Outline

Dance of the Right Kitoku

Kitoku (‘Marquis Gui De’) is a Dance of the Right of the hashirimai (running dance) category, in which the dancer moves vigorously around the stage.

It is said to be based on a Chinese historical event of the Former Han dynasty when, during the Shenjue year-period (61–58 BC) of the reign of Emperor Xuan, a king of the Xiongnu, a northern barbarian people, formed an alliance with the Chinese. He was recognized as a Chinese marquis and accorded the name Gui De, which is pronounced Ki Toku in Japanese.

Kitoku is performed as the ‘answering dance’ (tōbu) to the Dance of the Left Sanju, and, as in that dance, a number of attendants (banko) wearing kasane-shōzoku (layered costumes) hand the halberd to the dancer before the dance, and take it from him at the end. There are usually 4 attendants, 6 in more formal performances, and 2 in less formal ones.

Structure of the Dance

The accompaniment for the dance as a whole is made up of five sections: 1. Koma-koranjō; 2. Koma-ranjō; 3. Konetori; 4. Tōkyoku no ha, the ha movement Kitoku; and 5. Tōkyoku no kyū, the kyū movement of Kitoku.

After the prelude Koma-koranjō, the dancer enters the stage during Koma-ranjō, and performs the fixed entrance pattern known as zurute. The concluding phrase (fukidomeku) is played when the dancer kneels and places the halberd on the stage. Konetori, a short modal prelude, is followed by the central dance, the slow Ha movement. The music for this is repeated until the dance finishes. The quick kyū movement is performed in the meter karahyōshi (repeated cycles of 2 measures of 2/4). The dancer leaves the stage when the dance finishes. The music comes to an end when he is out of sight, and the accompaniment performs the concluding phrase (fukidomeku).

Costume

The dancer wears a green-based costume unique to this dance, with a ryōtō (battle tunic) of the fringed type (keberi), typical for vigorous dances of the hashirimai (running dance) category.

The mask depicts an older warrior with a serious expression; small pieces of white fur are used for its eyebrows and mustache. The colorful helmet (kabuto) is said to represent a parrot balancing a globe on its neck. The dancer wields a halberd with silver maki-e designs on black lacquer, and wears a sword.

Points for appreciation

The music for this dance is said to be some of the best of the komagaku (‘Korean music’) repertoire. The melody of the Ha movement is lively, and that of the Kyū movement makes the most of the karahyōshi meter, in which the large drum is struck on the first beat of each measure.

The dancer wields the halberd energetically, striking in all four directions, in a depiction of a brave warrior-king of the northern regions. It is a long solo dance that requires a high level of technical expertise.