Nagata Shrine Kagura Hall

A cross-shaped stage for sacred dance

Nagata Shrine Kagura Hall (長田神社神楽殿, Nagata Jinja Kaguraden) is a 1928 hall standing southeast of the worship hall of Nagata Shrine in Nagatacho, Nagata Ward, Kobe, facing west, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on February 14, 2002. It has a copper Irimoya-zukuri roof and a building area of 32 square meters.

A kagura hall is generally where sacred dances are offered to the deity. The Nagata Shrine Kagura Hall lies ahead and to the right once you pass through the side gate, turned toward the worship hall.

Why the Nagata Shrine Kagura Hall was registered

Registered as a model of form under number 28-0091, the main body is 21 shaku long and 12 shaku deep. Projections 9 shaku wide are added front and back, one 4 shaku 5 sun deep and the other 6 shaku, giving the hall a cross-shaped plan. The rafters are single and widely spaced, and a railed veranda (Kōran) runs all the way around. The Agency for Cultural Affairs calls it an indispensable element of the shrine's set of buildings: not a center of worship like the main and worship halls, but a stage the precinct cannot do without.

What to look for at the Nagata Shrine Kagura Hall

The plan is the thing to notice. Because of the projections front and back, the roof steps and the outline is never a plain rectangle. Walk around the Nagata Shrine Kagura Hall and you can see that the two projections differ in depth. The encircling railed veranda gives it the character of a stage, and from the east side of the grounds its west-facing orientation toward the worship hall is clear.

Visiting the Nagata Shrine Kagura Hall

The exterior of the Nagata Shrine Kagura Hall can be seen freely from the inner grounds; the shrine announces no interior access. For dates of kagura performances, check with the shrine. Access and general visiting details are on the Nagata Shrine page.