The Tama River and the Akigawa River—two waterways that quietly shape this part of Tokyo. It seems familiar on the surface, almost taken for granted. And yet, there is so much about them that remains unknown. This series follows Megumi Goto, who has spent thirty years kayaking the upper Tama River in Okutama, as she traces what the river carries: history, memory, and the lives built around it.
Festivals begin across the region in April, and Sasara Shishimai is one of the traditions you’ll encounter. Found throughout eastern Japan, this form of lion dance is performed by three lion dancers and four people playing the sasara, an instrument made of bamboo. Today, the tradition is still carried on in twelve communities in Okutama and six in Ome.
Looking at where these dances originated from, you begin to see how people once moved through this landscape. The lion dances of Nariki in Ome and Shimonaguri in Hanno, Saitama, for example, are both said to have come from Aoki Shrine in Otaba, Okutama.
Today, we’re used to getting around by car, and these places can feel quite far from one another. But when I hiked the Takamizu Three Mountains, it made more sense. Follow the ridgelines, and the three places are surprisingly close. Back when people lived largely self-sufficiently, walking along the ridges may have been an easier way to travel over a wide area than going down into the valleys. It was something I only understood after walking these mountains myself.
There was another route, too that was along the rivers. One example is the lion dances of Sawai in Ome and Tabayama Village in Yamanashi. The dance in Sawai originally came from Edo and was later passed on to Tabayama. At one point, the tradition disappeared from Sawai. It was eventually revived with the help of people in Tabayama, who helped bring the dance back to the community where it originated.
Despite sharing the same roots, the dances have changed in their own ways over the years, with differences in the music and movements. In Tabayama, the belly drum was lost in a fire, and the dance has been performed without it ever since.
From summer through autumn, Sasara Shishimai is performed as an offering in communities across Nishitama. At first, the dances may look much the same. Watch a little longer, though, and the subtle character of each place begins to show—in the music, the movements, and the way the tradition has been carried on.
Seeing more than one is part of the pleasure. If you get the chance, go and have a look.
Megumi Goto, Owner of Gravity Canoe School and Shiromaru Café, Canoe Instructor
Megumi was born in Yamanashi Prefecture and first experienced river kayaking in 1986, becoming fully immersed in the sport by 1990. She competed in the early days of freestyle kayaking, including the Ocoee River World Cup in the U.S., and placed 7th in the women’s division at the 1994 Pre-World Cup held at the Augsburg artificial course in Germany. After gaining experience at a canoe school in Nagatoro, Saitama prefecture she founded her own school, Gravity, in April 1997, located in Mount Mitake on the upper Tama River. She also runs Shiromaru Café, open every Tuesday and on full moon days.
About Okutama
Okutama is known as a hidden gem in the vicinity of Tokyo, which has a rich natural environment where traditional mountain village culture remains intact. Numerous traditional performing arts have been passed down through the generations, and there are many intangible folk cultural assets, such as the Kashima Odori dance, Shishimai (lion dance), and Kuruma Ningyo (puppet theater). Additionally, many people enjoy mountain climbing, camping, cycling, and fishing in the area.
こちらの記事は英語で執筆されており、ブラウザの自動翻訳により氏名の漢字表記が正しく表示されないこと、不自然な日本語が表示されることがあるようです。お手数ですが、英語原文での閲覧をお試しください。