Iwato Kargura Play — 岩戸神楽

The Iwato Kagura play (岩戸神楽) — the sacred dance performed before the cave (iwato) where the sun goddess Amaterasu had hidden herself, the music and performance used to lure her back into the world — is one of the foundational myths of Japanese religion and one of the most ancient subjects in the tradition of ritual performance. Watanabe's katazome rendering of this Shinto mythological scene demonstrates his engagement with Japanese folk-religious subjects alongside his primary Biblical practice, the bold forms of the stencil technique equally suited to both traditions.