Tales Of Tono

forFieldworkers

Experience

EFestival

1Tōno Meguri Toroge

Tōno City, Iwate Prefecture, is a place where the presence of “otherworldly beings” —animals, ghosts, and even the souls of the dead— remains strong. In Kunio Yanagita's “The Legends of Tōno” (1910), yōkai folklore such as Kappa and Zashiki Warashi were recorded in this region, and even today, traces of such folklore remain vivid. Tōno Meguri Toroge is a tour and live event in this otherworldly place, Tōno, that blends centuries-old local performing arts with contemporary culture.

Tōno Meguri Toroge

EProjects

4Hariyama Shishi Odori meets Itazawa Shishi Odori_2023

Two groups in Tōno performed as an influence of collaborations with artists. Hariyama Shishi Odori group and Itazawa Shishi Odori group danced together for the first time for the finale of the Tōno Meguri Toroge event.

Although there are 13 Shishi Odori groups in Tōno, the difference in the program, rhythm, and choreography makes it difficult to perform with another group. Hariyama and Itazawa are residential areas quite far from one another, meaning that there are not many commonalities in the performance style.

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EProjects

3Kuniyuki Takahashi meets Itazawa Shishi Odori_2023

A collaboration between Itazawa Shishi Odori and a Sapporo-based DJ Kuniyuki Takahashi,

Kuniyuki has been participating in the Tōno Meguri Toroge since 2021. In the Tōno Meguri Toroge held in the summer of 2023, Takahashi added layers of improvised sounds to the essential program of the Itazawa Shishi Odori called Yotsukagari, bringing excitement to the audience.

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EProjects

2KOM_I meets HARIYAMA SHISHI ODORI_2021, 2022

A collaboration between Hariyama Shishi Odori, a dance that is described in the preface of “The Legends of Tōno”, and artist KOM_I.

In the summer of 2022, KOM_I performed the Shishi Odori at the finale of Tōno Meguri Toroge with the new track yosi horikawa / daiusuke tanabe created.

The project began at the Tōno Meguri Toroge held in autumn 2021. KOM_I, who was invited as a guest artist that year, was mesmerised by the Shishi Odori and wanted to be part of the performance.

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EProjects

1yosi horikawa / daiusuke tanabe meets HARIYAMA SHISHI ODORI_2022、2023

A collaboration between Hariyama Shishi Odori, a dance described in the preface of “The Legends of Tōno”, and renowned sound creator yosi horikawa/daiusuke tanabe.

In the summer of 2022, Yosi and Daisuke spent a week in a studio in Tōno. They had no digital connection or signal to feel the ambience of the area and create a new beat for Shishi Odori.

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