Itsukushima Shrine: Ban-e Printing Block (Bugaku) 厳島神社：版絵（舞楽）

Official explanation

The black woodblock displayed here dates to the 1380s and was used much like a stamp. It was dipped in ink and pressed onto cloth to decorate costumes for bugaku, or court dancing, one of the oldest extant performing arts in Japan. Bugaku incorporates both indigenous Shinto mythology and Buddhist influences from mainland Asia and is thought to have developed in the eighth century in Kyoto, where the court and most of the aristocracy were based. In ancient Kyoto, the emperor’s bodyguards would often be called upon to perform bugaku, and this image of a bear is thought to have originated in an insignia used by the royal guard.

Bugaku is distinguished by slow, minimal movements, elaborate costumes, and the gagaku music that accompanies it. Bugaku has been performed at Itsukushima Shrine since the twelfth century, when the powerful military leader Taira no Kiyomori (1118–1181) rebuilt the shrine, placed it under his protection, and introduced the aristocratic culture of Kyoto to Miyajima. Performances still take place on the shrine’s takabutai, the square stage on the terrace directly in front of the main shrine building, on set dates throughout the year, and are generally open to the public.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.