Soas Studies in Music An Introduction to Japanese Folk Performing Arts, (Hardcover)

Japanese folk performing arts incorporate a body of entertainments that range from the ritual to the secular. They may be the ritual dances at Shinto shrines performed to summon and entertain deities; group dances to drive away disease-bearing spirits; or theatrical mime to portray the tenets of Buddhist teachings. Terence Lancashire provides a valuable introductory guide to the major performance types as understood by Japanese scholars.