Kumiodori

The Kumiodori is a musical theater composed of words, music and dance. The Kumiodori was created by Tamagusuku Chokun who was appointed Odoribugyo, a dance magistrate, in the early 18th century in order to entertain Chinese envoys called Sapposhi sent by the Chinese Emperor to crown the new king of the Ryukyu Kingdom. NidoTekiuchi and ShushinKaneiri were first played at the King Sho Kei’s enthronement ceremony in 1719.

Chokun created the Kumiodori based on Okinawa’s indigenous performing arts and fables with inspiration from performing arts in mainland Japan (Noh and Kabuki) and Chinese theater. Mekarushi, Onnamonogurui and Kokonomaki together with the above mentioned two works are called “Chokun’s five masterpieces” and they are works with a high degree of perfection still popular to this day.

In 1972, the Kumiodori was designated a National Important Intangible Cultural Property as one of Japan’s superior performing arts. And in 2010 it was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and valued highly worldwide.

What is Sappo

Sappo was the Chinese Emperor to appoint a king of the country of the subject.
Sapposhi, or the Chinese envoys, visited with articles such as a crown other than the Imperial edict and stayed for more than half a year. During the period, the whole Ryukyu Kingdom gave them cordial reception.

How to Enjoy Kumiodori

Kumiodori is characterized by the nature of musical theater.

It is a comprehensive performing art composed of three elements, words, music and dance.

Words	Music	Dance
Lines spoken in Kumiodori which differ by the charac-ter's gender, social position and role.	In Kumiodori, the character’s personality, feelings (moods) and passage of time are expressed by music.	Dance is the most important element in Kumiodori. All the gestures on stage are based on the Ryukyuan dance style, so the story develops with elegant movements.

Words
Lines spoken in Kumiodori which differ by the charac-ter's sex, social position and role.
Music
In Kumiodori, the character’s personality, feelings (moods) and passage of time are expressed by music.
Dance
Dance is the most important element in Kumiodori. All the gestures on stage are based on the Ryukyuan dance style, so the story develops with elegant movements.

Instruments Used in Kumiodori

Music in Kumiodori are played with songs and five instruments; the Sanshin, Koto, Flute, Kokyu and Drum. The musicians are called Jiutai; they play the music and sound effects as well as express feelings of the characters and the scenes by the songs.

One of the features of songs and Sanshin in Kumiodori is that they are often sung and played without introduction.

Tamagusuku Choukun’s Best Five

ShushinKaneiri

A piece of work about a woman who fell in love with a beautiful boy, Nakagusuku Wakamatsu, became obsessed with him and turned into a demoness, and was then quelled by Buddhist miracle power.

ShushinKaneiri

A piece of work about a woman who fell in love with a beautiful boy, Nakagusuku Wakamatsu, became obsessed with him and turned into a demoness, and was then quelled by Buddhist miracle power.

NidoTekiuchi

A piece based on the local historical legend, the “Gosamaru-Amawari Revolt” in 1458. A story of two orphans who avenge their father, Gosamaru, the former Loyal Retainer of the administration of the Ryukyu Kingdom and kill their father’s enemy Aji of Katsuren, Amawari It is the first piece played in the history of Kumiodori.

Onnamonogurui

A tale depicting a mother whose beloved son was snatched by a thief who takes and sell children. She goes mad while looking for her child, but finally the mother and son come to a touching reunion.

Kokonomaki

A mother, a daughter and a younger brother were living poor after the father died. It depicts the struggle and the love of their mother for the sister and the brother who came to know that a big reward would given to the bereaved family from the royal government if they sacrificed a life to save everyone from the famine caused by the curse of the huge serpent. The sister volunteered to offer herself to save her family, but the god saw her dutiful mind and saved the family, who are safely reunited at the end of the story.

Mekarushi

A story of mother-child separation created from the myth of robe of feathers. The main character, Mekarushi hid the robe of feathers of a celestial maiden who was bathing, forcibly held and married her, and two children were born. Later, the hidden robe of feathers was found and the celestial maiden went back to heaven. The royal government heard this strange incident and came to help the sorrowful family.

New Kumiodori Works

New works have been created one after another while keeping the traditional Kumiodori style.