Hiroshima Kagura

Kagura is a form of dance-drama meaning "entertainment of the gods", one of Japan's oldest arts, which used to be performed throughout the nation of the Rising Sun. It is said that the roots of Kagura can be traced back to the Kojiki or the Nihon Shoki, the two oldest official historical records of Japan. 

Kagura has been performed since the late Edo Period (between the 17th and 18th centuries). However, at the end of World War II in 1945, it underwent a significant change by incorporating elements of Japanese performing arts, such as Noh and Kabuki. During this period, it began to focus more on entertainment and dance. In Hiroshima, Kagura began to be performed to express feelings of freedom in times of war, thus spreading among the youth of Hiroshima City and becoming a path for peace through traditional theater arts, and has been passed on to new generations ever since. Today, performances are held in large auditoriums, and although it is a traditional art form, it is also considered entertainment.  

Hiroshima Kagura has two types of dance: the traditional Shinto ritual (Japanese religion), and a new version that is more spectacular and entertaining. Both have been preserved and recreated by the Hiroshima team and performed throughout the city. Hiroshima Kagura has been presented in St. Petersburg, Russia (2003); China, as part of the fortieth anniversary of the normalization of Japan-China relations, (2012); Mexico (FIC) and Brazil (2015); Paris, France, (2017) and Los Angeles, California, (2023).