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

Held on the 2nd and 4th Sundays from 2026/10/11 (Sun) to 12/27 (Sun)

Mt. Suzuka

During the reign of Emperor Kanmu, a fierce demon called Ōtakemaru appears on Mt. Suzuka in the Kantō region, causing chaos by threatening villagers and stealing offerings. The emperor orders the shōgun, Tamuramaro, to destroy the demon. Guided by Suzuka Gozen, he travels to the treacherous Mt. Suzuka.

During the battle with Ōtakemaru, Tamuramaro is hammered with different kinds of dark magic, but, using divine kabura-ya arrows and the divine Sohaya Sword, Tamuramaro is victorious.

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Dance of the Returning Light

When the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu Ōmikami, shut herself away in a rock cave, the world was plunged into darkness. All the gods gathered and performed kagura, a ritual dance, and prayed for her to come out of the cave. Eventually, the Sun Goddess returned, bringing the light back with her.

This performance celebrates the return of the Sun Goddess and symbolically represents a peaceful world filled with shining light. It is related to the famed legend of the Sun Goddess and the Heavenly Rock Cave and is a majestic performance that conveys the heart and soul of the mythical world of kagura.

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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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Henbai (Ritual Dance)

This play is the basic form of Ise Kagura. Two performers dance holding bells and then swords, and while it is often referred to as heimai (dancing using sacred objects), it is also a tachimai (sword dance). It is considered to be an auspicious dance that welcomes the gods to the purified kagura stage with gratitude.

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Gotō-mai (Dance of the Five Swords)

This performance features a solo dancer who performs a ceremonial dance with two swords in his left hand and two in his right. At the climax of the performance, the performer pulls out another sword and holds it in his mouth while furiously dancing around the stage with five swords. It is a highly acrobatic performance, including forward rolls by the performer while holding a small sword in his mouth. The play itself praises the might and power of the five swords of the god of war, loyal servant to the gods.

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Kitsune-mai (Dance of the Fox)

A hyottoko (comical Japanese male character with a puckered mouth skewed to one side) tries to till his field and plant seeds but a fox demon keeps getting in his way. Angered, the hyottoko tries to chase the fox demon away, but the demon ends up controlling him through farting, which leads to a variety of hilarious pranks and tricks on the poor farmer. As the play is centered on seed planting, it is thought to represent the hopes for a bountiful harvest.

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The Four Princes

After the death of the creator god known as King Banko, his four prince sons (Tarō of the East, Jirō of the South, Saburō of the West, Shirō of the North) and his fifth prince son (Gorō of the Center) fight over their inheritance. In this play, the four sons train for a way to fight if one of them should fall. Each of the three performers holds two swords and dance with majesty and valor. The play exalts the sacred swords they hold.

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The Sun Goddess and the Heavenly Rock Cave

When the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu Ōmikami, shut herself away in a rock cave, light disappeared from the world and evil ran rampant. To lure her out of the cave, all of the gods came together to perform kagura, a ritual dance, in front of the entrance to the cave which was sealed off with a boulder. In particular, the movements and gestures of the goddess Ama-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto were so ridiculous and comical that the gods broke into a raucous laughter that shook all of heaven.

Curious as to what was going on outside, the Sun Goddess slid the boulder slightly to peek at the outside world. Little did she know that the god Tachikarō-no-Mikoto was waiting on the other side. Using his famed strength, he pushed the boulder away and the Sun Goddess returned, bringing the light back with her and restoring peace in the land.

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Susuhaki-no-Mai (Dance of Sweeping/Purification Ritual)

This performance purifies the stage before kagura is performed. It also drives away evil spirits as it is performed wearing a red-bearded mask with a long nose while holding an oni-bō staff and fan.

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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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Rashōmon

At Rashōmon, Watanabe-no-Tsuna cuts off the left arm of the demon Ibaraki-dōji and brings it back home with him. When Shuten-dōji learns that his underling’s arm has been severed, he hatches a plan to get it back by transforming into Tsuna’s old nurse, Shirotae. The demon’s plan works and Shuten-dōji attacks Tsuna with magic before reattaching Ibaraki-dōji’s arm. The demons then use their power to fly back to their home on Mt. Ōeyama. (This is the second play in the Mt. Ōeyama trilogy.)

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Akko-den (The Nine-Tailed Fox)

In the mid-Heian period, there was a beautiful maiden named Tamamo-no-mae who served Emperor Toba. She earns his favor, but as she does, the emperor begins to feel unwell. Sensing something is wrong, his diviner, Abe-no-Yasuchika, consults with the spirit realm and finds that Tamamo-mae is actually a golden nine-tailed fox in disguise from China, where she seduced a king with large quantities of alcohol and caused havoc in the land.

With her true identity revealed, Tamamo-no-mae flees to Nasuno-ga-Hara in Shimotsuke Province where she uses her ability to shapeshift to cause chaos in the province, bringing suffering to the people. When she transforms into a beautiful woman again, she goes to Jūnen-ji Temple, where no women are allowed, under the pretense of being a lost traveler. There, she captures a monk named Chinsai and devours him. In the end, famed archer Miura-no-suke and Kazusa-no-suke are ordered to destroy the nine-tailed fox and Tamamo-mae is defeated.

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Susubarai (Purification Ritual Dance)

The earthly god Sarutahiko was ordered by the Sun Goddess to help guide the god Ninigi-no-Mikoto, who descends from heaven to travel to Mt. Takachiho. This story can be found in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, two of the oldest books of Japanese mythology. In the story, he brandishes a sword to chase away the evil spirits that try to attack them on their travels, so this play can be interpreted as warding off evil spirits. As such, during this ritual dance, Sarutahiko purifies the space of impurities.

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Susano-o and the Eight-Headed Demon Snake

The god Susano-o-no-Mikoto descends to the Izumo region. Along the upper reaches of the Hi-no-kawa River, he meets a maiden named Inada-hime. She is fated to be devoured by an eight-headed demon snake called Yamata-no-Orochi, and to save her, Susano-o hatches a plan. Using sake to get the demon drunk, he attacks when the demon falls into a drunken slumber. Susano-o defeats the demon and when he cuts into the tail, a sacred sword is embedded in the flesh. This sword goes on to become one of Japan’s three scared treasures. This performance highlights Susano-o’s humanity and valor.

The Ishiuchi Kagura Troupe has a long history dating back to the 1840s. There was a period of 100 years when they did not perform Susano-o and the Eight-Headed Demon Snake, but they brought the play back into their repertoire in 2026, performing at a local festival and dedicating it to the shrine. The troupe is committed to passing down the play to future generations and ensuring that it remains in their repertoire.

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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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Momiji-gari (Maple Leaf-Viewing Party)(The Eight-Headed Demon Snake)

Originally a Noh chant, it was turned into a kagura play featuring Taira-no-Koremochi, a military commander during the Heian period, as the main character. When rumors reach the capital that demon women, who live deep in the forests of Mt. Togakushi in Shinshū, are terrorizing the people of the surrounding villages, Koremochi is ordered to destroy them and heads to Shinshū. But, the demon women, having heard that Koremochi is on his way, decide to lure him to a maple leaf-viewing party deep in the mountain forest. There, they pour him cup after cup of sake and once he’s inebriated, the demons strike. However, the god Yahata-no-Kami realizes the danger that Koremochi is in and sends his messenger, Takeuchi-no-Kami, to deliver a sacred sword to him. Regaining consciousness thanks to divine intervention, Koremochi uses the divine sword to defeat the demon women.

Chant: In a village without demons in Togakushi, the sun sets and tonight, the faces of demon women await

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