Cultural Significance of Lion Dances at Shikoda

This is one of the three lion dances that can be seen north of the Kanto region. Although there are many similarities between the three lion dances, if you look closely, you will notice that the lion dance performers are different from each other and the performances are also different, which makes it interesting to see the characteristics of each region.

Date: August 16 every year
Location: Saikoin temple 西光院, 1214 Shikoda, Kashiwa city, Chiba prefecture, Japan
Access: 5 minutes by bus from the west exit of Kashiwa Station. Get off at Sangen bus stop. Approximately 40 minutes from Tokyo to Kashiwa on the Ueno Tokyo Line

This article is based on 2019 visit

The few days before and after August 15, centering on August 15, are called obon, and various ancestral memorial services are often held. People often return to their hometowns during this period. Originally, August 15 was July 15, but since the Meiji government changed to a new calendar, August has become common throughout the country.
The lion dance here is also held in conjunction with the Seikoin temple, where the event is held, as the Seikoin temple holds a memorial service.

3:30 p.m. Entrance

At this time of the day, when you get off the bus and head toward the temple grounds, they are already full of people. After passing through the gate, there is a straight line of stone pavement from the gate to the main hall. In front of the main hall, bamboos are erected on all four sides, and ropes are tied between them to form a boundary. This is today’s dance stage. People from both sides of the street crowded around the dance space, eagerly waiting for the main actors to appear on stage. Soon, the lively sound of a flute echoes, and the dancers appear. Normally, the three lions would be the first to enter, but here, there is a strange group in front of them. Hyottoko, foxes, monkeys, etc. This group is commonly known as “sarumai (monkey dance)”.

Sarumai

They dance joyfully, making odd noises. The musical group that followed behind them sits on a prepared blue sheet. The musical group that followed behind them was seated on a prepared blue sheet. The lions take a short rest.
The boundary stage is covered with grass, so everyone is barefoot. A group of people who were dancing happily on the lawn suddenly started sprinkling white powder in their hands in all directions. What was it? It was salt. A lot of salt. Spectators ran for cover, and those with cameras rushed to cover them with towels and other items. A large amount of salt is showering down on them like a rainstorm. If a child dancer left some of the sprinkled on the ground, the people around him or her would say, “Keep sprinkling”. When there is still some left over. The salt is said to be spread about 5 kilograms in all. When they finish rolling, they quickly disappear. When the audience flaps their clothes, a large amount of salt spills out. Legend has it that bathing in salt will bring good health.

Shishimai (Lion dance)

Once the sarmai guys are gone, the lions finally appear. At first, each performs a solo dance. First is the female lioness. Hanagasa (flower hat) stand on all four sides of the stage, adding to the stage’s splendor. The female lioness wears a red cloth and has one small horn. Until recently, there used to be a performance in which a fox with a stick behind female lion would follow lion at this time, but this was not done when the author visited there (2019). Perhaps the trend of the times is to abolish such sexual performances.

After each solo dance, the hanagasa are lined up in a row, and now the three animals move around in between them.

After the lion dance is over, the three lions gather for a final time to sing a song. The song is a kind of Buddhist prayer, and the lion dance originally served as a prayer for rain. It takes about one hour to complete the dance. The group disbanded at 4:30 p.m. People leave the shrine, paying salt to the lions.

cf. https://matsurito.jp/news/memories4/index.html　Canon Marketing Japan Inc. Supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs