UI/UX
Sato’s efforts has helped elevate interest in regional kagura at a time when some of its performance styles are on the cusp of extinction. Kagura relies on the minds and bodies of each troupe’s elder members to keep its oral traditions alive. The Sanriku region, however, is not immune to Japan’s aging crisis and, as small Tohoku towns lose inhabitants to old age, local artforms like kagura are also at risk of dying out.
In 2017, an annual Iwate kagura festival was canceled when the lead dancer suffered a debilitating back injury. As the only performer who had learned by rote the required moves to perform the lead dance, his absence meant the town was left with no choice but to cancel the festival in its entirety. That same year, a report by Kyodo News stated that 60 traditional festivals and dances — all designated intangible folk culture assets — had been canceled or postponed due to rural population decline.
March 2019, The Japan Times
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