Gochinza Kinensai (Ceremony commemorating the founding of the shrine)
December 16
Outline
The mikagura (‘sacred god music’) of the imperial palace is a suite of songs with some dances. The ninjō-mai is danced by the performer who takes the role of ninjō, director of the event. The word kagura is used in a broad sense to refer to any musical performance for the gods at shrines, and the honorary prefix mi- is added to make the distinction clear. Local kagura forms are sometimes called sato-kagura (‘village god music’).
The origins of mikagura are often said to relate to the rather ribald dance performance mounted by the goddess Ame no Uzume no Mikoto to coax the Sun Goddess (Amaterasu Ōmikami) out of her cave, as recorded in the ancient chronicles.*
The imperial mikagura gained a stable form in 1002, from when it was celebrated biennially at the Naishidokoro (the inner-court building that housed the sacred mirror). It came to be celebrated annually from the reign of Emperor Shirakawa (1073–87).
Program, texts and translations (excerpts)
In present-day performance practice, mikagura is an extensive suite made up of 15 pieces, divided into three parts: an opening, which welcomes the gods; the body, which entertains them; and a conclusion, which sends them off. The texts below are for the pieces to which the ninjō (director of the event) dances.
[Haya-karakami ]
Moto-uta (first chorus)
| kata ni torikake | Putting (the band) on my shoulders, |
|---|---|
| ware karakami no | I, the Korean god, |
| kara ogi semu ya | will invoke in Korean style, |
| kara ogi | invoke in Korean style. |
Sue-uta (second chorus)
| te ni torimochite | Holding (the leaf-dish) in my hands, |
|---|---|
| ware karakami no | I, the Korean god, |
| kara ogi semu ya | will invoke in Korean style, |
| kara ogi | invoke in Korean style, |
| kara ogi semu ya | will invoke in Korean style. |
[Sonokoma]
Moto-uta
| sono koma zo ya | That horse of mine |
|---|---|
| ware ni | asks me |
| ware ni kusa kou | asks me for grass. |
| kusa wa tori kawamu | I’ll bring him his grass, |
| mizu wa tori | I’ll fetch his water, |
| kusa wa tori kawamu | I’ll bring him his grass. |
Costumes and instruments
The performers wear costumes of the ikan style, a formal but comparatively relaxed costume that lacks a long train that trails behind the wearer. In contrast, the ninjō (director) wears a costume of the more formal sokutai style, the white outer robe (hō) of which has a long train (kyo). His headgear (kanmuri) has a rolled flap (ken’ei) at the rear and fringed blinders (oikake) at the sides. He wears a sword and as he dances he holds a branch of the sakaki tree (Cleyera japonica), sacred to the Shinto religion, with a small white hoop attached to it.
The songs are accompanied by an ensemble of the transverse flute kagurabue, reedpipe hichiriki, and 6-stringed zither wagon.
Points for appreciation
Of all of the kuniburi-no-utamai pieces of indigenous song and dance, mikagura possesses the strongest atmosphere of sacred ritual. Sonokoma, in particular, is the past piece performed in the mikagura ceremony, and represents a climax during which the gods are bid a reluctant farewell. The clear voices of the singers resound as the ninjō (director) dances his solemn, elegant dance.
Mikagura is celebrated at the imperial palace from evening until late at night, and is not open to the public. The ninjōmai dances (also pronounced ninchō no mai) are performed in public at Tsurugaoka Hachimangū in Kamakura, and Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto.
* Irritated by the misbehavior of her younger brother Susa-no-o no Mikoto on the High Plains of Heaven (Takama-ga-hara or Takama no Hara), the Sun Goddess Amaterasu Ōmikami shuts herself up in a cave (Ame no Iwato), throwing the earth into darkness. Ama no Uzume no Mikoto’s ribald dance is the central means by which the other gods manage to get her to open the door to the cave. Accounts of this legend can be found in Japan’s ancient histories, Kojiki (‘Record of ancient matters’) and Nihon shoki (‘Chronicles of Japan’).
