Sarumawashi, the art performance by monkeys

The performance by monkeys is said to have been brought to Japan from China in the Nara (710-794) period. The performance using monkeys, which had been regarded as guardian gods of horses for a long time, was appreciated in exorcism of stables and prayers for warding off evil and diseases in samurai families. Since the 14th century, these performances gradually lost their religious significance, and only the monkey’s performance became independent and spread as street performance regardless of the season. You can see these performance all around Japan!