Kagura
Practices神楽 ・ Reading: kagura
Definition
Sacred music and dance performed for the kami, the oldest performing art of Japan. From solemn shrine maiden dances to masked all-night folk dramas, kagura entertains the deities and draws their blessing down on the community.
Dancing for the gods
Kagura traces its mythical origin to the dance that lured the sun goddess Amaterasu out of her cave and returned light to the world. Ever since, dance and music have been offered to please the kami. Court and shrine traditions (mikagura) are stately: shrine maidens in white and vermillion turn slowly with fans, bells, or sprigs of the sacred sakaki tree. You can often see such miko dances at festivals, weddings, and by request at larger shrines.
Folk kagura
Village traditions (satokagura) are another world: masked dancers act out myths like Susanoo slaying the eight-headed serpent, with swirling costumes, drums, and flutes, sometimes all night long. Iwami kagura in Shimane and the night kagura of Takachiho in Miyazaki are famous enough to stage weekly performances for visitors. Watching kagura at a small shrine festival, with the stage lantern-lit and the audience wrapped in blankets, remains one of the most atmospheric experiences Japanese religion offers.
Common questions
- Where can I see kagura?
Miko dances appear at shrine festivals and ceremonies nationwide. For spectacular masked folk kagura, Iwami kagura in Shimane and Takachiho's night kagura in Miyazaki hold regular public performances.
- What story does kagura usually tell?
Many pieces dramatize myths from the Kojiki, most famously Amaterasu's cave and Susanoo's battle with the eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi, a crowd favorite with its writhing serpent costumes.
- Is kagura a religious ritual or a performance?
Both. It is formally an offering to the kami, danced facing the deity, but it has always also entertained the human audience, and many traditions now stage versions for visitors.