More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan

Uzume Mask It has been a very long time since I finished any masks , but the last few weeks I have been hard at it. Most of my older blo...

The shrine is tucked away a little to the west of Shimogamo Shrine, though it was originally located on the bank of the Kamo River nearby. T...

The weather during May remained unseasonably cool, so I talk advantage and went on another exploratory walk. I started in Nogi, now litt...

At least it does in my neck of the woods. We decided to head to the matsuri at Imada. Imada, like my village, is not a place you pass throug...

We went over to Ichiyama last night for the annual Kids Kagura Festival. Each year there are fewer and fewer kids performing. Partly thats d...

The Otafuku mask doesn't appear in any Iwami kagura dances that I know of, but it is worn by the female half of a kyogen duo. Otafuku is...

This is the smallest of all the Iwami Kagura masks and is the goddess Uzume. In the most well-known of the ancient Japanese myths, Iwato, it...