ABSTRACT
Kagura, as we have noted, was originally an entertainment of music and dancing in the presence of some Shinto deity. It was given from the ground or from a temporary platform. As now presented at Shinto shrines it is given from a platform or stage, which forms a permanent part of the establishment. The Kagura stage faces the shrine, as the performance is designed primarily for the pleasure of deity; but the curtains, which enclose the rear and sides, are usually arranged so as to allow spectators freely to observe the plays. Kagura are evening entertainments, beginning usually at twilight and closing at morning cockcrow. They are given most frequently, though not exclusively, in the late autumn or early winter. Showing, in addition to the harp, flute, and hand-drums of the musicians, the fans and bells (upon the stand) used by the Maiko. https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315687575/8fd5120c-5ca9-49ed-a26b-f7e35c665308/content/pg35_1_B.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
