Welcome to the Theatre

December 3, 2014

Dancing to celebrate God - Shinto music and dance

Hitoshi Watanuki, National Theatre

Praying to God in the Heavens

We have lived alongside Mother Nature since the beginning of time. Sunlight grows crops, rain waters the land, and the forest protects animals and people.

However, humans knew that they alone could not control the forces of nature. Therefore, people have always looked to the heavens, believing that a supernatural power controls nature. They began to pray and worship God.

The Shinto music and dance - kagura - was developed just for this purpose.

The beginnings of kagura

According to Japanese mythology, the origins of kagura lie with a dance performed by the Goddess Ame-no-uzume-no-mikoto to bring out Amaterasu Oomikami, who was hiding in the Gate of the Celestial Rock Cave. This dance is also tied to a variety of other performing arts, and Ame-no-uzume-no-mikoto is worshiped as the Goddess of performing arts.

This art used for worshipping the Gods has been passed down through the generations as folk art so its presentation can differ greatly. Generally, kagura can be classified as a dance for harvest, which is performed without masks and instead with streamers, bells, and swords; acrobatic dances with implements; and story-based dances performed with masks, which tell a mythological story or legend.

Honkawa Kagura

In January next year at the National Theatre, we will introduce the Honkawa Kagura, one of nine groups of performances that comprise Tosa's Kagura, which has been passed down in Kochi Prefecture and designated as an important intangible folk cultural property. The Honkawa Kagura is unique among Tosa's Kagura, in that the traditions were passed down deep in the mountains. For this reason, it has received little influence from the surrounding regions, and is known for its simple, unadulterated form. It is also known as the only kagura that occurs overnight.

In this presentation, you can see sixteen different performances on stage, just as they would be performed at their local festivals. These performances range from dynamic dances such as the Dance of the Mountain King and the Dance of the Sword performed using a sharp sword, to the Dance of the Lacquered Wooden Tray, performed acrobatically without dropping the tray. The Demon Wars is the only performance in the Honkawa Kagura with a story, and is popular in the region.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so please come and enjoy the Honkawa Kagura.