Kids Web Japan

Ebisu Yuka

Yuka's brother plays with a kagura toy.

Elementary school sixth-grader Ebisu Yuka is a founding member of the Hongo Children's Kagura Troupe. She is something of a leader in the group and can perform almost any of the roles, both maikata and hayashikata. Kagura is a family affair for the Ebisus. Yuka's father, a building contractor, belongs to the adult Hongo Kagura Troupe, and her older brother, a second-year high school student who used to be a member of the children's troupe, now belongs to the adult troupe as well. Her younger brother Yuki is still in preschool and can't join a kagura troupe yet, but while he waits for his chance, he enjoys wearing tabi (Japanese-style split-toe socks) and playing with a toy sword. He often gets to watch his older sister at practice. Yuka took up kagura when she was in the second grade. She joined the Hongo Children's Kagura Troupe immediately after her father told her that such a club would be started. Having been around kagura all her life, the decision to join was an easy one.

Yuka's family

Yuka's hobbies are playing the piano and kendo.

Kagura performances are long, all of them lasting over 30 minutes. Yuka, though, has never had any problem remembering the movements or the words. She learns everything at the rehearsals and never practices at home. Her family also rarely discusses kagura. Yuka also takes piano lessons and learns kendo, but she says, "Compared with other activities, kagura doesn't leave me tired at all." She explains how easy it is for her to perform as a hayashikata: "It isn't hard to remember; all you have to do is match the music with what the dancers are doing." For Yuka, kagura isn't an activity that she has to make an effort to learn; it's a part of everyday life. "Kendo and the piano are important, but kagura is something I absolutely want to continue with when I become an adult. I'd like to try playing the flute in kagura in the future."