🏮 Beppu Iwato Kagura Mai

別府岩戸神楽舞

Shuho, Yamaguchi (壬生神社) · Every year on 9 November

Traditional performing arts

56 days to go
Rooms around Shuho, Yamaguchi fill up while the festival is on.

The Beppu Iwato Kagura Dance, passed down at Mibunomiya Shrine in Beppu, Akiyoshi Town, Mine City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, is a ritual dance in the lineage of Yamabushi kagura. Its movements closely resemble those of the Dainichi Iwato no Mai in Dainichi, Nishiatsu Town, in the same city; the repertoire is divided into twelve numbers, and it retains a strong character as a solemn ritual with few dramatic elements. The costumes are plain, based chiefly on white robes, and a notable feature is that many of the masks and props are handmade. The performance begins with "Tengai" and then, over about two hours, dedicates the Sanpai Kagura, Kagura no Mai, Sakaki no Mai, Katana no Mai, Hi Tomoshi Jiji, Tokonarashi, Miko no Mai, Chikarao, Yumi no Mai, and others. The highlights are the torches that appear at the climax of the search for the rock cave, and the gestures of opening the rock cave. Among them, "Chikarao" is a violent, wild dance portraying an ogre, characterized by movements like stamping the ground. It is said that the dedication can be performed with at least three people, and it has been passed down together with the faith of the local community.