Otsugu no Kagura - Otsugu no Kagura

Japanese: 大償神楽 - おおつぐないかぐら

A type of Kagura passed down by mountain priests in the Tohoku region. It was passed down in the Oshima village of Uchikawame, Osako Town, Hienuki District, Iwate Prefecture, and is often performed at festivals such as the Hayachine Shrine on August 1st. Like the neighboring Yamabushi Kagura, the lion's head called Gongen-sama is used to invite a god, and during the farming off-season, it is danced around the villages of the area, performing prayers for fire prevention and exorcism at each house. At night, a room in the lodging house is used as a dance venue, and several Kagura Noh pieces that seem to have been influenced by old Sarugaku Noh are performed to the entertainment of the villagers. In Take village at the foot of Mt. Hayachine, where Take Kagura, a sister dance of Oshima Kagura, is passed down, there is a Gongen-sama with an inscription dated 1595, and according to legend it was passed down from elsewhere in 1488 (Chokyo 2).

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

東北地方に山伏が伝承した神楽の一種。岩手県稗貫郡大迫町内川目の大償集落に伝わり，8月1日の早池峰（はやちね）神社の祭礼などで演じられることが多い。近隣の山伏神楽と同様に権現様と呼ばれる獅子頭に神を勧請し，農閑期にそれを舞わして持場の村々を歩き，家ごとに火伏せ，悪魔払いなどの祈禱を行った。夜は宿所の一間を舞場とし，古い猿楽能から影響を受けたと思われる神楽能を数曲演じ，村人を楽しませた。大償神楽と兄弟関係にある岳（たけ）神楽が伝承されている早池峰山麓の岳集落には，文禄4年(1595)の銘がある権現様があり，伝承では1488年(長享2)に他所から伝授されたという。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

<<: Otsu Incident

>>: Fumihiko Otsuki