※日本語の説明は下部に記しております
Thank you for watching An Evening of Kagura Online!
An Evening of Kagura began in Hiroshima City in 2017 with the goal of introducing Hiroshima’s traditional performing art of kagura to international tourists visiting Hiroshima, and ran until the end of 2019.
Due to COVID-19, the scheduled 2020 season of An Evening of Kagura was cancelled, and the possibility of return next year is still unclear.
As the performances were for international tourists, the program was conducted almost entirely in English, from the main host to the pamphlets, ticket sales booth, and more. For three years, we made sure our guests had an unforgettable time, and we believe that each of them truly experienced the magic of kagura.
With this online broadcast, we hope to continue the legacy of An Evening of Kagura and share the traditional culture of Hiroshima with the world in the hopes that they will come visit when the pandemic ends.
If you enjoyed this video and want to see kagura live, we very much hope that, post-COVID, you’ll come to Hiroshima to experience kagura, as well as our many great tourist attractions, incredible food, and local sake! On behalf of all of us at An Evening of Kagura, we very much look forward to welcoming you.
We hope you enjoy the Kinshō Kagura Troupe’s performance of Tsuchigumo (the Earth Spider).
About the Kagura Troupe:
We are the Kinshō Kagura Troupe, hailing from Kita Hiroshima-cho, north of Hiroshima City. The troupe consists of 19 members and was formed to dedicate performances to shrines in the Toyohira area of the city. While still performing the kagura of old, we also take part in modern stage productions of kagura, and in 2010, our troupe created a kagura play based on the theme of the Itsukushima Shrine, a world heritage site in Hiroshima prefecture.
About Tsuchigumo:
High on Mt. Katsuragi, overlooking the Kingdom of Yamato, lurks the spirit of a vengeful spider demon who seeks to cause havoc on earth, but especially seeks revenge on the guardian of the capital, Minamoto-no-Raikō.
When Raikō falls ill, the demon sees its chance: it attacks Kochō, the beautiful and faithful servant to Raikō, as she goes to fetch medicine for her lord. Disguised as Kochō, the demon brings Raikō poison, claiming it’s actually medicine.
Despite being poisoned, Raikō sees through the demon’s disguise and a battle ensues as he takes up his sword, a family heirloom called Hiza-maru, and manages to slice the demon as it flees to its home at Mt. Katsuragi.
Raikō renames his sword Kumo-Kiri Maru, the spider-slaying sword, as it saved his life.He then entrusts the sword to his retainers and orders them to find the demon and destroy it. The retainers head to Mt. Katsuragi where they face the fearsome demon in a terrible battle and manage to defeat it.
Other Information:
For more information about An Evening of Kagura, please see our official website:
www.hiroshima-k...
Check out a video about An Evening of Kagura here:
• An Evening of Kagura
An Evening of Kaguraをご覧いただきありがとうございます。
この公演は外国人観光客の方に、広島が誇る伝統文化「神楽」をより深く知っていただくことを目的に、2017年から2019年までの3年間広島県広島市で開催されていました。
2020年も公演を予定しておりましたが、新型コロナウイルス感染症の影響により、今年度の全公演が中止になり、来年以降の再開目途もたっておりません。
外国人観光客向けということで、公演をすべて英語で行っていたため、3年間に来場されたお客様にはとてもお楽しみいただいており、十分に「ひろしま神楽」の魅力が伝わったことと自負しています。
今回この動画配信は、日本国外に住む皆さんに広島が誇る文化の魅力をお伝えし、将来、広島を訪れたいと思っていただけるよう実施するものです。
この動画をご覧いただき、「面白い！」「生で見てみたい！」と思われた方はぜひ、コロナが収まったのちは、広島にお越しになり、広島の観光名所の数々と美味しい食べ物とお酒、そして、ひろしま神楽を楽しんでください。
この動画に関わった全員が、皆さんと広島でお会いできることを楽しみにしています。
これからも、英語翻訳した神楽の動画を配信していきますので、チャンネル登録・グッドボタンをお願いします。
琴庄神楽団～プロフィール～
広島県北部の北広島町の豊平地域に籍を置き、琴谷(ことだに)天日(てんにち)神社と庄原(しょうばら)八幡(はちまん)神社を守護神として崇拝し、活動する神楽団です。高宮町の神楽団より習い受けた従来の神楽を伝承するとともに、現在では、舞台芸能としての神楽にも取り組んでおり、平成１７年には後に世界遺産となった奥州平泉を、また平成２２年には広島県の世界遺産「宮島」を題材とする創作神楽「厳島」をつくり発表しました。
　いつまでも初心を忘れる事なく、挑戦する気持ちも持って皆様の声援を何よりの励みとし、精進をしてまいりたいと思います。