Hiroshima City Kagura Troupe Performances Series October-December [Yuki Lodge]

Held on the 2nd and 4th Sundays from 2024/10/13 (Sun) to 12/22 (Sun)

Kara-onna

After the death of Pangu (primordial being and creation figure in Chinese mythology), his five sons, all princes in their own right, begin to fight over dividing their inheritance. Monzen Hakushi believes there is something strange about the river as the waters have become murky in five colors. He blames the defilement on Kara-onna, but she claims that it is the infighting between the princes which is causing the murkiness. Led by Kara-onna, Monzen Hakushi heads to where the princes are fighting on Kamouji-ga-Hara. This performance is related to the play Shomōbun, a story of inheritance.

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Naginata-mai (Dance of the Naginata Pole Sword)

After the death of Pangu (primordial being and creation figure in Chinese mythology), his five sons, all princes in their own right, begin to fight over dividing their inheritance. This performance begins with the youngest prince, Prince Gorō, practicing with his naginata pole sword before heading into battle against the other princes. It is related to the play Shomōbun, a story of inheritance.

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Ja-kiri (The Eight-Headed Demon Snake)

Cast out of heaven, Susano-o-no-Mikoto finds himself upstream on the banks of the Hīkawa River in Izumo Province. There, he meets an elderly couple named Ashinazuchi and Tenazuchi, who are lamenting the fact that they once had eight daughters, but one was devoured every year by the eight-headed demon snake, Yamata-no-Orochi, and tonight, the demon would come for their eighth daughter, Inada-hime. Susano-o comes up with a plan to get the demon drunk on poisoned sake and then attack with his Totsuka-no-Tsurugi sword while the demon slumbers. The plan works and Susano-o finds a sword embedded in the demon’s tail, which he names the Heavenly Sword of Gathering Clouds and presents it to Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess. He then marries Inada-hime.

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Mt. Katsuragi-zan/ Tsuchigumo

Long ago in Yamato-no-Kuni (current Nara Prefecture), high on Mt. Katsuragi-zan, there lived an ancient spider demon bent on throwing the world into chaos. When the great general Minamoto-no-Raiko falls terribly ill, the demon seizes on the opportunity to be rid of him. Raiko sends his maid, Koch, to fetch some medicine to cure him, but before she can return, the demon attacks her and possesses her body. The demon then brings Raiko poison, telling him that it is a potent medicine. Raiko takes the medicine, but realizes that Kocho has been possessed by the spider demon and attacks with his sword, a family heirloom with magical powers. The spider demon, bleeding, fees to its lair on Mt. Katsuragi-zan. Raiko entrusts the magical sword to his men and sends them to Mt. Katsuragi-zan to slay the spider demon.

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Lady Takiyasha（Shōmon-ki）

This story is the last of the Record of Shōmon trilogy that chronicles the life of Taira-no-Masakado (“Masakado” can also be read as “Shōmon”), a historic figure who led an uprising from Shimousa Province in the Kantō region during the time of the Jōhei-Tengyō Rebellion in the Heian period.

During the rebellion, Masakado is killed by Taira-no-Sadamori, a member of his own family, and Fujiwara-no-Hidesato. Years later, Masakado’s daughter, Satsuki-hime, prays to receive dark magic from the Kifune Shrine so she can avenge the deaths of her father and her brother, Yoshikado. In order to fulfil her father’s will, she changes her name to Takiyasha and returns to Sōma in Shimousa Province to gather her henchmen and overturn the imperial government. The government, not liking her plan, orders Ōya-no-tarō Mitsukuni to kill the remaining members of Masakado’s clan.

Mitsukuni heads to Sōma where he meets Takiyasha disguised as a lowly peasant girl. At first, he is deceived by her ruse, but thanks to help from his traveling companion Sadamori, Takiyasha’s true identity is revealed and Mitsukuni uses the full force of his onmyōjutsu elemental magic to defeat Takiyasha and her powerful dark magic.

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The Nine-Tailed Fox (Akko-den)

This story is the last of the Record of Shōmon trilogy that chronicles the life of Taira-no-Masakado (“Masakado” can also be read as “Shōmon”), a historic figure who led an uprising from Shimousa Province in the Kantō region during the time of the Jōhei-Tengyō Rebellion in the Heian period.

During the rebellion, Masakado is killed by Taira-no-Sadamori, a member of his own family, and Fujiwara-no-Hidesato. Years later, Masakado’s daughter, Satsuki-hime, prays to receive dark magic from the Kifune Shrine so she can avenge the deaths of her father and her brother, Yoshikado. In order to fulfil her father’s will, she changes her name to Takiyasha and returns to Sōma in Shimousa Province to gather her henchmen and overturn the imperial government. The government, not liking her plan, orders Ōya-no-tarō Mitsukuni to kill the remaining members of Masakado’s clan.

Mitsukuni heads to Sōma where he meets Takiyasha disguised as a lowly peasant girl. At first, he is deceived by her ruse, but thanks to help from his traveling companion Sadamori, Takiyasha’s true identity is revealed and Mitsukuni uses the full force of his onmyōjutsu elemental magic to defeat Takiyasha and her powerful dark magic.

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Tenjinki

In the Heian period, Emperor Daigo’s Minister of the Right, Sugawara-no-Michizane, was relagated to a lower position in Dazaifu, Kyushu, as part of a plot by the Minister of the Left, Fujiwara-no-Tokihira. Shortly after going to Dazaifu, Michizane tragically dies.

The play opens with Michizane on his deathbed, speaking to his son, Kan-no-Shūsai. Michizane speaks of his bitterness toward Tokihira for conspiring against him with others in his clan. With his dying breath, he tells his son to return to the capital to destroy the entire Fujiwara clan, and then to faithfully serve the emperor once more.

Michizane’s deep hatred for the Fujiwara clan transforms him into the god of lightning and he watches as his son leaves for the capital to avenge his death. However, Tokihira and his men are one step ahead of Shūsai and are already waiting for him. Before they fight, the two engage in a waka poetry battle. When Tokihira realizes his poetry is no match for Shūsai, he draws his sword. Just as it looks like Shūsai is about to be defeated, the god of lightning appears, and together, they defeat Tokihira and the entire Fujiwara clan.

Sugawara-no-Michizane is known today as the god of education and study; however, he also the strongest vengeful spirit in all of Japan, often appearing in different stories.

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Kami-oroshi (Invoking the Gods)

As kagura is performed, in principle, together with the gods, the stage must first be purified as a holy space for them. This ceremonial dance purifies the stage and invokes the gods to come and watch the performance.

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Seki-no-mai (Dance of the God Arahira)

Taifu sets out to defeat Arahira, a fearsome god. Instead of battling, Taifu asks Arahira a set of questions and defeats him in a battle of wits. The god then decides to become a force for good and performs a ceremonial dance praying for world peace, peace in Japan, safety from disasters, and a bountiful harvest.

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Takiyasha-hime (Lady Takiyasha)

About 1,000 years ago, the aristocrats in Kyoto, the capital of Japan, lived in the lap of luxury while the people living outside of the capital lived in poverty. Angered at this disparity of wealth, General Taira-no-Masakado, a resident of the Kanto area, decided to overthrow the current government and create his own capital province in the east where wealth would be distributed more evenly. However, when the government received word of his plans, they ordered him and his entire family to be killed. This play centers on Takiyasha, the sole survivor of the Taira clan massacre. Seeking revenge, she is gifted dark magical powers by a god and assembles an army to destroy the government forces who murdered her family.

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Yamata-no-Orochi (The Eight-Headed Snake Demon)

In the land of Izumo-no-Kuni (current eastern Shimane prefecture), there lived an elderly couple with eight daughters. However, year by year and one by one, their daughters were eaten by a fearsome eight-headed snake demon called Yamata-no-Orochi. Left with only one precious daughter, the elderly couple was in despair over how to save her. It was then that the powerful god, Susano-o, happened upon the elderly couple and their daughter. When he asked why they were so sad, they told him the story, and he agreed to slay the demon in exchange for their daughter's hand in marriage. 'The elderly couple agreed, and Susano-o hatched a plan to slay the demon: he has the elderly couple make a barrel of poisoned sike, then, their daughter stands behind it, so her reflection is visible in the sake. Orochi would then consume the sake, thinking it was the daughter, and be weakened by the poison. Once weakened, Susano-o would attack and triumph over Orochi.

Susano-o’s plan works, and after slaying the demon, a sword falls from its stomach. Susano-o claims the sword as proof of his victory, and is becomes a national treasure.

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