Interview with Lead Instructor Otsuka Yoshinobu
We spoke with lead instructor Otsuka Yoshinobu about Bitchu Kagura and the Nariwa Bitchu Kagura Training Association.
Please tell us about the association’s history, from its founding to the present.
Otsuka (honorifics omitted)
In 1979, Bitchu Kagura was designated a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, prompting growing momentum across the Takahashi River Basin to train successors.
Amid this movement, with the hope that young people would be able to perform as first-rate kagura performers as soon as they graduated from high school, the Nariwa Bitchu Kagura Training Association was founded in 1988. It has continued its activities ever since.
At first, children came from all over—not only from Nariwa Town (as it was then called), but also from Takahashi City, Soja City, Kurashiki City, and as far away as Okayama City—wanting to learn Bitchu Kagura in Nariwa, the birthplace of Bitchu Kagura.
These days, perhaps because there are many more extracurricular activities to choose from, most of the children are local.
In recent years, the number of children has been declining year by year due in part to the falling birthrate and aging population. Even so, we continue our daily activities because we want to preserve the tradition of Bitchu Kagura.
Please tell us about your activities.
Otsuka
We practice at the annex of the Takahashi City Nariwa Cultural Center once a week, every Wednesday from 7 p.m. for about two hours.
Although we perform (kagura) less often than we used to, we are still frequently invited to visit welfare facilities and take part in events around the region.
We perform not only in our hometown of Takahashi City, but also travel to places farther away, such as Tsuyama City, Okayama City, and Tamano City.
How many performances do you give each year?
Otsuka
It varies from year to year, but currently we give around 50 performances a year.
Since the children have school, performances are mainly on weekends and during school holidays.
Writing “50 performances” might make it sound as if we perform almost every week, but the schedule actually varies. Some days we give two performances, one in the afternoon and one in the evening.
This fiscal year, too, we gave performances almost every week from April through May.
We are very grateful that many people see us perform, get in touch, and invite us to perform.
Please tell us about the members.
We currently have 10 members, ranging from a five-year-old in the final year of kindergarten to a high school senior aged 18.
Members graduate from the association when they finish high school, but many alumni continue as kagura performers in kagura groups around the region.
In fact, more than a dozen of my former students are currently active as kagura performers.
Takeru of Tokyo Hoteison, popular for comedy incorporating Bitchu Kagura, is also an alumnus, isn’t he?
Otsuka
That’s right. Takeru and his older brother learned together with us throughout elementary and junior high school.
After they entered high school, the commute became longer for both of them, so it became difficult to practice regularly. Even so, whenever they could, they practiced with the other children.
Even after moving to Tokyo for university, he would perform kagura with us when he came home to visit. But around the end of his second year, he stopped coming home, and that was when I heard he was going into comedy.
Even when he was a member of our association, he was a humorous, quick-witted child. What still stands out in my memory is a comedic scene in one of the kagura performances.
When Takeru was in fourth or fifth grade, I said, “How about trying this bit?” and gave him a simple script I had written.
Then he embellished it, added even funnier lines, and came up with additional material. He already had a knack for comedy back then.
Are there any particular approaches you use when teaching?
Otsuka
Bitchu Kagura performances are highly theatrical. There is a lot of dialogue as well as dancing, and the children seem to find it difficult to memorize all of it.
The main reason is that the lines are written in old literary language, which they are not familiar with in everyday life.
Of course, some children memorize the words and recite them without understanding what they mean, so during practice I explain what each line means.
In this way, we practice while deepening our understanding of the content of each performance.
So learning and understanding are important, not just performing?
Otsuka
That’s right. In addition to being a tradition with its own history and forms, it is also a religious ritual.
Also, good manners and greetings are very important.
These are very important in life, whether or not you perform kagura. I also believe they are extremely useful and beneficial for the children, even after they graduate from our association and move on from kagura.
It sounds a little like martial arts.
Otsuka
We teach more than just the art itself; good manners are important, too.
It is also important to respect elders and senior members, so we include that in our instruction as well.
Do you have a message for children who would like to try kagura?
Otsuka
If you’re interested and would like to learn, even if you live far away, I hope you’ll feel free to come and watch a practice.
If you come to watch and find that you’re interested, we’d be happy if you joined us and worked hard together.
And, as a way of carrying on the tradition of Bitchu Kagura, we hope everyone will work together to keep it thriving.
Finally, do you have a message for our readers?
Otsuka
When we perform nearby, I hope you’ll come and see the children giving it their all. We’d also like more opportunities to perform.
The children are very eager to perform in front of an audience, and as an instructor, I want to create as many opportunities for them as possible.
Things have gradually recovered since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the number of performances is increasing. At the time, both practice and performances were prohibited, and we went through two or three difficult years.
Some children left the association because of that, while others have since returned.
We are once again receiving performance requests from many different places, so we want to make the most of those opportunities. When we perform, we hope the audience will enjoy themselves along with the children.
The children’s parents feel the same way.
If you would like us to come and perform, please feel free to get in touch.
From the Writer
Through our interview, it became clear that the members continue because they genuinely enjoy performing kagura.
Combined with the instructors’ passionate commitment, this will surely carry the tradition of Bitchu Kagura into the future.
The Nariwa Bitchu Kagura Training Association gives performances mainly at weekend events in Okayama City and Kurashiki City, as well as in its hometown of Takahashi City. If there’s a performance near you, why not go and see it?
The association is also always welcoming new members. Children who are interested can join practices every Wednesday from 7 p.m. at the annex of the Takahashi City Nariwa Cultural Center. They are encouraged to come by for a visit.
As lead instructor Otsuka mentioned, there are many challenges to passing Bitchu Kagura on to the next generation, including the declining birthrate and depopulation.
Amid these challenges, we hope that the future of the region envisioned by young people who are devoted to “loving Bitchu Kagura” and diligently honing their skills will open up brightly, like the opening of the Heavenly Rock Cave in a Bitchu Kagura performance.
Nariwa Bitchu Kagura Training Association Information
| Name | Nariwa Bitchu Kagura Training Association |
|---|---|
| Address | 967 Shimohara, Nariwa-cho, Takahashi City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Website | Nariwa Bitchu Kagura Training Association |
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