Musashi Mitake-jinja Shrine Public Performances of Kagura and Gagaku Music and Dance

Musashi Mitake-jinja Shrine’s traditional Daidai Kagura music and dance has been passed down for over two and a half centuries since 1749, in the Edo Period.
The two varieties of Daidai Kagura, sumen-kagura (in which the dancers are maskless) and men-kagura (in which the dancers wear masks), are not mere dances but rites performed before the Shinto gods. The Daidai Kagura constitutes an offering and is a most prestigious method of worship.
Both these varieties of kagura have been handed down through generations of 32 priest families of the Musashi Mitake-jinja Shrine. And through the long course of their inheritance, they gradually acquired their unique forms of today. In 1957, the Daidai Kagura became a Tokyo Designated Intangible Folk Cultural Property.
The public performances of kagura and gagaku are a special chance to view the music and dance that is ordinarily presented only before the Shinto gods. Enjoy the traditional performance either by day under the brilliant sun or by night under a sky illuminated by moonlight.

Day kagura performance: Sunday, June 17, 2012 (3rd Sunday of June each year)
Night kagura performance: Sunday, June 24, 2012 (4th Sunday of June through November each year)