ARTIST

Matsunoshita Daikagura

Otsuchi Town,Iwate

As with other Daikagura in the town, legend has it that it originated with the performers from Morioka Shichikencho. During the Edo period, a performer from Morioka Shichikencho moved to Mukaigawara in Otsuchi with one of the three lion heads (made by Koun, named Tsuruchiyo) given to him by the lord of the Nambu domain, and the deputy governor of Otsuchi at the time took him under his wing, though there are no records that remain. In the Showa period, the number of successors to the Mukaikawahara Daikagura dwindled, so it was taken over by volunteers from the nearby Matsunoshita area, and the name was changed to Matsunoshita Daikagura in 1962. The lion’s head, equipment, etc. were damaged in the Great East Japan Earthquake, but have been revived with the help of reconstruction support.

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