Hiroshima City Kagura Troupe Performances Series January - March [Yuki Lodge]

Held on the 2nd and 4th Sundays from 2025/1/12 (Sun) to 3/23 (Sun)

Momiji-gari
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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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 : Spider Demon)
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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The Old Woman in the Woods (Yama-uba)
Minamoto-no-Raikō heads to conquer the Eastern Lands with his retainer, Watanabe-no-Tsuna. They come across Mt. Agero in Shinshū. Living on Mt. Agero is an old woman who was the wife of a warrior. However, when her husband died, she was cast out of the imperial capital. Harboring hatred for the world and its cruel people, she was reduced to becoming a mountain bandit with her only son, Kaidō-maru. The pair try to attack Raikō, but he overpowers them, and Kaidō-maru’s mother begs Raikō to spare her son’s life. Moved by the old woman’s plight to save her son, he forgives her and takes her son as his retainer, renaming him Sakata-no-Kintoki. He goes on to be one of Raikō’s four most trusted generals.

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Minamoto-no-Yorimasa and the Nue
This tale takes place at the end of the Heian period. From the hours of 1-3 am every night, a thick, dark fog rolls in from the forest of Higashi Sanjō along with a strange, howling cry. The fog covers the top of the Seiryōden Palace, causing suffering and sickness in the emperor. Famed archer, Minamoto-no-Yorimasa, is charged by the emperor to put an end of this mysterious enemy and sets off into the forest with his retainer, I-no-Hayata.
After praying at the Shinmei Shrine to succeed in his task, suddenly, dark fog begins to rise from the forest of Higashi Sanjō during the hours 1-3 am under the bright May moon. As it rolls over the Seiryōden Palace, Yorimasa sees a shadow moving inside it. He knocks an arrow made with the tail feather of a copper pheasant in his bow and says a short Buddhist mantra before letting it fly.
The arrow strikes the shadow that falls with a shriek. There, in the garden of the palace, lies a strange creature with the head of a monkey, body of a tanuki (racoon dog), limbs of a tiger, and tail like a snake. This creature is known as Nue. After a fierce battle with the creature, Yorimasa and his retainer are victorious.

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Hi-no-Misaki
In the era of the gods long ago, Tagori-himewas born of the sword of Amaterasu (the sun goddess) during the trial by pledge with her younger brother Susano-o. She inherits Susano-o’s violent temper and is driven out of the heavenly realm. She loses her memories and ability to speak, ending up in Izumo Province.
Years go by, but when a strange red cloud appears in the sky, all of Tagori-hime’s memories come flooding back. Protected by the Izumo Grand Shrine, she goes off to find the source of this strange occurrence.
Elsewhere, Hikohane finds herself blown ashore from a faraway land by a great and terrible windstorm. Once ashore, she decides to take over her new home and commits countless atrocities. Tagori-hime defeats Hikohane and becomes known as Jūrasetsu-nyo, protector of the people, Buddhist law, and children.

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Jinrin
The 14th Emperor of Japan, Tarashinakatsuhiko, faces a vast army of tens of thousands that have come to attack Japan from a foreign land. When the emperor hears that the army has at their command a winged demon known as Jinrin that flies upon a black cloud causing havoc, he takes up his heavenly bow and arrow, and together with Takamaro, sets out to defeat the demon. After a fierce battle, the emperor is victorious.

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Modori-bashi Bridge (Part 2 of the Mt. Ōeyama Trilogy)
The demon Ibaraki-dōji has his left arm cut off by Watanabe-no-Tsuna at Rashōmon. Together with great demon Shuten-dōji, they head to Tsuna’s home to get the arm back. Shuten-dōji transforms into an old traveling woman and then attacks Shiratae, Tsuna’s old nurse who is watching over Tsuna’s manor, and eats her, taking her form to deceive Tsuna.
Shuten-dōji reveals his true form in the middle of the night and tries to take back Ibaraki-dōji’s arm, leading to fight with Tsuna, who is overcome by Shuten-dōji’s evil powers. Shuten-dōji takes back Ibaraki-dōji’s arm and reattaches it, but just as the demons are about to take Tsuna back to their rocky lair, Minamoto-no-Raiko appears, having been warned in a vision from the god Iwashimizu. He saves Tsuna and together they take on Shuten-dōji and Ibaraki-dōji. After a fierce battle, the demons use their power of flight to return to Mt. Ōeyama.

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