Bou no Te, the traditional performance like a martial art

Bou no Te is a traditional performance art inherited in Aichi prefecture.

It is performed as a part of "Omanto (means "tower of horse")", the ceremony dedicating a sacred horse to shrines.
The performance have two performers in traditional costume.
One of them hold a "bou (long straight stick of wood)", and other hold a imitation sword.
They face each other, then start the performance.

The performance looks like an exhibition of fighting.
Two performers avoid opponent's weapon or strike each others weapons.
Sometimes they yell with a voice that sounds like monkey.
Their movement is smooth, rhythmical and quick, so audience unable to take their eyes off of that.

There are various theories about the origin of the performance.
However it likely came from a custom of training of martial arts among local farmers in medieval times.
In wartime, farmers were required to join an army of Sengoku daimyo or warlords, therefore they needed to train their weapon skill.
Probably the martial art in medieval times inherited to peaceful times as a performance.

Even nowadays we can see the performance at the Omanto ceremony or other events.
In addition, Bou no Te has various styles on many areas of Aichi prefecture (but mostly the western half of there).
The local people in the areas practice the performance to transmit a tradition to posterity.

Maybe you can see a remain of medieval times in performance of Bou no Te.