Appreciate
42nd Gagaku Concert, Large Hall, National Theatre, Tokyo
Performance by musicians and dancers of the Music Department, Board of Ceremonies, Imperial Household Agency
Outline
Engiraku (‘Prolonged Joy’) is a Dance of the Right created in Japan during the Engi year-period (901–23), belonging to the category of hiramai (ordinary dances, also called bun-no-mai, civil or literary dances). The dance is attributed to Imperial Prince Atsumi (893–967), and the music to Fujiwara no Tadafusa. The name of the piece is taken from the year-period of its creation.
It appears that this dance was created in Japan to answer the need for Dances of the Right, as the common practice of tsugaimai, the pairing Dances of the Left and Right in performance, developed in the early Heian period (9th century).
Today, Engiraku is often performed on celebratory occasions as the ‘answering dance’ (tōbu) to the Dance of the Left Manzairaku.
Structure of the Dance
The accompaniment for the dance as a whole is made up of two sections: 1. Ichōshi, an instrumental prelude in the mode koma-ichikotsuchō (on E); and 2. Tōkyoku (the ‘piece itself’).
The Ichōshi, played by solo transverse flute komabue, solo reedpipe hichiriki, and hourglass drum san-no-tsuzumi, is followed without a break by Engiraku, the ‘piece itself.’ The dancers, four in number, come onto the stage one by one, and perform the fixed entrance pattern known as zurute, each taking his stipulated position in the four quarters of the stage. They then begin the dance itself. The dance finishes while the music continues, and the dancers then leave the stage one by one. Once the dancers are out of view, the san-no-tsuzumi player interrupts the music with a strong stroke of his instrument, prompting the lead solo players to play the concluding phrase (fukidomeku).
Costume
The dancers wear kasane-shōzoku (‘layered costumes’) in the standard green of Dances of the Right. The green outer robe (hō) is worn in katakatanugi style, with the robe off the right shoulder and tucked away, so as to reveal the colors and patterns of the layers underneath: the hanpi vest and right sleeve of the shitagasane.
The dancers each wear a torikabuto (‘bird helmet’), which is said to be modeled on the head of the mythical phoenix. Since it is a civil dance, the dancers do not wear swords.
Points for appreciation
As a typical Dance of the Right, Engiraku is often used on festive occasions as the ‘answering dance’ (tōbu) to the Dance of the Left Manzairaku. Created in Japan, it is said to possess a certain Japanese softness. The music has a roughly binary form, with an elegant melody.
A highlight of the dance is a right-leg forward step, made at an angle to the right, while both arms are extended in a straight line.
* Engiraku is also called Kaeiraku (‘Glory of Flowers’)
