Yatsuo is in the present-day Toyama prefecture (once known as Etchu prefecture) and is the hometown of this particular dance. It is a quiet place surrounded by mountains and water, and is famous for its silk-worm farming. The township goes back as far as 1636. The song was sung by young female workers during the thread-extracting process and was introduced at a Bon festival in July of 1702. This town had a rather a showy culture because, during the season, many of the woman worked at silk factories away from home and earned well. The women also brought back customs not found locally. From 1874 to 1885, the Owara festival was banned because it was considered an affront to good taste and the nights of sleep. In 1922, the Owara-Study Group was formed by people who loved and supported the festival. The group grew into the Toyama Minyoh (folk music) Preservation Society and, with their help, the Owara festival grew to become as big as it is today. During the festival, dancers wear concealing, low-
brimmed straw hats while dancing day and night. Lyrics to the songs then and now are written by famous poets, writers or by average citizens by open invitation. The preservation society tries to keep the original song’s simple but elegant singing style intact and has banned members from participating in any type of singing contests, and singing at other public events as well as by limiting and keeping the musical instruments to the original three.

Presented by Iwao Tamaoki in 2012. View pdf here.