Maskdance. Japan. Iwahmi Kagura

Iwahmi Kagura is comprised of 48 stories handed down for generations. It is not a one full story but compilation of various genres. So the performance may vary depending on the time and location of the performance. Daisha, the dance of snake, is a story of Mikoto who saved Hime who is the only left daughter to her old parents. A snake with eight heads, eight tales and eight valley long body, has eaten Hime's eight sisters one every year and Hime may be endangered from the same threat. But Mikoto turned Hime into a comb and prepared eight jars of whiskey for the snake. When the snake was drunk and fell asleep, Makoto killed the snake and later married to Hime as it was arranged.