The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-10-18
JAP PEERfSSES
PREP PREP Are DANCE
TOR sCORol,A ton

TOXIC, Oct. 1S.-Eight be4u010l
young pesresses Of Japan are busy
rehearsing their pastures for the
dances they are to present before the
emperor and his guests sitter the cord
nation banquets In NovemOer.
Pastures. not Steps-Japansse dane
Ing li4s nothing to 'do with the delights
Of rhythmic movement to the strains
Of dangerous music. Like al Crientals
the Japanese enjoys his dance BY eAzr
/ ing up It. full fed.
Westerners dance with their feat,
Japanese with their hands. The dance
Is merely . series Of pastures.
Every dance tells . story. It - .
novel or drama expressed IN the short
hand OF q wonderfully worked out sys-
TEN OF gestures. The stories are IL
ways decorous. Japanese art has
never been stirred by sensuality. The
I incidAnts Depicted IN the dances are
Tney Win not bring the blush Of
ashameato the cheek Of innocence but
they may bring the yawn Of weariness
to the jaws Of the occidental diplo-
nnatists who will be privileged TO As4
them at the coronation.
The dances to be performed ct the
ceremonies in November are all his
torical ana some Of them have fit
ured at the coronation of the Japanese
emperors from times beyond memory.
The Kagura-mai pronounced kang-
ra-my) which will be performed bsfors
the shrine Of the Imperial ancestors
to solace them In the spirit world. II
i the very oldest Of Ill japanese dances
and probably the oldest dance LETT IN
the world, Arabic stomach dances and
similar vulgarities notwithstanding.
1t halls from the JapaneSe mytholog-
zeal period. and purportS to be the
dance by which. soon after the creae
ton Of the world. the sun goddess
was lured back from a cavern to which
she had retired, plunging all the world
In darkness. The other gods desired
to coax the sun goddess out OF her
retreat 10 they placed various treat
/ ures Oater to become the imperial
treasures OF the divineiy descended
monarchy Of Japan and ~ such 70
play most important part in the com.
Ing solemnities) before the cave. while
!. another goddess danced before the
entrance.
Hearing the sounds Of merriment,
the sun goddess peeped out, and the
world had light and warmth again.
. The Kagura-mai IL repetition Of that
dance and commentaries the incident
which led to the founding OF the
dynasty the latest representative OF
which is Ycshihito, emperor OF Japan
since 1912.
That is the sacred, or specially
,ecred. dance The others are cere-
~ nal and NTH he danced before the
/. r''','"Sr and hs guests at the corona
: IT,, tsncrets They are three in
rImter--.he Fusoki-mai, the kume-
mai and the Gosechi.mai.
The Fuxoki-nai Is peasant dance
IMPLYING the lapors OF primitive man
In the fields and his Joy at the harvest.
! It is accompanied by natural Ind pri-
mitive songs. supposed to be sung by
the peasants who cultivated the sacred
rice which is used In the coronation
I offerings. It embodies the Bon-odori,
or harvest dance, popular hop"
which takes place on summer days all
: over rural Japan. The details OF this
dance vary from village to village, but
the central feature 10 large ring Of
posturing peasants who revolve to the
sound Of the song sung and the drum
and flute played by some OF their num-
Der in the middle.
The kume-mair is court dance
which is supposed to bring good luck.
1t has its origin long before the estab-
lishment Of Japan over twenty-five
centuries ago, in the time OF Jimou
Tenno. the first human emperor and
grandson Of the sun goddess afore.
said. When Jimmu was on his way 70
/ ida, in the province Of Yamato, to
subdue a rebellion he composed q song
In anticipation Of his victory. A brave
N warrior who was also q minstrel,
sang the emperor's song and popular
tied it with the army, like a second
= "Tipperary," heatening them 80 that
4 they won the victory and tho whole
country came under the emperor's con-
troll.