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Bugaku at Meiji Shrine

Bugaku traditional dance has been performed has long been performed for the most part to Japanese imperial court audiences and the elite for more than twelve hundred years. After World War II the dance began to be performed to the public and has even toured around the world. The dance is known for its slow and exact movements. The dancers wear intricate traditional costumes, which often include headgear and masks. The helmets are of gold, brilliantly decorated cloisonné. The music and dance pattern is repeated several times, giving it a somewhat monotonous quality. It is performed on a square platform. Some bugaku dances show legendary battles, others enact encounters with divine personages or mythical beasts - natural metaphors describe how their movement should be"like a tree swaying in a cool breeze”. When Buddhist culture came to Japan via Korea and China in the seventh century, it brought dance traditions along with it. Bugaku draws heavily from Buddhist culture, and incorporates many traditional Shinto factors into the dance. These influences eventually mixed together and over the years were refined into something uniquely Japanese. When considering modern Japanese culture it is surprising that such a slow and ancient tradition has survived.

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Bugaku traditional dance has been performed has long been performed for the most part to Japanese imperial court audiences and the elite for more than twelve hundred years. After World War II the dance began to be performed to the public and has even toured around the world. The dance is known for its slow and exact movements. The dancers wear intricate traditional costumes, which often include headgear and masks. The helmets are of gold, brilliantly decorated cloisonné. The music and dance pattern is repeated several times, giving it a somewhat monotonous quality. It is performed on a square platform. Some bugaku dances show legendary battles, others enact encounters with divine personages or mythical beasts - natural metaphors describe how their movement should be"like a tree swaying in a cool breeze”. When Buddhist culture came to Japan via Korea and China in the seventh century, it brought dance traditions along with it. Bugaku draws heavily from Buddhist culture, and incorporates many traditional Shinto factors into the dance. These influences eventually mixed together and over the years were refined into something uniquely Japanese. When considering modern Japanese culture it is surprising that such a slow and ancient tradition has survived.