"Kagura" is a traditional agricultural ritual that was born to offer thanks for the blessings of nature.
　In the old days, our ancestors believed that everything in this world was a divine act. After the autumn harvest, people offered various kinds of food to sacred places and held festivals, from which a ritual called Kagura was born to show the people's gratitude to the gods.
　Later, Kagura added elements of "Onmyodo," which taught the Chinese theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements. According to Onmyodo, the four cardinal points—north, south, east and west—and the four seasons—spring, summer, autumn and winter—were, through the laws of nature, closely related to people's daily lives.
　In this way, and by incorporating Shinto rites and ceremonies, strongly characterized by sun worship, Kagura developed from a primitive and simple agricultural ritual into a ritual to pray for a wider range of things including the peace and security of the nation, and the health and wellbeing of the people.
　Meanwhile, tutelary shrines were built across the country by people who desired to live in peace. With the spread of tutelary shrines, Kagura was propagated to various places around Japan.
　Kagura has been fostered in the cultural climate of each community and passed down from generation to generation by Shinto priests and local people. It is still actively practiced by people in local communities as a form of Japanese folklore performing art, called "traditional performing art" or "local performing art."
　Noh developed from Kagura about 600 years ago in the Muromachi period (1336-1573), and Kabuki also emerged about 500 years ago during the Civil War period (c.1467-c.1573). They have become well-known to the world as classical Japanese performing arts.

Kagura in the Geihoku area of
Hiroshima Prefecture
　In ancient times, Izumo prospered as a cultural and industrial center. Izumo Kagura, performed as an agricultural and Shinto ritual, was introduced to its western neighbor, Iwami.
　In Iwami, Kagura added myths and stories of Kojiki (the Record of Ancient Matters) and Nihonshoki (the Chronicle of Japan) and developed its own unique style. Kagura was originally meant to entertain the gods, but Iwami Kagura was unique because performers and spectators also enjoyed it.
　Iwami Kagura spread to the Geihoku area in the north of Hiroshima Prefecture at the end of the Edo period (1603-1867). Kagura was mainly performed by Shinto priests, but in the Meiji era (1868-1912), shrine parishioners came to perform Kagura. With this, more entertaining repertoires became the mainstream of Kagura.
　After the end of World War II in 1945, Kagura added various stories from the classical Japanese arts of Noh and Kabuki. It also added to the repertoire from the legends from different parts of Japan.
　When Kagura contests were inaugurated to judge the performers' spirits and skills, Kagura developed its dramatic and artistic aspects, which were evaluated at these events.
　At the same time, there was a tendency for Kagura groups in different communities to develop their own unique features by modifying traditional Kagura into a theatrical performing art different from Noh or Kabuki.
　Kagura in the Geihoku area of Hiroshima Prefecture now has a repertoire of more than 70 performances: including agricultural rituals; myths and stories of the nation-building of ancient Japan (Yamato); legends and historical stories of the Heian period (794-c.1185); and original stories that are still being added by different Kagura groups.
　There are more than 150 Kagura groups in the Geihoku area. Kagura is now a popular youth culture, transcending the old boundaries of farming and mountain villages, and contributing to the healthy mental and physical growth of new generations. In this way, a new, but traditional, Japanese culture is being developed in the form of Kagura.
　In Hiroshima Prefecture, there are also other lines of Kagura with different roots, including Aki Juni Jingi, Hiba Kojin Kagura and Bingo Kagura.