🏮 Hayachine Kagura

早池峰神楽

Hanamaki, Iwate (大迫交流活性化センター（早池峰ホール）) · Every year on 31 July

Important Intangible Folk Cultural PropertyTraditional performing arts

320 days to go
Rooms around Hanamaki, Iwate fill up while the festival is on.

Hayachine Kagura, passed down in Hanamaki City, Iwate Prefecture (formerly Osako Town), is the collective name for two kagura troupes: Take and Otugunai. It has been inherited as the dedicatory kagura of Hayachine Shrine in the Take district and Otugunai Shrine in the Otugunai district. In 1976 it was designated a national Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, and in 2009 it was registered as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Its origins are thought to date back to the Northern and Southern Courts period, with a tradition of over 500 years. At Hayachine Shrine in Take, a lion head from 1595 (Bunroku 4) remains, and in Otugunai, a kagura transmission document from 1488 (Chokyo 2) is preserved. It is said that the prayer dances performed by mountain ascetics (shugendo) on Mount Hayachine became the kagura. Even today, various rituals are held throughout the year in both districts, and on the second Sunday of every month, a 'Kagura Day' performance is held at the Osako Exchange Activation Center. In addition to viewing Take Kagura and Otugunai Kagura up close, one can see the sacred dances throughout the year, such as the first dance of the year in January and the annual festival of Hayachine Shrine in August.

Getting there

From Hanamaki Station and Shin-Hanamaki Station, there is a sightseeing taxi plan called 'Kagura-go' that includes an admission ticket. The venue for Kagura Day is the Osako Exchange Activation Center (Hayachine Hall).