National | Regional Voices: Hiroshima Jun 19, 2020
Traditional Hiroshima Shinto dance in peril due to coronavirus
Orders from local kagura communities — themselves grappling with the economic fallout of the pandemic — have stopped coming in.
National | Regional Voices: Hiroshima Mar 27, 2020
Kagura, a form of Shinto theatrical dance, is increasingly winning the hearts of young women in Shimane Prefecture, carving out a new fan base in the traditionally male-dominated music ritual that is grappling with a shortage of successors. Dubbing themselves “kagurājo,” (kagura girls) these women ...
Stage Aug 24, 2019
Iwami-kagura: The changing face of a Shimane theatrical tradition
by Rob Gilhooly
Kneeling on the floor of his atelier in the Nagahama district of Hamada, Shimane Prefecture, master craftsman Katsuro Ka-kita applies the finishing touches to one of his colorful, striking and sometimes terrifying creations. Each depicts characters from Japanese mythology, such as the jealous female demon ...
Art Apr 21, 2019
Ichikawa Kagura: Saving the dances of the gods
by Andrew Deck
As performers of Shinto theatrical dance age, the Sanriku International Arts festival hopes to encourage youth to help preserve tradition.
Travel Nov 17, 2017
Communing with the gods in Hiroshima's kagura performances
by Steve John Powell
Music and dance spectacle is part of Japan's rich performing arts heritage.
Stage Apr 11, 2016
Hip-hopper captivated by small-town 'kagura' shrine dance
by Ichiho Sato
A young woman's attraction to an old and largely unknown Shinto dance has led her to relocate from Kyoto to a small hot-spring town in Shimane Prefecture in the hope of helping to preserve the local theatrical art, believed to date back to the ...