Like the yashi (a street stall vendor at shrines and temples) sold medicine derived from Chinese medicine, many sarugaku performances also had their beginnings in Chinese culture but many, such as the sword dance or solo sumo, were derived from Japanese performances that had existed from ancient times.
香具師が漢方由来の薬を扱っていたように、猿楽も中華文明を起源とするものも多いが、太刀まわりや一人相撲など日本古来の芸も数多く存在する。