Eisa festival photos/video: The electrifying three days

Eisa festival photos/video: The electrifying three days

The Goeku Young Men’s Association excites the crowd with booming chants and a powerful choreography on August 25, at the Koza Athletic Park Track and Field Stadium in Okinawa City（Photographed by Naoya Oshiro.）


August 25, 2019 Ryukyu Shimpo

The 64th Annual Zento Eisa Festival took place August 22 through August 25, at various locations including the Koza Athletic Park Track and Field Stadium in Okinawa City.

The three-day event was hosted by the Zento Eisa Festival Planning and Executive Committee (based in Okinawa City,) along with the Ryukyu Shimpo, Okinawa Television Broadcasting, the Okinawa City Tourism and Promotion Association, and the Council of Young Men’s Associations.

Different eisa groups, many of which were from Okinawa City, gathered to showcase the diversified traditional dance. Here, we look back on the electrifying three days in photos.

 

Day one: The michi junei

The Zento Eisa Festival kicked off with the michi junei, a customary traditional parade, on the evening of August 23, near the Goya intersection in Okinawa City.

Nine eisa groups from within and without Okinawa City joined the parade. The city was filled with the thundering sound of drums and sanshin music.

The Goeku Young Men’s Association of Okinawa City enraptures the crowd with their energetic eisa performance on Koza Gate Street in Okinawa City (Photographed by Keizo Shinzato around 7:30 p.m. on August 23.)

Okinawa City’s Moromizato Young Men’s Association enchant onlookers with a powerful eisa performance on Koza Gate Street, Okinawa City (photographed by Keizo Shinzato around 7 p.m. on August 23.)

 

Day two: The Young Men’s Associations come together

On August 24—the second day of the festival, the 41st Annual Young Men’s Association Festival was held at the Koza Athletic Park Track and Field Stadium in Okinawa City.

During the event, 14 associations, mostly from Okinawa City, gathered and showed off their powerful choreography and drum performance.

The Misato Young Men’s Association was joined by 12 other associations from Okinawa City, including the Murokawa, Chibana, Teruya, and Kamara associations.

Uruma City’s Ishikawa Jyouhoku Young Men’s Association and Kitanakagusuku’s Kisyaba Young Men’s Association also put on a charismatic performance.

Okinawa City’s Nakanomachi Young Men’s Association performed the finale for this event, making the crowd go wild.

Uruma City’s Ishikawa Jyouhoku Young Men’s Association performing their unique, local traditional dance at the Koza Athletic Park Track and Field Stadium in Okinawa City on August 24 (Photographed by John Matsumoto.)

Okinawa City’s Nakanomachi Young Men’s Association performing the 41st Annual Okinawa City Young Men’s Association Festival finale on August 24 at the Koza Athletic Park Track and Field Stadium in Okinawa City.

 

Day 3: The final day—14 local and out-of-town eisa groups perform

The main festival was held at the Koza Athletic Park Track and Field Stadium in Okinawa City. In total, 14 groups performed. Okinawa City’s Sonoda Young Men’s Association preformed the grand finale.

Bunagaya-gwa, a youth group preforming a full-body dance choreography incorporating traditional eisa moves, at the Koza Athletic Park Track and Field Stadium in Okinawa City, on August 25.

Multinational members of the Okinawa City International Association’s putting on an energetic performance at the Koza Athletic Park Track and Field Stadium in Okinawa City on August 25.

Okinawa City’s Ikehara Young Men’s Association showing off their graceful and slow-tempo performance at the Koza Athletic Park Track and Field Stadium in Okinawa City on August 25.

Beaming dancers and instrumental performers of Arakaji Eisa, a group from Nakano, Tokyo, fill the Koza Athletic Park Track and Field Stadium Field with their chanting and drum beats on August 25, in Okinawa City.

Uruma City’s Esu Young Men’s Association performing their rhythmic and dynamic new choreography at the Koza Athletic Park Track and Field Stadium Field in Okinawa City on August 25.

Members of the Isobe Young Men’s Association from Yomitan Village showing off their graceful and elegant dance at the Koza Athletic Park Track and Field Stadium Field in Okinawa City on August 25.

Uruma City’s Akano Young Men’s Association entertaining the crowd with their distinctive maneuvering of the pahranku (hand-held Okinawan drums) and rhythmic movements at the Koza Athletic Park Track and Field Stadium Field in Okinawa City on August 25.

Uruma City’s Heshikiya Young Men’s Association (West) moving in perfect unison, mesmerizing spectators with their graceful performance, at the Koza Athletic Park Track and Field Stadium Field in Okinawa City on August 25.

Members of the Takashiho Young Men’s Association from Yomitan Village, kicking their drums in a dynamic performance at the Koza Athletic Park Track and Field Stadium Field in Okinawa City on August 25.

 

See the video here:
Courtesy of Kadena-cho Chihara EISA preservation society.

 

(English translation by T&CT and Monica Shingaki)

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