The following is a direct except from the Miyako Odori programme
of 1917, from the private collection of Naomi
Graham-Diaz, ImmortalGeisha.com. This has been copy-typed verbatim,
along with scans, from the original programme by Naomi
Graham-Diaz.
The Miyako-Odori is one of the finest entertainments
given in Kyoto illustrating its' characteristic beauty of scenery.
the Dance was founded in 1872 and it continues up to this day,
being opened every year in the sprint season. It is now so famous
through the world and there is no foreigner who not see the Dance
when his feet touch the city during the cherry season.
The Dence to be performed every evening through the present season
are divided into eight Acts -I-VIII, and it is to be repeated
four or five times every evening and each of them taking about
an hour.
This year is the 50th anniversary of our great revolution in the
1st year of Meiji. By this reason, we have cohsen the main subject
of the performance from few different Imperial Palaces and given
the title as "Kikuno-hana-yasakano-kaori" or "the
fragrance of chrysanthemum flowers," which is to be showed
our congratulations of the prosperity of the Empire.
The stage is to be changed its' views along each act' showing
somewhat of the views of the Imperial Palaces in early Meiji era,
but the last act has no relation with them.
April 1917
"Kikuno-hana-yasakano-kaori"
or "the fragrance of Chrysanthemum flowers"
I. Distant snow scene "Tohyamano-yuki"
(Imperial subject of poem for this year.)
The stage represents a part of an Imperial Palance.
Dancers have fans in their hands, decorated with cherry blossoms
and willow branches.
II. Plum-trees in the garden of the
Katsura Palace.
The stage represents a spring scene of "Tatsuta-yama"
in the garden; the small house with a curtain on which having
the characters of "Tatsuta-ya" is representing the tea-house
called "Shokawa-Tei" and the stone lantern is "Mizubotaruno-toro"
or "lantern of water-fireflies."
III. "Kurojoin" of the Nijo
castle.
The stage shows the room of Kurojoin in the Nijo castle before
it was changed into Imperial Palace.
Dancers have fans with peony-flowers in their hands (peony is
representing lion).
In the building of the Nijo castle, there are three famous fresco-paintings
of which the subjects are as follows:- Sleeping sparrows, wetting
herons, facing lions, etc. the design on the fans in the girls'
hands is taken from the last one' and the other two paintings
are used to sing in the singing.
IV. Purple curtain with the Tokgawa crests.
The Nijo castle was first constructed by a Tokugawa Shogunate,
so we used on the stage a curtain with the crests of the first
constructor.
Here, the music and the singing are principle purpose, and there
is no appearance of any dancer on the stage.
V. "Daimonji" on the hill
of "Nyoiga-take"
A fire in the shape of the character of "Dai" kindled
on the hill of Nyoiga-take, North of Kyoto, in the evening of
the Bon festival every year which might have seen from an Imperial
Palace.
The stage represents the distant fire of the Dai-character on
the hill of Nyoiga-take; the gate is "Seiwa-mon" of
the Imperial Palace.
The performance of the maiking fire-character on the hill was
stopped from early part of Meiji, but it was recently revived
by Kyukyo-do, a noted merchant in Kyoto.
Dancers have red fans in their hands.
In the former times, the people used such kind of fans when they
practiced a dance in the Bon festival.
VI. Maple-trees near the "Kamino-chaya"
in the garden of the Shugaku-in Palace.
The stage represents an autumnal scene of the garden; the small
building is a tea-house called "Kyusui-ken" and the
bridge is "Chitose-bashi."
Dancers have Gosho-ogi(a kind of fan) and maple branches in their
hands.
VII. Snow screen of "Shimono-chaya"
in the same garden.
The stage shows a winter view of the same garden; the tea-house
is called "Jegetsu-kwan"; the stone lantern in front
of the tea-house is called "Sode-gatano-toro."
Dancers have Kasa (a kind of hat) in their hands which is usually
used by the party of tea ceremony when they pass a garden toward
tea-room.
VIII. Cherry blossoms in the park of
Maruyama, Kyoto.
The stage represents an evening scene of the Maruyama park in
the spring season.
Dancers have cherry branches in their hands.
