ARTIST
Ogami Jinja Horyo Kagura Preservation Society
The Horyo Kagura, inherited at the Ogami Shrine on Mt. Horyo, is a kind of yamabushi (mountain hermit) kagura. They have been dedicating kagura as a prayer by yamabushi at the Ogami Shrine, worshipped as the guardian of Hachinohe domain in the Edo period (1603-1868), and this practice was taken over by local kagura groups in the Meiji period (1868-1912). After the WW II, the local youth council regretted the absence of kagura group under the direct supervision by the Ogami Shrine and invited experts in Hachinohe to study kagura in the Esashika style with support of the local shrines, before accepting people from Shiriuchi community who knew another kagura in Nakayama style. Since then these two styles have been coexistent in Horyo Kagura. Their repertory includes Gongenmai, Yamanokamimai, Torimai, Sambaso, Tsurugimai, Okinamai, Bangaku, Kojin, Fusho-Kojin and others, while they also inherit rituals such as Yagatame and Hakajishi. The Horyo Kagura is designated as an Intangible Folk Cultural Property by Aomori prefecture.