Takachiho Night Kagura Festival

神話の高千穂夜神楽まつり

At Takachiho Shrine in Takachiho, Miyazaki, all thirty-three dances of the Takachiho yokagura, the night-long sacred dances designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, are performed over two days. Dances usually held through the night in village homes can be watched in the shrine’s dance hall, free, coming and going as you like. 22 and 23 November.

22–23 November 2026

ConfirmedChecked against the organiser’s announcement.

19 days away

Every year, 22 November, for 2 days

Future dates: 22 November 2026 · 22 November 2027 · 22 November 2028

Origin

The Takachiho yokagura is said to go back to the myth of the sun goddess Amaterasu hiding in the Heavenly Rock Cave, when the goddess Ame-no-Uzume danced before its entrance. The dances are said to have taken shape between the late Heian and Kamakura periods; until the end of the Edo period they were kept mainly by the priests of Takachiho Shrine, and they were then arranged into thirty-three dances and handed down village by village. Each year from mid-November to early February, around twenty villages in the town give thanks for the harvest and pray for the next one, dancing through the night in a home or community hall that serves as the kagura-yado, the house of the gods. The yokagura was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property in 1978.

What to look for

All thirty-three dances are performed between the eve on the night of the 22nd and the main festival on the 23rd. The first seven, the yodo nanaban, show the gods making ready the land for the descent of the heavenly grandson and building the country; of these, the three called shikisanban are held to be the most important. The climax comes near the end with the five Iwato dances, which act out the myth of the Rock Cave: Tajikarao searching for the cave, Uzume dancing to make the gods laugh, and Totori opening the cave to bring Amaterasu out.

Takachiho yokagura in 2024 (Shimokawanobori Kagura) (Takachiho Tourist Association, official channel on YouTube)

How to watch

The yokagura is a religious rite in which dances are offered to the gods who have been welcomed in. Anyone may watch the village yokagura, but the tourism association asks visitors, as a courtesy to the rite, to leave an offering, goshinzen, at the reception. The order and titles of the thirty-three dances differ from village to village, so seeing more than one has its own interest.

If you go

The venue is the dance hall of Takachiho Shrine; entry is free and you can come and go as you like. The eve begins at 6 p.m. on the 22nd and the main festival at 10 a.m. on the 23rd. During the festival the hour-long Takachiho Kagura usually danced there every night is cancelled (2026). Nights are cold, so bring warm clothing, a drink and a snack. The village yokagura continue until early February; each season’s dates and venues are posted on the Takachiho Tourist Association’s website around October.

Where

Takachiho Shrine

Takachiho, Miyazaki

Open in maps

Sources

← All festivals