To Begin

In Kamiyama, there is a ningyo joruri puppetry group called Yorii-za, but there is also a (both film and stage) theater called Yorii-za here, which was built in the early Showa Period (1926 – 1989). In October of 2007, the theater was used during the National Culture Festival as an art display space.

One distinctive feature of Yorii-za is the colorful old advertisements that still decorate the ceiling today. One can gather a lot of information about the people’s lifestyles and livelihoods from the time the theater was built by looking at these personal and business advertisements on the ceiling. Currently, the Yorii-za theater is being managed by NPO Green Valley (Chairman Shinya Ominami) and with their assistance, I researched the ceiling advertisements and also analysed the papers that portray the changes of the Yorii area.



The Yorii Name

The Yorii region, where the Yorii-za Theater is located, is the most densely populated part of Kamiyama, and it even has a shopping street, which is rare for small mountain towns.

However, Yorii is actually not the official name for the area. It is actually a nickname for what is actually a part of the Jinryo region of Kamiyama. There is no clear definition of where “Yorii” starts and stops. The name “Yorii” (which means “by the well”) is said to have originated from the fact that there was a well with good, clean water there and people came to live close to the well. There are still several old wells left in the Yorii area.

The first known document mentioning Yorii

When exactly did this region start to be known as Yorii? We know it was already established by the end of the Edo Period (1603 – 1868). Kamibun Village headman Shota Aihara wrote the following in his diary on September 29, 1843. “I was invited to a puppet show in Yorii next month (October) on the second. Theater director Keita Nishikawa came to call and I gave him some sake.”

Keita Nishikawa was from Nishioe (in Kamojima-cho, Yoshinogawa City), and he often crossed the mountain pass to come and do a show in Kamiyama.

to be continued…