Location: Hadachi, Tobune, Futatsui-machi, Noshiro City
Site(s) of performance: Atago Shrine, the cemetery, and other places in the community
Date(s): July 24 and August 13
Designation: Prefecture-Designated Intangible Folkloric Cultural Property
Category: Dai-Kagura
Hadachi Dai Kagura is believed to have been started by an excellent performer who visited here a long time ago. What is characteristic of this daikagura is that all the numbers are performed in the shape of a triangle. It is offered on July 24 at the annual festival of Atago Shrine and on August 13 at the community cemetery. At the shrine’s festival, the ceremony of this dai-kagura starts in the lion head’s guardian’s house with the installation of the lion head in front of the altar and a prayer over candles and sacred sake. After the prayer, the performers consume the sake and go to the shrine. They perform Ten-no-Mai (celestial dance) while passing under the shrine’s entrance gate, run towards the prayer hall, conduct the rituals of exorcism, and then perform Nagashi-no-Mai (marching dance) with marching music to usher in the mikoshi (divine palanquin) for the festival. This dai-kagura belongs to the school of Ise Dai-Kagura.

About Dai-Kagura