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Sarutahiko's Dance (from the Hichiza Shintô Rites)
According to the Kojiki and Nihonshoki, Sarutahiko leads Ninigi-no-mikoto down to earth and shows him the way he needs to go. He is enshrined at Isuzu River in Ise-no-kuni (modern Mie Prefecture). He is said to be formidable in appearance, about two meters tall. In the Nihonshoki he is described as the deity of actors and streets (chimata), and has been worshiped as the traveler's guardian deity since the Middle Ages. In this dance, an actor appears and describes the virtues of the god Sarutahiko Then Sarutahiko himself appears, wearing a mask with a large nose, and carrying a fan and a sword. He performs a dance to drive away evil and to purify the seat of the gods.  |
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NPO Hiroshima kagura Art Laboratory |