About “Biccyu Kagura
Kagura”
agura”
Summary"Biccyu Kagura" is a noh dance played in a farm village of Bicchu district of Okayama.
"Biccyu Kagura" is primitive faith.
There is Koujin Festival as an event to quiet a heart of God (Koujin) causing a storm ora disease. Bicchu noh dance is held as a requiem event there.
"Biccyu Kagura" was handed down as a folk entertainment. During the long time,"Their faith in God" was combined with "an entertainment". Now "Biccyu Kagura" isthe folk art which is indispensable to autumn festivals.
"Biccyu Kagura" includes three programs called "Jindai Kagura".
About 200 years ago, Kokkyou Nisibayasi chose 3 episodes from the mythical history
books about the birth of Japan (Kojiki and Nihonsyoki). He dramatized them afterwards.
It is Composed of 3 episodes, "Amano iwato biraki" (Opening the Gate of CelestialRock) "Kuniyuzuri" (Transfer of a country) "Orotitaiji" (big snake extermination). The
drama became a high level of noh dance with variety of entertainment. That is "JindaiKagura". Kokkyou Nisibayasi was born in Nariwa Okayama. He was a scholar of ancientJapanese thought and culture, and was also Shinto priesthood.
Biccyu Kagura is appointed to "an important intangible cultural asset. No. 2 byOkayama prefecture. in 1956.
And in February,1979. It was appointed by the nation.

2. Guidance dance
Guidance dance is one to explain an origin of "Sarudahiko no mikoto". Basics of thedance of Biccyu Kagura.
This is the God who led a party of Gods at the crossroad when Gods are in the middleof falling on ground. The God is written in Nihonsyoki as follows. A nose is long and eyes
are red and shine like a ground cherry.

3. Dancing of "Sarudahiko no mikoto"
This dance is done at the beginning of Kagura. This God is called God of "Sakibarai"
which means to remove dirt of the road, Stepping ahead.
Sarudahiko uses a Japanese sword or a spear to every direction and cuts the air andtears the air in the dance (Mai)The Mai has a meaning to remove misfortune and a disaster.
As the van of beginning Kagura, Sarudahiko cleanse the staff and theperformers and the stage.

Furthermore, Sarudahiko cleanses the audiences.

A figure of this God is as follows. He puts on a red armor with a design of gold andsilver on the red groundwork. This God puts an a high-bridged nose mask on the face.
And he is covered with white hair. He puts on a hakama to a lower part of the body. And
he places a sword in a waist. And he holds a folding fan in both hands.

4. Open the Gate of Celestial RockThe Sun-Goddess was angry at evildoing of younger brother God "Susanoo nomikoto" She was covered to Gate of Celestial Rock(the Iwato). And the nature becomesdarkness.

Various Gods, thinking out a plan, gather in the place called "Amano yasugawara". This story begins from that scene, because she has
been hidden behind the Iwato.

"Ameno kyane no mikoto" and "Ameno futodama no mikoto" appear. "Omoigane nomikoto" of an mask of an old man summoned by two people appears afterwards. This is
the God of knowledge and virtue of good sense. He comes up with an idea to let theSun-Goddess go out from the Iwato.

"Ameno uzume no mikoto" appears in next. I dance by big movement to a drum ofearly condition, and she dances it. She holds a folding fan and a bell in ahand.

She dances to a shout of "sanya sanya" lightly.

"Tatikarao no mikoto" of God of great physical strength appears next.

He pulls out

the large curtain to show the Iwato. Then the Sun-Goddess with a mirror is sitting down.
"Ameno uzume no mikoto" takes the mirror of the Sun-Goddess then. The Iwato faller.

Various gods dance happily and the curtain is fallen.
5. Abdication
Gods of "Futunusi no mikoto" and "Take mikaduti no mikoto"appear to "Ookuninusi no mikoto", the King who governs the Izumo
Country.

Both God came over for an advice to hand over a country as an Imperial envoy of theSun-Goddess. The negotiations of Ookuninusi no mikoto and theboth of Gods break down, but "Inasehagi no mikoto" appears andarbitrates this.

As a result of the negotiation, a decision of handing over the country is entrusted to"Kotosironusi no mikoto", a son of "Ookuninusi no mikoto." "Kotosironusi no mikoto"makes a proposal to "give aristocratic posterity the country", but "Takeminakata nomikoto", the other son feels indignant. "Takeminakata no mikoto" challenges to fightwith both of Gods.

After a confused fight, "Takeminanokata no mikoto" surrenders because his power isless compared with the power of the two gods.

6. Large snake extermination
It is a story that "Susano no mikoto" who was expelled from"Takamagahara (Japanese Olympus)"of his wicked exterminates thelarge snake to save "Kusiinada hime".

As for "Susano no mikoto", the large snake is an enemy of a sister-in-law, He says "ifyou give Kusiinada hime to me, I promise to exterminate the large snake. The plan isnext. I'm going to make much poisoned alcohol and serve it to the large snake. And I cut
it down when the large snake gets drunk and sleeps."

The latter half first program contains of a dance performed by"Matunoo myoujin", the God of Sake making.. This God puts on clown
mask and is funny. And he comes out by the funny gestures.

Heperformers, doing funny talks with a drum player.

And the climax is a decisive battle of "the large snake which went on the rampage on
the stage" vs. "Susano no mikoto".

"Susano no mikoto" cuts off a neck of the large snake. The large

snake was exterminated.

Furthermore, he finds a Sword from the body of a large snake, and he is to give to theSun-Goddess it. And large snake extermination is over.
7. Kibitu

It is the story that "Kibituhiko no mikoto" exterminates "Ura". "Ura" was the ogre
who acted violently in a Biccyu country.

It is handed two arrows to him first by a princess of "Iwayama myoujin" of a master of aBiccyu country.

"Kibituhiko no mikoto" dances violently that was full of power for a fight after theprincess handed it an arrow.

A large curtain opens suddenly afterwards. "Ura" covered withogre mask and black hair appears.

This battle continues for a long time. Two people fight with bow and arrow. A scene oflooking for each other at each side of the river is a highlight, A roll of cotton cloth isunrolled and placed on the diagonal line to show a river.

"Ura" surrendered at last. "Ura" offered "Kibituhiko no mikoto" a genealogy of a Kibi
country. And "Kibituhiko no mikoto" danced a dance of joy.

Specifically, look at the following sites

Home Page 「おく山のお便り」

PC http://www.mk-s.net/~okuyama/
Mobile site「備中神楽」
ausmart phone

http://www.mk-s.net/sp-kagura/

http://www.mk-s.net/~k-kagura/au/

docomohttp://www.mk-s.net/~k-kagura/docomo/

Softbank

http://www.mk-s.net/~k-kagura/softbank/