The Inoue School of Dance

On The Ninth Day Of Fun I present... a new feature! I’ll be looking at each of the dance schools in turn, so for now enjoy the first one! History The Inoue School, and thus the Inoue Style, began with Inoue Sato (井上サト), who lived from 1767 - 1854. She was entrusted to the care of the Konoe family in Kyoto from an early age as a lady-in-waiting, and showed great promise in the traditional arts. Since the Konoe were of the nobility, Sato had access to the same education as those of the aristocracy, so she was taught only the best. Eventually she went on to become the dance instructor for the Konoe children. When she left their care in 1797, the Konoe family bestowed upon her the name Yachiyo (八千代) and gave her use of the well frame (bishimon) kamon to start her own school of dance.  From there she gained her first students of the style and in her old age eventually named a successor, Inoue Aya (井上アヤ) (1770 - 1868), who was granted the title of Yachiyo Inoue II. Not too much is known about Aya, except that she was supposedly the niece of Sato and recognized the talent of a young girl named Katayama Haruko (片山春子) from a very young age and raised her up to be her successor, which would end up being pivotal in the Inoue school’s history. Haruko (1838 - 1938), who inherited the title of Yachiyo Inoue III, would be the one who would be called upon by the governor and mayor of Kyoto to choreograph a dance for the 1872 World Expo to showcase the talents of her students, who at this point happened to be the maiko and geiko of Gion. Her dances became the first Miyako Odori, whose success was so grand that she was granted any wish that the governor could provide. As we know by now, her wish was to unite eight of the finest neighborhoods in the Gion district into its own new kagai named Gion Kobu where only her style of dance would be taught and leave the rest to be called Gion Otsubu. Like Aya before her, Haruko also found a talented dancer from a very young age to eventually replace her, but this time, it was another special young girl: Aiko.  Inoue Aiko (井上愛子) (1905 - 2004) began dancing at the age of 3, when those who are of prominent artistic lines usually begin their training instead of age 6. Although not related by blood, she would marry Haruko’s grandson and be adopted into the family. While not a standout beauty, her dancing skills were peerless and it would be the young Aiko who would lead the school as Yachiyo Inoue IV beginning in 1947. It was during her tenure that the world saw much change, specifically, the hardships endured during and after World War II and the slow decline of the karyukai when the bubble economy burst in the 1990s. During her lifetime she was named a Living National Treasure and received various awards and honors from the government for her dance. Like Haruko, Aiko recognized the talent of her granddaughter, Michiko, and named her successor upon her retirement in 2000. Inoue Michiko (井上三千子) (1956 - present) is the currently the fifth holder of the title Yachiyo Inoue. Like her grandmother before her, she began dancing at the age of 3 and showed great promise. Also like her grandmother before her, Michiko has also been named as a Living National Treasure, one of the youngest ever to boot. Michiko’s leadership through the corona virus pandemic has been nothing short of the definition of strength and endurance and hopefully she can continue to pull through as Gion Kobu rebuilds.  Now, unlike previous generations, the next Yachiyo Inoue has already been chosen so quickly after the last head’s passing. Michiko’s daughter, Inoue Yasuko (井上安寿子) has already been chosen by committee to eventually replace her mother upon her death. Like the previous heads before her, Yasuko has been groomed since the age of 3 to be a dancer, and her skills are quite impressive. She’s been noted to be a dancing prodigy, hence why her selection has already been made.     Style The Inoue style of dance is derived from the Noh court dances, so its movements are usually slow and punctuated by quick, dramatic ones.    Natori Those who become natori in the Inoue style are given a special fan signed by the current Yachiyo Inoue and is decorated with a camellia flower, a symbol of the school. Each year they receive a new fan with a new design at Kotohajime. Unlike other dance schools, those who are natori in the Inoue school cannot teach dance unless they are an accredited teacher.       

The natori graduation fan. The background is actually pink, but the gold flakes make it appear orange.