Yasugi-bushi is said to have created its original form at the end of the Edo period.

The name “Oito Matsuri” (Oito festival) held in the spring, cherry blossom blooming season is said to have honored Watanabe Oito, who Yasugi-bushi was recognised to all over Japan by her.

 Dojo-sukui and Watanabe Oito are the inseparable relationship, and we explain the depth and roots of its history.

The exchange of folk songs was triggered by the exchange of folk songs.

The origin of Yasugi-bushi is more than 300 years ago, when it was in the Genroku Taihei era, popular culture started on with public, and the popular culture bloomed, and it was quite the time of the popularity of the kabuki music. At that time, Yasugi of Izumo no Kuni was a natural good port facing the Nakaumi, and it prospered as a gathering place of goods for rice and iron sand from the Oku-Izumo region.
In the past, Kitamae boats came and went, and the exchange of folk songs through them was also active, and “Sado Okesa” and “Oiwake-bushi” etc. were sung.

The Birth of Osan-bushi

At that time, there is a geisha with beautiful voice called “Osan” in town of Yasugi which is crowded with sailors, and it is said that one that she arranged by herself based on these folk songs was called “Osan-bushi” and sang interestingly, and it is said that it is the original form of today’s Yasugi-bushi.
In the Meiji era of civilization, the”Osan-bushi” was improved by people who were eager to study Yasugi’s hometown, and the unfinished Yasugi-bushi was retouched. This Yasugi-bushi became very popular in the Izumo region, and finally, in 1868, a regular Yasugi-bushi preservation society was established.

Watanabe Oito spreads all over Japan, and it was a domain of art.

Then, in the Taisho era, a geisha woman named “Watanabe Oito” (honorary citizen of Yasugi) teamed up with the master of the shamisen ,Tomita Tokunosuke, and when she went on a tour all over Japan, she was very popular wherever she went. As a result, it became motivation for being famous for the Yasugi-bushi, which was a local folk song. Finally, they stood on the stage of Tokyo Suzumoto-tei, which was dream stage of the entertainers, and it was a domain of art.
The success of the Oito-ichiza (Oito group) know no bounds, and the performance halls of Yasugi-bushi were built in Tokyo and Osaka, and they had gone to Korean peninsula, Taiwan, north-eastern of China to show it. It means they had spread Yasugi-bushi not only Japan but also countries in Asia.

First Watanabe Oito	First Watanabe Oito (12, 3 years old)

Tokunosuke Tomita	The beautiful ladies to walk playing the Yasugi-bushi (Location is near the current Naka-ichiba market street)

The Beginning of Dojo-sukui dance

The “Dojo-sukui Odori” that everyone is familiar with has lived with Yasugi-bushi.The origin of this dance, which begins with chant that is “Ara, Essa-sa” dates back to the end of the Edo period.
There are people called “Nonbei (drunk)” at any time. when “Nonbei” who had “doburoku tokkuri (sake bottle)” carefully, began to drink sake with Dojo cuisine

had been caught in a nearby brook, they began to dance. It is said that this was the beginning of Yasugi-bushi that the gesture of getting Dojo was danced improvisationally.
At first, it was unfashonable “Dojo-sukui” dance with working cloth in field, but it was improved rhythmically over a long time, and it gradually integrated into the life of the general public (also called a banquet) with the success of the Oitoichiza, and now it is said that “Dojo-sukui” comes to mind when we hear the word “Yasugi-bushi”.
“Yasugi-bushi” is known and poplar to a lot of people. It can be recalled the past that was crowded as a loading port of rice and iron sand.