Awa Dance(Awa Odori)

The Awa Dance has become known throughout the world as one of Japan's representative traditional performances.The origins of this popular dance can be traced back to 1586, when the Tokushima Domain was first founded by Hachisuka Iemasa. It is known as an era when indigo dye, salt, and other valuable items were accumulated in large amounts. Indigo merchants would contribute to the Awa Dance to make it an even more spectacular event every year.This lead to the dance becoming established amongst regular society, starting as a free-form of mass entertainment. It continued to develop through being performed at the end of battles as a striking way to signify revival.