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Sada Shin Noh



Sada Shin Noh is a performing art in which the people enact the power of the gods by dancing to their musical instruments such as drums. There is some evidence to suggest that these dances were performed in Kyoto in the early seventeenth century.

As part of the gozakae ritual of the changing of the rush mats at the Sada Shrine in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture, Japan, Sada Shin Noh comprises a series of ritual purification dances performed on 24 and 25 September each year. These two days at Sada Shrine are dedicated to replacing the rush mats called goza, with new mats upon which the tutelary deities will sit. The change symbolizes re-enacting the deities' power. Their blessings are elicited when mats are replaced.

In Sada Shin Noh, the repertoire, choreography, and music are fixed by tradition. A stage specially built inside the shrine is used for different types of dances. Other performances involve dancers wearing masks portraying the faces of old men or deities and reenacting Japanese myths while carrying swords, wooden sticks, and bells. As the gozamai ritual dance unfolds, performers hold rush mats to purify them before offering them to the deities. Musicians sit around the stage and accompany the dances with singing, flute, and drums.

In the daily lives of the people around Sada Shrine, 'Sada Shin Noh' is something natural and nothing special, but it is often believed that it should be performed regularly in order to reenact the power of the tutelary gods. A major function of "Sada Shin Noh" is its interrelationship between people and deities that provides a rich and peaceful future for the people, their families, and the community, thereby giving it its social and cultural significance.

Sada Shin Noh has long been considered a form of performing arts by the local community. In 1976, the Japanese national government recognized it as an important element of the Japanese cultural heritage that illustrates changes in their lifestyle. Since then, it has been widely recognized as an integral part of Japanese culture.

Currently, a group of people from the community has been transmitting Sada Shin Noh from generation to generation, with the Association for the Preservation of Sada Shin Noh actively safeguarding it. They are ordinary citizens working their regular jobs, but they practice regularly to master the skills. They have acquired the traditional performance formula and are in a position to give it in public in the traditional way.

References

(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/sada-shin-noh-sacred-dancing-at-sada-shrine-shimane-00412) (https://www.ichlinks.com/archive/elements/elementsV.do?nation=undefined&page=1&elementsUid=13829896121212900191&mode=grid)


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