Glossary of terms in Japanese Folk Performing Arts

  • kabuki : theatre performance evolved in Edo period
  • kagura : sacred dance performance
  • kembai : sword dance
  • gongenmai : shishi dance closely tied to shugendo
  • onikembai : sword dance with demon mask
  • shishi : wild animal ambiguously defined as lion, deer, bear or wild pig
  • shishigashira : headpiece of shishi worn by shishi dancers
  • shishimai : shishi dance
  • shishiodori : shishi dance
  • shugendo : mystic religious practice in mountains