Geinoh Meeting

The coastal region of Sanriku is said to be a treasure trove of traditional folk performing arts. There are hundreds of different ones that have been handed down in various places, but many of them are facing issues around who will be inheriting the traditions.
To address the issues, a conference was held in Hirono Town. Young folk performing arts practitioners and professional artists gathered together and discussed the significance of the folk performing arts and their future, sharing ideas about all of the creativity and potential that exists in the Sanriku region. At the beginning of the conference local entrepreneurs from the Hirono Town Mirai Koryu (Networking for Future) Tour held prior to this meeting, gave a lecture on examples of utilizing and revitalizing regional resources. After that, about 70 participants, divided into seven groups, discussed topics such as “how to widely promote local folk performing arts and the region” and “the future and hope of the region and folk performing arts.”

Date & Time: Saturday, September 10, 2022, 16:00–18:00
Venue: Hirono Chomin Bunka Kaikan Cecilia Hall, Community Hall (Hirono Town, Iwate Prefecture)

Dancing Through Hirono: The Sanriku Future Geinoh Festival

Focusing on the young practitioners who are leading the future of Sanriku, we proposed a new kind of festival that incorporates both presentation of folk performing arts and interactive experience with them. The venue was the nature-rich town of Hirono Town, Iwate Prefecture, surrounded by the ocean (hiro) and highlands (no), as the name suggests. Three diverse and energetic groups from the Town gave performances at the festival, including the Kadonohama Komaodori, which has been passed down since the Sengoku period and is still frequently performed in local elementary and junior high schools; Nanyadoyara, which is said to be Japan’s oldest Bon dance; and a multi-generational taiko drum group with performers from 5 to 46 years old. In addition, two high school groups from the Sanriku region participated that had both won the Excellence Prize in the Local Folk Performing Arts Division at the 2022 All Japan High School Cultural Festival. The performers from Iwaizumi High School presented Nakano Nanazumai, and Kitakami Shonan High School presented Onikenbai, both representing the top-level of folk performing arts of Iwate. The performers also participated in a workshop on Onikenbai and danced Nanyadoyara together.

Date and Time: Sunday, September 11, 2022, 13:00-15:30
Venue: Hirono Chomin Bunka Kaikan Cecilia Hall, Main Hall (Hirono Town, Iwate Prefecture)