泥鰌すくい - Dojo Sukui (Loach Catching Dance)

In the Yasugi Area, there is a great amount of humor to be found daily life and an example of this is the “Dojo Sukui Dance”.

安来の人々の生活の中には、笑いを引き起こす要素が溢れていますが、「泥鰌すくい」はその一例です。

In the dance, a simple minded farmer goes to a flooded rice fields to catch loach (dojo). He uses a special basket to catch them in and is successful. He meets many distractions however, such as a leech which fastens onto his leg, a lost loach which slip back into the water and is recaptured, splushing mud onto his face from the baskets he is using to catch them and many other antics that amuse the watchers.

泥鰌すくいは、泥鰌を捕りに水の張った田んぼに出掛けたあるお目出度い農夫を描写した踊りです。特別な細工を凝らしたざるを用い、農夫は泥鰌を捕まえることに成功しますが、ここからが大変です。足にヒルが吸い付いたり、折角捕まえた泥鰌が手からするりと水の中に逃げ、また捕まえてもざるの中から泥を顔に跳ねかけられたり、とおどけた仕草で観る者を笑いの中に引き込みます。

He is dressed as a farmer and has a five-yen coin tied to his nose, which contributes to his humorous appearance. This charming dance is performed to the music of the ”Yasugi Bushi”(Song of Yasugi). People say this dance was from real life and I can easily imagine such a thing. One of my good friends, Mr. Araki, is a teacher and dancer of the humorous Dojo Sukui. I am always amused by his lively performance. All of foreign guests should see this dance, since it has deep roots in the life of Japan.

農夫の衣装を着た役者の鼻の頭の五円玉が一層可笑しさを誘います。この魅力的な踊りは安来節に合わせて踊られます。この踊りは実生活に基づくと言われますが、肯ける話です。友人の荒木さんはこの滑稽な泥鰌すくいの師範であり、また自身踊り手でもあります。私は彼の躍動感溢れる演技をいつも楽しませてもらっています。外国人は是非ともこの、日本の人々の生活に深く根差したこの踊りを鑑賞すべきです。

Another art that takes place to the tune of Yasugi Bushi is the ”Zeni Daiko” performance. The Zeni Daiko is a drumlike instrument made of a bamboo or plastic pipe about 2 inches in diameter and over a foot long. It is decorated with tassels and is very colorful. Two of these instruments are used at the same time by the performer and there are often two or more of these clever people performing together. It takes a lot of skill to use these drums and I have thrown them all over the room, while trying to follow the rythm of the music and the intricate maneuvers required of the performer. If you have the chance to do so, please try it. It’s a lot of fun and very cheerful time can be spent with other people, who are as clumsy as we are, when we try it for the first time.

安来節に合わせて披露されるもう一つの芸能に銭太鼓があります。銭太鼓は、直径二インチ、長さ約一フィートの竹、またはプラスチックパイプで出来た太鼓の様な楽器で、飾り房で覆われており、とても鮮やかです。一人が二本を同時に扱い、通常二人またはそれ以上の人数で演じます。銭太鼓を習得するには高度な技術を要し、私は以前、安来節に合わせ、複雑な動きについていこうとして、太鼓を部屋中に撒き散らしてしまいました。 皆さんも機会があれば、是非挑戦して見て下さい。初めて体験する人同士、とても楽しい時間を過ごすことが出来ると思います。