lion dance

Lion dance (shishi mai) ensembles often use a trio consisting of a bamboo flutist, a gong player, and a drummer who plays a taiko and a small odeko barrel drum. Cymbals (chappa) and samisen may appear in other folk pantomimes or dances. The most common…

…cycle of rice cultivation), and shishi mai, which developed originally from magico-religious dances and are now danced for purification and as prayers. Matsuri-bayashi is a gay, lively music with flutes and drums to accompany divine processions. Some organizations of both Shrine and Sect Shintō have recently begun to compose solemn…