A Village Kabuki Stage with Revolving Floor
The Kazurahata Stage (Shibaido) (葛畑の舞台（芝居堂）) is a village kabuki stage in the precinct of Aramitama Shrine at Kazurahata, Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture, designated an Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property in 1968.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the stage and the ground used as the audience area as designated.
According to the Agency, it is a thatched hip-and-gable building 8 metres square, known locally as the shibaido, or play hall.
Stage Machinery
According to the Agency, it was rebuilt in 1892 but retains its Edo-period form, with a revolving stage turned from below, a two-level lift, side wall panels that open out, and a grid for hanging scenery.
Yabu City explains that a stage built in the shrine precinct in 1544 was remodelled in 1892 into a full kabuki stage, with all seven key mechanisms of a village kabuki stage, including the budo-dana grid for raising scenery and the dengaku-gaeshi scenery changer.
What to Look For
The Agency counts it as a typical village kabuki stage of Japan. The Kazurahata-za troupe, formed in 1870, performed kabuki as a shrine offering until it lapsed in 1934.
Yabu City notes that a new Kazurahata-za formed in 2002 and, coached by Mizuguchi Kazuo of Shochiku, staged a two-day revival the following year; a children's kabuki club began in 2003 to pass the art on.
Visiting the Kazurahata Stage (Shibaido)
No official visitor information could be found; check performance dates with Yabu City.
Enquiries: Yabu City Sekinomiya office, 079-667-2331.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hyogo
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Q&A
- When was the stage designated?
- On 31 May 1968.
- What mechanisms does it have?
- A revolving stage, lift, opening side panels and a scenery grid.
- When was it built?
- In 1544 according to Yabu City, remodelled in 1892.
- What is the Kazurahata-za?
- A village kabuki troupe formed in 1870 and revived in 2002.
- How is 葛畑 read?
- Kazurahata.
Basic Information
| Name | Kazurahata Stage (Shibaido) (葛畑の舞台（芝居堂）) |
|---|---|
| Location | Kazurahata, Yabu City, Hyogo Prefecture (Aramitama Shrine precinct) |
| Designation | Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property |
| Year Designated | Designated 1968/5/31 (Showa 43) |
| Quantity | Stage and audience ground |
| Dimensions | 8 by 8 metres |
| Owner | Not recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | Check performance dates with Yabu City |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Kazurahata Stage (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/301/121
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kazurahata Stage (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/136234
- Yabu City: Kazurahata Village Kabuki Stage (Japanese)
- https://www.city.yabu.hyogo.jp/kanko_ibento/rekishi/1_2/1898.html
Last verified: 2026.09.29