F E S T I V A L ／ FEST-111

Iki Daidai Kagura

壱岐大大神楽いきだいだいかぐら

On the island of Iki in the Genkai Sea, twice each year, the most elaborate form of one of Japan's most venerable shrine-musical traditions is performed: the Iki Daidai Kagura. With a history reckoned at roughly seven hundred years, Iki kagura is performed exclusively by the hereditary shrine priests of the island's roughly one hundred fifty shrines — a structural feature that distinguishes it from the more common 'village kagura' performed by lay villagers or shrine maidens. Of the four classes of Iki kagura — small, medium, great, and great-of-greats — the daidai represents the most complete form, comprising thirty-five numbered dances and requiring six to eight hours to perform in its entirety. The core ritual segments include the yudate water-purification rite, the omayumai dances of the heavenly cave-door, and ceremonial uses of sword and mask. Designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in January 1987, the tradition stands alongside the Hirado kagura and Takachiho kagura as one of the major surviving expressions of late-medieval Kyushu Shinto ritual.