Evening Kagura and Takachio's Gorgeous River Gorge
Takachiho is a tiny town in Miyazaki Prefecture. Its legends — and the beautiful Gokase River gorge — have captured the imagination of curious travelers and manga lovers worldwide, making it a popular day trip when visiting Kyushu. After our thrilling volcano hike at Mt. Aso, we drove south-east to Takachio, arriving as the sun was setting. We checked into a rustic hostel and walked into town to find dinner. Alas, every restaurant was completely full and we ended up eating ramen noodles at a convenience store. Everyone was dining at the same time so as not to miss the Evening Kagura performance. Indeed, promptly at 7:30, restaurant doors were flung open and we joined the throng of full-bellied visitors streaming towards the performance hall.
Evening Kagura in Takachiho
Evening Kagura is an 800-year-old storytelling tradition that, through song and dance, re-enacts the legend of sun goddess Amaterasu and the Heavenly Rock Cave (explained in detail below). A full two-day festival is celebrated in temples throughout Miyazaki prefecture in November, but the town of Takachiho provides a short Kagura rendition every evening at 8:00 p.m. Seated on tatami mats below a small, intimate stage, we laughed and clapped along with an enthusiastic audience as various characters tried to lure Amaterasu from her cave. In the final act, Dance of Goshitai, a hilarious love story develops between a couple brewing sake. As they become “drunk”, the actors mingle and “flirt” with the audience. The story was easy to follow, thanks to the explanatory pamphlet passed out to foreigners at the beginning of the show. It was interactive, engaging, and a surprisingly fun evening! More on the legend of Amaterasu at the end of this post. This YouTube video by Keita USA & Japan captures some of the Evening Kagura highlights.
Takachiho Gomakase River Gorge
The next day, we got an early morning start to view Takachiho’s famous Gomakase River gorge, arriving as vendors were still setting up. We strolled along dewey, moss-covered paths, enjoying the quiet beauty for a few special minutes before the masses arrived. Even in the dead of winter, the landscape is other-worldly, with clear turquoise-blue waters flowing through a deep, narrow canyon of asymmetrically-piled basalt columns (the result of ancient volcanic eruptions). A geological wonder!
If you are into kitschy tourist gimmicks, you can rent a rowboat to glide through the Manai Falls… or you can watch from the bridge the comedic spectacle of inexperienced rowers bumping into each other (far more entertaining, in my opinion LOL!). The waterfall and gorge have held religious and pilgrimage significance for centuries, which you can read about on signboards posted throughout the small park and nearby pond.
Click any photo for a larger slideshow…
Legend: Amaterasu and the Heavenly Rock Cave
Amaterasu is the highest deity in Japanese mythology. As queen of the kami (divine beings of heaven and earth), she rules the universe and brings light to the world. Susanoo, the storm god, is her wild and unruly younger brother, who often causes chaos and destruction. One day, Susanoo's reckless behavior became too much to bear. Amaterasu fled to Ama-no-Iwato (Heavenly Rock) cave in Takachiho and barred the entrance with a giant boulder to escape from his barbarous rampage. Deprived of her radiant natural light, the world was plunged into darkness. Crops withered and chaos spread as evil spirits roamed freely.
Desperate to return light to the world, the other deities gathered outside the cave, attempting various approaches to lure Amaterasu out. None succeeded until the goddess of dawn, creativity, and dance, Ame no Uzume, tried a bold new approach. She pretended that the world had found a new goddess of light to replace Amaterasu; standing outside the cave, she loudly praised the new deity through song. Amaterasu became curious - and probably a little jealous. She slowly rolled back the boulder and peaked out. Catching her own reflection in a mirror, she emerged from the cave and shone her light upon the world once again.
Our 17 day Kyushu roadtrip continued with a visit to the giant sequoias on Yakushima Island —>
