Travel With Lion Gods by Buddhika Weerasinghe Ise Daikagura is a folk performing troupe that performs traditional Lion Dance. They visit the homes and villages of pilgrims to perform to drive away evil spirits and bring good luck. Musicians play sacred music using drums and flutes, while performers dressed in lion masks and costumes perform a blessing dance for the people. Two hundred days house to house and business place to business place through many rural villages continue their year-long journey in western Japan. They would directly visit and pray to those who are unable to visit to worship the country’s most sacred shrine, the Grand Ise Shrine in Mie Prefecture. For over 450 years continued this folk tradition without changing the schedule of performance and traveling route since Edo era 1603-1868 according to history. The Japanese government designated it as an important folk cultural national property in 1981. The Morimoto group is one of the five remaining performance groups of Ise Daikagura. In ancient times, 12 groups performed this folk culture performance. The Morimoto team consists of 9 members and begins their annual tour at midnight on the 31st of December. The tour that begins with a prayer to it enters Shiga Prefecture the next day, the 1st of January. It will continue until the latter half of April and then move to Kyoto in Spring, and Okayama in Summer. At the end of Autumn, the year-long tour comes to an end in Tanba-Sasayama city in Hyogo Prefecture and the performers return to home towns. The main performance of Daikagura is called Shishimai, considered to be a symbol of the deity. This is performed by performers dressed in lion masks and costumes accompanied by ritualistic music. They enter every home and pray for protection and good fortune for those who live in the house. These performers perform in front of the Shinto God, placed inside the house, mostly in the kitchen. These prayers are called 'Kamodo Barai’. After the prayers, they are gifted with money, rice, sake and Japanese sweets from the householders. In addition, they perform at entrances to buildings as well. Many villagers are so glad to have a historical lion dance group visit their villages and bless them. Most of the villages are located in remote areas. Some villages isolate, and there is no school. No shops. No medical facilities. No entertainment spots.

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