Neo-Yasugibushi: Modern Arrangement of Upbeat Loach Scooping Dance; Ram Rider, Karin Make New Spin on Folk Performance

By Aya Matsuura / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

12:57 JST, December 24, 2024

YASUGI, Shimane — Yasugibushi, a traditional song and dance about loach scooping, or dojo sukui in Japanese, is getting a modern restyling in the folk song’s birthplace of Yasugi, Shimane Prefecture.

Called neo-Yasugibushi, the dance has been given a hip-hop twist but maintains its original shamisen tune, high-pitched singing and loach catching dance.

Yasugi City came up with the idea as part of a project funded by the Japan Tourism Agency to attract foreign visitors using local tourism resources. The city commissioned composer Ram Rider, who created the music for the Tokyo Paralympics closing ceremony, and world-renowned choreographer Karin to produce a modern version of the folk performance.

The about-three-minute-long, up-tempo music is accentuated with powerful shamisen sounds and high-pitched singing, giving it an East-meets-West twist.

“I made the dance music to highlight the singing, which is a distinctive feature of Yasugibushi,” Ram Rider said.

The intense dance incorporates elements from the original, such as scooping up imaginary loaches with a sieve and playing folk percussion instruments called zenidaiko.

Karin said she made sure that “anyone can tell it’s Yasugibushi at a glance.”

In November, neo-Yasugibushi made its debut in the city’s Yasugibushi Performance Hall to officials of a Thai economic delegation who were visiting the prefecture for a business exchange. Ten dancers in colorful costumes, including Karin and city officials, performed a lively dance, which was met with emphatic applause.

“The new dance faithfully incorporated Yasugibushi but still has a different coolness compared to the traditional version,” Koji Ichiugawa, a member of the Yasugibushi Preservation Society, said. “It’ll be nice if neo-Yasugibushi makes more people want to learn about and try the original Yasugibushi.”

“We are considering creating a workshop for visitors to try both traditional and neo Yasugibushi,” an official of the city’s tourism promotion department said. “We hope the new dance will encourage more people to come to Yasugi.”