What the Kameoka Shrine Kagura Hall is
The Kameoka Shrine Kagura Hall (亀岡神社神楽殿, Kameoka Jinja Kaguraden) is the 1880 hall where Hirado Kagura is performed at Kameoka Shrine in Iwanoue-cho, Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2012.
It stands just outside the corridor and sacred fence that enclose the main buildings, facing west onto the approach path. The hall measures 3 bays by 3 bays, with a building area of 47 m², under an Irimoya-zukuri hip-and-gable roof of Hongawarabuki round-and-flat tiles. It is open on all four sides, with a Geya lean-to added at the back as a rear area, and stone steps at the front.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs database gives its address as 151 Kameoka, unlike the 1517 recorded for the shrine's other three buildings. The figure is kept here as recorded.
Why the Kameoka Shrine Kagura Hall was registered
The Kameoka Shrine Kagura Hall was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on August 13, 2012, with the main hall, worship hall, and offering hall and climbing corridor, under registration number 42-0102, for contributing to the historic landscape of the country. The Agency describes it as a building the shrine cannot do without, since this is where Hirado Kagura is offered.
Hirado Kagura has 24 pieces, and the number performed changes with the grade of the ritual. At Kameoka Shrine the Daidai Kagura, all 24 pieces, is danced during Hirado Kunchi in October. Hirado City's newsletter notes that this is the one time each year the full set is performed.
The hall is not only a festival building. Hirado City's September 2016 newsletter reported a training session for the next generation of performers held in the Kameoka Shrine Kagura Hall, attended by nine young people from the first year of elementary school to the final year of high school.
What to look for at the Kameoka Shrine Kagura Hall
Look up first at the Gegyo, the board that hangs from the gable. It is carved with a turtle riding the waves. Kame, turtle, is also the first character of the shrine's name, so the carving may well have been chosen as a play on it.
The open sides are the other defining feature. With no walls, the stage floor and the rhythm of the posts can be read straight from outside. Adding a lean-to at the back as a rear area separates the dancing floor from the space behind it.
At that 2016 session the children learned three of the basic pieces, Arajio, Nionbei and Tokorogatame. Keep in mind, looking at the empty stage, that this is a place where movements are still being passed from priests to children.
Visiting the Kameoka Shrine Kagura Hall
The Kameoka Shrine Kagura Hall faces the approach path, so once inside the grounds you can see it from the front and the sides. Please stay off the open stage and view it from the foot of the stone steps.
For a chance to see kagura performed, Hirado Kunchi in October is the surest occasion. Dates and times can change from year to year, so check with the shrine in advance, and follow the instructions of the shrine and performers about photography during the dances.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Nagasaki
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Kameoka Shrine Kagura Hall
- [ Gunkanjima Island Landing & Glover Garden Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Kameoka Shrine Kagura Hall built?
- In 1880, the same year as the main hall and worship hall. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2012.
- What happens in the Kameoka Shrine Kagura Hall?
- Hirado Kagura is offered here. During Hirado Kunchi in October the Daidai Kagura, all 24 pieces, is performed, and in 2016 the hall hosted a training session for young performers.
- What is carved on the gable of the Kameoka Shrine Kagura Hall?
- A turtle riding the waves. Kame, turtle, is also part of the shrine's name.
- How is the Kameoka Shrine Kagura Hall built?
- It is 3 bays by 3 bays, open on all four sides under a hip-and-gable tiled roof, with a lean-to at the back as a rear area and stone steps at the front. The building area is 47 m².
- When can visitors see Hirado Kagura at the Kameoka Shrine Kagura Hall?
- The surest occasion is the main festival, Hirado Kunchi, in October. Dates and times can change from year to year, so check with the shrine before you go.
Basic Information
| Name | Kameoka Shrine Kagura Hall (亀岡神社神楽殿) |
|---|---|
| Location | 151 Kameoka, Iwanoue-cho, Hirado City, Nagasaki Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2012-08-13 (Heisei 24) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | 3 bays by 3 bays; building area 47 m² |
| Owner | Kameoka Shrine (religious corporation) |
| Public Access | Exterior viewable from the shrine grounds (see text for kagura performances) |
References
- Database of National Cultural Properties (Agency for Cultural Affairs): Kameoka Shrine Kagura Hall
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00009407
- Cultural Heritage Online: Kameoka Shrine Kagura Hall
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/277940
- Cultural Heritage Online: Hirado Kagura
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/159368
- Hirado City, Koho Hirado newsletter, September 2016 (Hirado Kagura training session)
- https://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/kurashi/gyosei/kohou/h28/files/09/10-11.pdf
- Hirado City, Koho Hirado newsletter, December 2019 (Daidai Kagura)
- https://www.city.hirado.nagasaki.jp/kurashi/gyosei/kohou/h31/files/12/32-33.pdf
- Agency for Cultural Affairs: Registered Tangible Cultural Properties (Buildings)
- https://www.bunka.go.jp/seisaku/bunkazai/shokai/yukei_kenzobutsu/toroku_yukei.html
Last verified: 2026.10.08
