of the region. For example, even if someone with exceptional performing arts talent tries to manage a festival, it will not work. Performing arts are ultimately collective, so consensus among the entire group is essential. On the other hand, it is also difficult for amateurs to fill each role in performing arts on short notice. Performing arts and festivals are run based on the know-how passed down to individuals, and the splendor of festivals comes from the discipline of the arts. I distinguish these relationships using the terms "specific cause" and "collective cause." Understanding how these two relationships influence each other is essential to understanding local performing arts.

The key to this analysis is identifying key people within a community. I call this key person research. First, I visit and observe the target community, visualizing the events centered around a singular individual. Then, I research the literature, local history, and cultural characteristics to understand the role of performing arts in the community. For example, in one community in Akita Prefecture, when a festival is held, they invite outsiders called "entertainers." Formerly known as "bosama," this refers to Buddhist monks, or "zatou," who play instruments and sing. This tradition is rooted in the zatou arts passed down in the northern Tohoku region, and continues to this day. When I traced it back through literature, I was able to trace it back to the Meiji period, but that was the limit of my research. I believe the lineage probably dates back even further. By focusing on the key figure of the zato, the festivals of the region and the culture and customs of the wider area come to light, making it easier to research and analyze the relationship between individuals and groups, as well as the history and evolution of folk customs, and greatly deepening our understanding of customs that continue to the present day.

Today, festivals and performing arts face a threat to their survival due to a declining birthrate, an aging population, and urban population concentration. As the aging of local communities continues across the country, some festivals and performing arts are struggling to survive, leading to the introduction of outsiders to continue the tradition. However, success is rare. It's not that locals are reluctant to accept outsiders; rather, many cases involve trying too hard to accommodate outsiders, leading to the exhaustion of those involved. I was previously involved in performing arts in Kanagawa Prefecture. The COVID-19 pandemic weakened the tradition, and the declining birthrate and aging population made it even more difficult. So, we brought in someone from outside to continue the tradition. Fortunately, the person we brought in was extremely talented, and while we thought the technical transfer was going well, he became too focused on his technique and developed too much of a personal perspective and commitment to the art, causing a disconnect between the art and the collective. As a result, we had to ask him to leave. On the other hand, in one case, a group decided to go to a neighboring town to teach performing arts at an elementary school in order to ensure their continued existence. However, in this case, local residents began to question the meaning of performing arts if they weren't doing them themselves, and the group found themselves unable to move forward. It might be better to say that they no longer see value in having their art carried on by people who are not connected to them as a group. I believe that both of these cases show the essential meaning of the existence of performing arts. They also give a sense of the difficulty of passing on performing arts as a group, rather than just by individuals who are skilled in the arts.

In some cases, the relationship between individuals and groups involves the existence of an iemoto (family head). Even in regional performing arts, there are many cases where families have played important roles for generations. In these regions, festivals are passed down relatively stably. I sometimes feel that the existence of such iemoto is the spiritual pillar of the performing arts in the region. Given the strong tendency to believe that performing arts continue as a lineage, the presence of an iemoto can be a source of reassurance for a group. Meanwhile, the successor iemoto is deeply committed to not only passing on the techniques of the arts, but also to inheriting their important role in the group. Naturally, performing arts are passed down to the next generation, improving upon them to meet the needs of the times. Similarly, groups have historically made various choices, placing survival first. Consequently, it is natural for things to change gradually from their original forms. Performing arts that can be understood to a certain extent by modern sensibilities tend to remain, while those that cannot are likely to be weeded out to some extent.

This is where our academic research and the SDGs intersect. For example, since it is impossible to go back in time, it goes without saying that it is important to consider how to build the future with what we have today and how to create what will be needed in the future using current technology. For example, Tanko-bushi (Tanko-bushi), a folk song originally sung in the Chikuho coalfields of Fukuoka, was later refined and spread throughout the country, becoming a staple of Bon Odori dances. If we had stuck too closely to tradition, enjoying Tanko-bushi outside of Fukuoka might have been considered unacceptable. Performing arts groups incorporate people of various ages in line with the times, so if they become detached from modern sensibilities, they may become reluctant to pass on their traditions. Therefore, it is important to incorporate various modern elements into traditional performing arts, and we can confidently assert that past performing arts have survived by selecting and discarding elements in this way. Nowadays, there are Bon Odori dances performed to J-Pop, and while the form of performing arts may change, the survival of the groups that enjoy them should not be affected. Things that are accepted by modern groups have a certain meaning and value.

Isn't the same true for the SDGs? To continue to shape the future of society itself, we need to inherit all the wisdom that has been passed down from the past, and to do so, it is important to understand the changes that have occurred since the past while looking at the assets of modern society. Just like passing on performing arts, we need to be determined to continue as we pass on our culture, but at the same time, we need to recognize and embrace the changes and positive aspects of society as a whole. Just like performing arts, the SDGs are two sides of the same coin as our lives, so I feel that in order to pass on society as a collective, it is important for each individual to focus on contributing to creating a newer society.