Senior high school students in Iwate Prefecture carry out the traditional Onikenbai dance, which was among those nominated to be registered in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage List. (Video footage by Hideyuki Miura)

Photo/Illutration The Onikenbai dance in Iwate Prefecture (Provided by Cultural Affairs Agency)

Many traditional Japanese group folk dances that have long brought communities together will be added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List, government officials said.

The Cultural Affairs Agency announced on Nov. 1 that the UNESCO screening committee has accepted its nomination of a large set of “furyuodori” dances.

The nomination will be presented to the Intergovernmental Committee when it meets in Morocco on Nov. 28 so the dances can be formally registered into the Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

The furyuodori nominated include Bon dances held around Japan in the summer, as well as more elaborate affairs, such as the Gujo Odori dance festival held every summer in Gifu Prefecture, which attracts hundreds of dancers and throngs of tourists.

The dances express the “furyu” (drifting in the wind) quality of intricate and colorful costumes worn by the dancers as they perform, typically with musical accompaniment in the form of flutes and drums.

The agency nominated 41 traditional folk dances from 24 prefectures. The dances have already been recognized by the government as important intangible cultural properties.

Japan already has 22 performing arts and traditional crafts included in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List, such as Kabuki, Noh and “washoku” Japanese cuisine.

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