Dancing KAGURA (ancient Shinto dancing)

Kagura — the ancient Shinto sacred dancing — is depicted in its ritual performance context, the dancers wearing masks and elaborate costumes to enact the myths of the Shinto pantheon. Kagura performances at shrine festivals preserve some of the oldest forms of Japanese theatrical dance, predating Noh and Kabuki by centuries, their simple movements and sacred music creating a connection to the world of the kami that more refined later theatrical forms have lost. Sadanobu III's treatment of kagura dancing honors this ancient form within his Kansai theatrical print tradition.