Kenshibu (剣詩舞, meaning 'sword and poetry dancing') is a category of

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

ese

interpretive dance Interpretive dance is a family of modern dance styles that began around 1900 with Isadora Duncan. It used classical concert music but marked a departure from traditional concert dance, as a rebellion against the strict rules of classical ballet ...

s performed to traditional

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

accompanied by poetry known as ''

shigin is a performance of reciting a Japanese poem or a Chinese poem read in Japanese, each poem ( ''shi'') usually chanted ( ''gin'') by an individual or in a group. Reciting can be done loudly before a large audience, softly to a few friends, ...

'' (詩吟). Kenbu refers to dances performed with the aid of a

sword A sword is an edged and bladed weapons, edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter ...

, and shibu to dances performed with one or more fans. While fans may also be employed in some kenbu dances, not all require them.

History

Although Japanese kenbu existed since the

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

and

Heian The Japanese word Heian (平安, lit. "peace") may refer to: * Heian period, an era of Japanese history * Heian-kyō, the Heian-period capital of Japan that has become the present-day city of Kyoto * Heian series, a group of karate kata (forms) * ...

periods (794-1185) of Japanese history, and exist in Shura

Nogaku is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. It is Japan's oldest major theater art that is still regularly performed today. Noh is often based on tales from traditional literature featuri ...

, the modern kenshibu is an invention of the post-

Meiji Meiji, the romanization of the Japanese characters 明治, may refer to: Japanese history * Emperor Meiji, Emperor of Japan between 1867 and 1912 ** Meiji era, the name given to that period in Japanese history *** Meiji Restoration, the revolution ...

era (1868). Kenshibu draws its origins from the Gekken Kaisha (撃剣会社, lit. 'fencing company') created by

Sakakibara Kenkichi was a Japanese samurai and martial artist. He was the fourteenth headmaster of the Jikishinkage school of sword fighting. Through his Jikishinkage contacts he rose to a position of some political influence; he taught swordsmanship at a govern ...

(榊原健吉) in 1872. The Gekken Kaisha toured Japan, engaging in 'fencing performances' (撃剣興行, ''gekken kougyou'') which quickly became popular.Deborah Klens-Bigman
''The Fan and the Sword: Exploring Kenbu''
/ref> Many modern schools of kenbu derive from other traditions, but Sakakibara's Gekken Kaisha was the first to explore the form. Following the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, swords were outlawed in Japan for a period of about seven years. During this time, kenbu schools adopted the use of fans instead of swords in their dances. After swords became legal once again, this new type of dancing was retained. Over time shibu has evolved into a style distinct from kenbu, with its dances set to poetry of a less martial character.

Kenbu

Kenbu (剣舞, occ. 剣武) is performed in ''

hakama are a type of traditional Japanese clothing. Originally stemming from Ku (), the trousers worn by members of the Chinese imperial court in the Sui and Tang dynasties, this style was adopted by the Japanese in the form of in the 6th c ...

'' and ''kimono'', wearing ''

tabi are traditional Japanese socks worn with thonged footwear such as zori, dating back to the 15th century. History Japanese are usually understood today to be a kind of split-toed sock that is not meant to be worn alone outdoors, much like re ...

'', a type of divided-toe socks. Various other items may be used in the costume, including ''

hachimaki A (headband, "helmet-scarf") is a type of Japanese headband, usually made of red or white cloth, typically featuring a design of kanji at the front. History The origin of the ''hachimaki'' is uncertain, but the most common theory states th ...

'' (a headband used to keep the dancer's hair pulled back) and ''tasuki'' (a white cloth strip which ties the kimono sleeves out of the way). When these other items are used, a white cloth belt is traditionally worn over the hakama ties. This white belt was originally worn by ''

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

'' preparing to go into battle and served to reinforce the hakama ties so that, in the event they were cut, the samurai would not find himself with his pants suddenly heaped around his ankles.

Shibu

Shibu (詩舞) is also called ''senbu'' (扇舞), or fan dancing. It is also performed in hakama and kimono, though in some cases hakama may be rejected in favor of longer

kimono The is a traditional Japanese garment and the national dress of Japan. The kimono is a wrapped-front garment with square sleeves and a rectangular body, and is worn Garment collars in hanfu#Youren (right lapel), left side wrapped over ri ...

. Some performances also involve steeply-pointed straw hats which conceal the performers' faces.

References

Dances of Japan {{Japan-culture-stub ja:剣舞