沖縄のシーサー文化 Okinawa's Ubiquitous Seasir

September 28, 2012: 上山田お神楽 Kamiyamada Lion Dance

壺屋やちむん通りで見付けたシーサー Seasir in the Tsuboya Pottery District

旅館青年部の全国大会での沖縄。
沖縄と言うと、シーサー。
どこ行ってもあるって聞いていましたが、本当にどこに行ってもシーサーがありました。駐車場から屋根まで、いつも「シーサー見付け!」。

私は上山田神楽保存会で獅子笛をやっていますから沖縄流の獅子、このシーサーに興味が深いです。

実は、6年ぐらいお神楽をやってきたけど、獅子ってライオンではなく、犬だとつい最近に初めて知りました。まあ、創造的なものですから単純な犬でもないらしい。

沖縄のシーサーを見て、更に獅子に関心を持ちました。

During my trip to Okinawa for the ryokan junior association national convention, I was delighted to see all the seasir (alternatively spelled 'shiisaa') statues. Before going, I was told the statues would be everywhere, and after visiting I realized that indeed they were.

Okinawa's seasir are very similar to the shishi in Japan's main islands. I am personally really interested in them as I play the shishi flute for Kamiyamada's Kagura troupe, which features a two-person shishi dance.

I am embarrassed to admit that even though I've been part of the O-Kagura group for going on 6 years, I only recently found out that the shishi is, properly speaking, a dog, not a lion. To be more explicit, a shishi is an imaginary beast so it is not precisely the same as an actual dog, or lion for that matter.

After seeing all the seasir in Okinawa, it renewed my interest in shishi.

獅子の詳しく(英文)More on Shishi





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