The Awa-Odori festival grew out of the tradition of the Bon Odori which is danced as part of the Bon "Festival of the Dead", a Japanese Buddhist celebration where the spirits of deceased ancestors are said to visit their living relatives for a few days of the year. The term "Awa Odori" was not used until the 20th century, but Bon festivities in Tokushima have been famous for their size, exuberance and anarchy since the 16th century.

Awa Odori's independent existence as a huge, citywide dance party is popularly believed to have begun in 1586 when Lord Hachisuka Iemasa, the daimyō of Awa Province hosted a drunken celebration of the opening of Tokushima Castle. The locals, having consumed a great amount of sake, began to drunkenly weave and stumble back and forth. Others picked up commonly available musical instruments and began to play a simple, rhythmic song, to which the revelers invented lyrics. [wikipedia] 

Though this popular story is unsupported by any concrete evidence, "Awa Yoshikono Bushi", which praises Hachisuka Iemasa, is a famous folk song often sang during the dance performance.

About the dance

The Awa-Odori is characterized by irregular steps and by the jovial and energetic up-tempo rhythm. Separated into groups of men and women, the dancers parade through the city while dancing to music played on drums, gongs used when praying to Buddha and at festivals, three-stringed Japanese musical instruments, and flutes. 

This simple and cheerful dance entertainment is one of the most famous summer festivals in Japan. During the festival, which is held for four days from August 12th to 15th every year, downtown Tokushima City is filled with street dancing teams, with the main stages on the southern avenue stretching from Tokushima Station. People dance everywhere, on the main streets, in small squares or even on back streets. More than 1.3 million tourists enchanted by the fervor of the festival visit Tokushima, formerly known as Awa.

The basic rule of this dance is to move your right arm forward with your right leg and your left arm forward with your left leg in turns to the two-beat rhythm.  There are different styles of dance forms. For a masculine form of the dance: right foot and right arm forward, touch the ground with toes, then step with right foot crossing over left leg. This is then repeated with the left leg and arm. Whilst doing this, the hands draw triangles in the air with a flick of the wrists, starting at different points. The masculine form of the dance requires a low crouch with knees pointing outwards and arms held above the shoulders. 

A feminine form of the dance uses the same basic steps, although the posture is quite different. The restrictive kimono allows only the smallest of steps forward but a crisp kick behind, and the hand gestures are more restrained and graceful, reaching up towards the sky. The feminine form of the dance is usually performed in tight formation, poised on the ends of their geta sandals.

About the song