F E S T I V A L ／ FEST-259

Hongawa Kagura

本川神楽ほんがわかぐら

A night kagura (sacred dance) dedicated at the autumn festivals of the shrines in the Hongawa district (the former Hongawa Village) at the foot of Mt. Ishizuchi in the Shikoku mountains. It is one of the components of the nationally designated Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property 'Tosa no Kagura,' and the only true 'night kagura' among the Tosa kagura traditions. Beginning with the seating and god-welcoming pieces, the performers dance through a great many numbers — including the 'battle of the fierce deities' — across an entire night, the masked gods appearing as if descending out of the darkness. In a kagura hall lit by sacred lanterns, the dancers offer the rite through the night with bells, swords, and ritual wands. Its origin is traced to around 1523, when the Takahashi family settled at Nakanogawa in Hongawa and the kagura drums first sounded — a history of nearly 500 years.