Azuma-asobi, which is older than Saibara (a genre of the Heian-period Japanese court music, primarily consisting of gagaku-styled folk melodies), had been originally performed in the eastern provinces, but it was introduced to the capital city as foreign music became popular.
催馬楽よりもふるく、もと東国でおこなわれたものであるが、外来楽の隆盛とともに都会にはいった。