Japan Heritage story
Iwami kagura: gods and demons dance the old myths
神々や鬼たちが躍動する神話の世界
In the Iwami region of western Shimane, a population of about 190,000 supports more than 130 kagura groups. Their dances of gods, demons and giant serpents, in glittering costumes to flutes and drums, fill shrine festivals through the night and can be heard most weekends.
Key facts
- Theme
- Castles, Festivals and rituals
- Era
- Edo
- Region
- Chugoku
- Official name in Japanese
- 神々や鬼たちが躍動する神話の世界
- Official subtitle in Japanese
- 〜石見地域で伝承される神楽〜
- Official area (in Japanese)
- 島根県（浜田市、益田市、大田市、江津市、川本町、美郷町、邑南町、津和野町、吉賀町）
The story
Iwami kagura grew from Omoto kagura, an all-night rite held every few years to thank the local god, in which a possessed performer speaks the god's message. The Meiji government banned such oracles, but some mountain villages kept them, and Omoto kagura became a national important intangible folk cultural property in 1979. Today there are over 30 pieces: calm ritual dances and dramatic kagura-noh based on ancient myths, danced in a slow six-beat style or a fast eight-beat style.
In autumn, banners go up around village shrines, and young and old arrive at night with blankets, food and drink. Flutes ring out, drums shake the ground, and gods and demons in rich costumes take the stage. Iwami kagura became famous across Japan after its "Orochi", the slaying of the eight-headed serpent, was danced at the 1970 Osaka Expo with eight or more serpents for the first time.
What to see
- Autumn shrine festivals: all-night kagura in village shrines and halls.
- Weekend performances: kagura at local events and on stage almost every weekend.
- Orochi: the famous serpent dance, with many huge serpents coiling across the stage.
Plan your trip with the Shimane prefecture guide and see more temples and shrines.
Good to know
- Bring a blanket and snacks to an autumn festival, as local families do.
- Check local event listings: kagura is performed most weekends somewhere in Iwami.
- Applaud loudly: the audience's energy is part of a kagura night.
Questions travellers ask
What is kagura?
Sacred dance and music performed for the gods. Iwami kagura tells ancient myths with gods and demons in rich costumes.
What is Orochi?
A kagura piece about slaying the eight-headed serpent Yamata no Orochi, famous for its many coiling serpents.
Where it comes from
More heritage stories from the same area
- Esashi: the herring town that outshone Edo
- Fukiya: the birthplace of Japan Red
- Iwami's volcanoes: Jomon forest and silver mountain in Oda
- Izumo: the sacred land where the sun sets
- Izumo's tatara: a thousand years of making iron
- Kitamaebune: the merchant ships that made Japan's port towns rich
- Masuda: a medieval masterpiece of Japan
- Onomichi: a hillside port town of temples and lanes
- Tamba-Sasayama: a castle town in a folk song
- The Kanmon Strait: retro ports on both shores
- The Murakami Kaizoku: sea lords of the Geiyo Islands
- Tomonoura: Japan's best-kept Edo-era port town
Local foods from the same area
Crafts from the same area
Sources
We checked the facts on this page against these sources.