Shishimai (Lion Dance) Coloring Pages

Lions that Visit at New Year's

Shishimai (Lion Dance) is a traditional Japanese performing art. People wear a lion head and cloth, and dance to drums and flutes.
The lion is an imaginary creature based on a real lion.
It came from China long ago. Now, you can see it all over Japan during New Year's and festivals.

A Lion Head with a Big Mouth

The first picture shows a lion head made of wood.
It has big, round eyes, a round nose, a wide-open mouth, and a row of teeth.
The lion head can open and close its mouth, making a clicking sound with its teeth.
The cloth spreading behind it becomes the lion's body.

Get Your Head Bitten for Good Health!

When the lion bites your head, it is said to eat away bad things. Then, you can stay healthy all year without getting sick!
In the second coloring page, the lion brings its face close to bite a boy's head.
The boy is smiling with a fluttering heart.
A mother and girl in kimonos are with him, too.
In front of the house, you can see Kadomatsu and a Shimekazari decorated above the gate.

Shishimai (Lion Dance) Parading Through Town

The third picture shows Shishimai (Lion Dance) walking down a town street at New Year's.
You can see two human legs sticking out from under the lion's cloth.
On the right, people are beating drums and playing flutes to make the dance exciting.
Look for people watching in front of old townhouses, and kites flying in the sky, too!

Shishimai (Lion Dance) Music: "Ohayashi"

Shishimai (Lion Dance) dances to music from drums, flutes, and gongs.
This music is called "Ohayashi."
To slow music, the lion sleeps or looks around. When the music gets fast, it shakes its head and dances wildly!
If you watch closely, the lion blinks and scratches itself just like a real creature.
Shishimai (Lion Dance) has different dance styles and head shapes depending on the area.
What kind of face does the lion in your town have?
If you see one, don't be scared! Offer your head for a bite!

Shishimai (Lion Dance) heads are red and gold

Many Shishimai (Lion Dance) heads are painted red.
If you paint the eyebrows and fur black, the teeth gold or white, and leave the whites of the eyes while painting the pupils black, the face will look full of life!
There are also black and gold Shishimai (Lion Dance) heads, so pick any color you like!

The swirly cloth is green and white

The cloth on the Shishimai (Lion Dance) body is well known for being green with white spiral patterns.
If you color the cloth green and leave the spiral lines white, it will look just like the real thing!

Make the kimono and townscape bright and colorful

For the second page, you can make it look like New Year's by coloring the girl's kimono in red or pink and the boy's hakama in navy blue or gray.
For the third page, try coloring the town house dark brown, the store curtain indigo blue, and the sky light blue.

The people playing the drums and flutes wear happi coats

In the third picture, the people beating the drums and playing the flutes are wearing happi coats.
If you color the happi coats navy blue or red, and the headbands on their heads white or red, they will look just like they are at a festival!
Try coloring the body of the drum dark brown and the drumhead cream-colored.

Don't forget the Kadomatsu and Shimekazari, too

For the second Kadomatsu, color the bamboo green, the pine needles dark green, and the straw at the bottom ochre.
Leave the white paper Shide on the Shimekazari uncolored.
Color the Shimenawa rope ochre, and use orange or red for the ornament in the middle. It will really look like New Year's!
Color the front door dark brown so the decorations stand out.

Shishimai (Lion Dance) visiting homes

Long ago, during New Year's, Shishimai (Lion Dance) performers used to visit homes one by one to show their dance.
Just like the Ise Daikagura in Mie Prefecture, there are still groups today that travel around to perform the Shishimai (Lion Dance).

Some Shishimai (Lion Dance) are danced by many people

Some Shishimai (Lion Dance) costumes have 1 person inside, while others have 2 people acting as the front legs and back legs.
In some areas, there are super long lions with more than 10 people under the cloth!

Is it a bit scary to get bitten?

Small children sometimes cry when they get bitten by the Shishimai (Lion Dance).
But don't worry, it is a sign of good luck to help you grow up healthy and strong!

They had never seen a lion

When the Shishimai (Lion Dance) first came to Japan, Japanese people had never seen a real lion.
So, they made the lion heads by imagining what they looked like from stories they heard.
That is why some lion heads have horns or look like a dragon face!
It is fun to compare them with a picture of a real lion.
Try to find the curly eyebrows and big teeth that real lions do not have!