An old-style kagura from Toyosaka-cho, expressing the principles of the Five Elements through lengthy ritual texts and dance
Kagura—Gogyosai
Festival information
EVENT INFORMATION- Area
- Hiroshima Prefecture・Higashihiroshima City(From Tokyo: approx. 3 h 50 min–4 h 20 min · bullet train)Prefecture-level estimate to a main station or airport, not the venue. Airport access, check-in and onward travel are extra; remote areas and islands can take much longer.
- Last updated
- 2026/11/12
—Gogyosai, passed down in Toyosaka-cho, Higashihiroshima, is a kagura tradition in the ritual-text recitation style based on the theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements. Seated formally with a fan in hand, the performer recites a lengthy ritual text, conveying the changing seasons and moral principles.
About Kagura—Gogyosai
Kagura—Gogyosai—is a kagura tradition passed down in Toyosaka-cho, Higashihiroshima, in the ritual-text recitation style.
Based on the theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, its primary purpose is to recite and pass on the changing seasons and moral principles.
Among the Five Elements kagura traditions passed down in the Bingo region, it is considered a representative example of an old-style form centered on recitation, with dance in a supporting role.
Festival highlights
A major feature of this kagura is that recitation, rather than dance, takes center stage.
Seated formally with a fan in hand, the performer spends 5 or 6 hours reciting a lengthy ritual text.
You can appreciate this old-style performing art from the Bingo region, which conveys the laws governing the changing seasons and moral principles through kagura.
An old-style kagura from Toyosaka-cho, expressing the principles of the Five Elements through lengthy ritual texts and dance
What to expect
During the event, a performer sits formally with a fan in hand and recites a lengthy ritual text.
The recitation conveys the laws governing the changing seasons and moral principles.
Unlike kagura that unfolds with dance at its center, the Gogyosai is structured around the words of the ritual text.
Location and access
- Address
Higashihiroshima City
Host municipality 広島県東広島市
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Nearby attractions
広島大学総合博物館
広島県東広島市の広島大学構内にある博物館
Origins and History of Kagura—Gogyosai
Kagura—Gogyosai—was designated an intangible folk cultural property of Hiroshima Prefecture in Showa 44April 28.
It is described as a kagura in the ritual-text recitation style based on the theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, and as a representative example of the old-style Five Elements kagura found in the Bingo region.
Records do not document when it was first introduced or how it changed in detail before its designation.
Official information
Hiroshima Prefecture’s cultural property records list Kagura—Gogyosai—as an intangible folk cultural property of the prefecture in Toyosaka-cho, Higashihiroshima.
The records describe it as a ritual-text recitation style based on the theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, and note its distinctive use of lengthy ritual texts.
It was designated a cultural property on Showa 44April 28.
Kagura—Gogyosai at a Glance
Kagura—Gogyosai—is a kagura tradition passed down in Toyosaka-cho, Higashihiroshima, and designated as an intangible folk cultural property of the prefecture.
Based on the theory of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, the performer sits formally with a fan in hand and recites a lengthy ritual text, conveying the changing seasons and moral principles.
The old-style structure, with recitation at its heart and dance in a supporting role, is a distinctive highlight of the Gogyosai.
Sources and references
Japanese Festivals.jp Editorial Team
Celebrating local culture and helping you discover a side of Japan you never knew.
Article updated: 2026/11/12
