Ontake Kagura

Festival highlights

Highlights include bold dances featuring fast movements and powerful accompaniment by large taiko drums, shime-daiko drums, fushigane hand gongs, and flutes.

It begins with Gohorei-hajime, followed by myth-based performances such as Shibahiki, Tsunakiri, Tenson Korin, and Iwato-biraki.

A distinctive feature of Ontake Kagura is a scene in which performers and audience members tug on a branch of sakaki together.

A traditional performing art of Bungo-ono, passed down through myth-inspired dance and music

What to expect

At the festival, kagura is performed on a temporary stage set up near the otabisho (temporary shrine).

It begins with Gohorei-hajime, a rite to purify the space. This is followed by several performances based on mythology, each following a basic structure of entrance, central dance, and exit.

It concludes with Okami, which expresses gratitude for completing the kagura safely and celebrates peace throughout the land.

How to take part

No requirements for participating as a dancer have been announced, but Ontake Kagura is a traditional performing art presented at festivals and performances.

One performance features audience members and dancers pulling against each other over a sakaki branch; depending on the scene, audience members may take part in the dance.

Please follow the information provided for each festival regarding whether and how you may participate.

Source: 御嶽神楽（おんだけかぐら）の歴史 | 【公式】神楽会館｜大分県豊後大野市清川町にある文化ホールです。神楽の定期公演も開催しています。

Location and access

Venue and address

At Ontake Shrine’s autumn festival, it is performed on a temporary stage near the otabisho (temporary shrine).

Event venue 大分県豊後大野市 御嶽神社の秋の祭礼

This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.

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Dates and season

The dates are announced as September 23September 23 and other days each year, and the performance is offered at the autumn festival of Ontake Jinja.

The performances and their schedules vary by festival and event.

As far as we have been able to confirm, the individual event dates for 2026 have not been finalized.

Accommodation and hotels PR

Origins and History of Ontake Kagura

Ontake Kagura is said to have begun in 1449, when Ontake-gu Shrine was established.

However, no records document its beginnings, so some details remain unclear.

In the late Edo period, Kato Choko reworked the kagura and created a new form. From the Meiji period onward, local people continued to perform it.

In 2007, it was designated an Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property of Japan.

Official information

You can check Ontake Kagura’s designation details in the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ Database of Nationally Designated Cultural Properties.

The history and traditional accounts are also covered in the history guide to Ontake Kagura published by the Kagura Kaikan in Kiyokawa, Bungo-ono City.

Ontake Kagura at a Glance

Ontake Kagura is a traditional performing art featuring 33 performances based on mythology, accompanied by powerful taiko drums and flute music.

It begins with Gohorei-hajime, continues through performances such as Shibahiki and Iwato-biraki, and concludes with Okami.

It is said to have begun in 1449 and has been passed down along with local festivals.