Good morning, ohayou gozaimasu.

As I opened a Kamikatamai class in Copenhagen, I would like to share with you a little about 日本舞踊, Nihon-Buyo, Japanese dances, 上方舞, Kamigatamai, and 小川流, Ogawaryu school.
Some of you may have seen Japanese dance in person or on TV etc., while others may have no familiarity with it.
I’ll give you brief introductions so that you can get a little idea of ​​what it is.


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【日本舞踊/Nihon Buyō 】— Japanese Dance

Kamikatamai is one of the many forms of Nihon Buyō, Japanese dance.

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<日本神話/Japanese myths>
When we say “Nihon Buyō,” we are actually speaking of a wide and diverse world.
Its origins are said to reach back as far as ancient Japanese myths, and over time, many different styles of dance have been born and passed down.

<神楽舞・巫女舞/ Kaguramai, Mikomai>
If you have ever visited Japan, you may already be familiar with some of them.
At Shinto shrines, you might have seen Kaguramai or Mikomai dances, gently performed by shrine attendants dressed in flowing kimono.
In summer, perhaps you have joined a joyful Bon Odori, dancing together with local people under the evening sky.

＜新舞踊/modern Japanese dance＞
You may also have encountered Japanese dance in a more modern form—on movies or music platforms—where singers and dancers, wearing kimono-inspired costumes, perform to contemporary music.

<古典舞踊/ Koten-Buyo>
Among this rich variety of Nihon Buyō, Kamikatamai belongs to what is known as 古典舞踊, Koten-Buyo, classical traditional dance:
traditional forms and choreographies that has been carefully preserved and cherished for hundreds of years.




【上方舞/ Kamigatamai】


<上方/ Kamigata>
Kamikatamai is a form of classical traditional Japanese dance that originated in the Osaka–Kyoto-Nara region, known as Kamigata, during the mid-Edo period.(Edo period:1603~1868)
It developed alongside the choreography of Kamigata Kabuki.
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<座敷舞・地唄舞/Zashikimai, Jiutamai>
Because it was often performed in private tatami-mat-floored rooms, called Zashiki, and because it is danced to the accompaniment of Jiuta music, it is also known as Zashiki-mai or Jiuta-mai.
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<舞と踊り/ Mai & Odori>
Unlike the energetic Odori dances that often express emotion through dynamic movement, Mai, including Kamigatamai, is a calm, graceful dance.
It conveys introspective feelings through quiet, restrained gestures, expressing beauty with gentleness and elegance.





【小川流/Ogawaryu】


Ogawaryu is the oldest school of Kamigatamai, one of the classical traditional Japanese dances developed in the Kamigata area.
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<小川理右衛門/ Ogawa Riemon>
Ogawaryu was founded by Ogawa Riemon in the late Edo period, during the An’ei–Tenmei era (1770s–1780s).
Ogawa Riemon served as the choreographer for the Kamigata Kabuki actor Nakamura Utaemon III.
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<稽古屋/ Keikoya>
The Ogawa school also appears in the Kamigata Rakugo storytelling piece “Keikoya.”



〘 系譜/ Lineage 〙
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After the second Teru Ogawa: Shizuka Ogawa, the great-grandmother of the third grandmaster Teru Ogawa, entrusted the school. (預かり)
She prepared for her grandchild, Chiyo Ogawa, to inherit the position of head of the school.
(Chiyo Ogawa, also known as Chiyo Yamamura, was the teacher of the legendary dancer Han Takehara.)
However, due to Chiyo Ogawa’s delicate health, her daughter Tomiko succeeded to the position and became the third Teru Ogawa.
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The third Teru Ogawa later nominated the current grandmaster as her successor, and she inherited the position of Oiemoto, head of the Ogawaryu.







【御家元/ Oiemoto – Grandmaster and Head of the School】
【四世家元小川照/ Yonsei Iemoto Ogawa Teru】


The current Oiemoto of the Ogawaryu is Yonsei Iemoto Ogawa Teru, the fourth Teru Ogawa.

〖浪華の奥座敷の芸能から世界の上方舞へ〗

“The possibilities of Kamigatamai —
from the art of Okuzashiki, the hidden private rooms of Naniwa (Osaka),
to an art shared with the world.”～ The fourth Teru Ogawa


Under the leadership of the fourth Teru Ogawa, the Ogawaryu engages in training of dancers and instructors, as well as performances and cultural activities throughout Japan—primarily in Osaka and Tokyo—-and internationally.


I, Teruka Ogawa, am 直門名取師範, Jikimon Natori Shihan, a direct disciple and certified master instructor of the fourth Teru Ogawa.
I am deeply honored to share the beauty and spirit of traditional Japanese culture with the philosophy of the Ogawaryu.