Sumiyoshi odori is a traditional dance performed at a Shinto ritual at Sumiyoshi Taisha Shrine in Osaka. Dressed in a unique costume, a dance teacher called a kyodoshi chants while tapping the handle of an umbrella in the center to keep the rhythm, and young girls dance along with the chant, jumping as if writing the character "heart" and beating their fans. According to legend, the dance was originally performed by local residents in ancient times to congratulate and welcome Empress Jingu when she landed on the beaches of Osaka. From the Middle Ages onwards, monks and gannin bozu (street performers) spread the dance as they traveled around the country praying for peace on earth and bountiful harvests.