OKEIKO 12

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OKEIKO 12
Along the lyrics ’Kaze ga fukikayou’ (=the wind blows through) follows a line of movements representing the wind. Then turning around, the dancer transforms into a woman. She is the ’tayū’, a courtesan with the rank of  ’Matsu no kurai’.  This ’Rank of Pine’ is the most prominent rank among the courtesans (oiran). The apperance of a courtesan in a refined celebratory piece is peculiar even for Japanese people in the present age. However, we can say that this is the culture of the Edo period. Moreover the music and the dance are sophisticated, and not vulgar in the least.
(Mitsuko T. Sakurai)