of entertainment. Its earliest mention appears in the , where a performance is recorded taking place at the festival in Yamazaki in 998. In 1023, the (regent) Fujiwara no Michinaga sought to entertain his daughter Shōshi, who was the mother of Emperor Go-Ichijō. He ordered that rice-planting should be carried out so that the activity could be viewed from the pavilion of the palace where she was staying. On that day, she looked down on the farmers as they worked the field and witnessed a performance. This was a new element in that nobles were viewing the performances and enjoying the experience. Throughout the 11th century, nobility interest was evident in as a way of dominating rural culture or as pure entertainment. A new style developed, and has been called . is a generic term for the processions that developed during the second half of the Heian period, when catastrophes repeatedly struck Kyoto and its environs. Processions were organized to placate the deities, demons, and ghosts thought responsible, characterized by the colorful costumes worn by the performers and the loud music. was adopted by some of the most powerful shrines in Kyoto and came to be regularly performed at the (one of the capital's main festivals and meant to appease agitated spirits). The original of the rice fields continued to flourish in rural society and in fact still survives in many agricultural areas. The fusion of the two types into a new form of entertainment originated with the developing relationship between the urban and rural societies of the time. The festival at the Gion Shrine played a major role in bringing about this fusion. The festival was a major gathering of Kyoto citizens and peasants from surrounding villages. These assemblies, motivated by fear and superstition, easily took on a political or social perspective in times of dissatisfaction, and became a rallying point for support of future political developments. As a result, obtained a significance far beyond its original ritual, religious, and artistic merits. The end of the 11th century was witness to the end of the system of government and the beginning of the form. The system began in 1086, with the Emperor Shirakawa taking local control following his abdication. The new type of government took advantage of the public interest in shown by the growing participation of the masses in religious, political, and cultural affairs. With the Great movement,