No.76
Toryanse: Through the Gate
Japanese name: とおりゃんせ
Materials
- One floor marker directly under the gate
How to play
- Two gatekeepers face each other and raise their arms into an arch. Holding hands is optional. Keep the arch above passing children’s heads.
- Others form a spaced line, walk through to the song, then circle outside to the back of the line. Do not run or push.
- At the song’s end or stop cue, everyone stops. Gatekeepers keep arms raised while the facilitator selects the child nearest the floor marker.
- That child swaps with one gatekeeper. Do not catch or squeeze anyone; wait for the changeover before restarting.
- End after 5–6 rounds or when everyone has tried their preferred role. If the song is unfamiliar, stop when an adult’s clapping stops.
Ways to adapt
Preschool children: two adults make the gate. Younger primary school children: main rules. Older primary school children: manage walking direction and turn order.
Similar games around the world
Lili Khaosan from Thailand is also introduced as a game in which children pass through a gate with two people in a line, and the children in the line are stopped at the break of the song. In this book, we enjoy common passages through clapping and changing roles.