【亚洲·日本】早池峰神乐 Hayachine Kagura（2009年）

在14或15世纪，当日本大陆北部岩手县的人们将干町山奉为神灵时，他们开始了一种民间表演传统，这一传统继续活跃着8月1日在花町市举行的干町神社的盛大节日。Hayachine Kagura是一系列蒙面舞蹈，伴随着鼓、钹和长笛：六种仪式舞蹈开始表演；五种舞蹈讲述了神灵的故事和日本中世纪的历史，最后一种舞蹈的主角是一位演员，他装扮成石狮，一种想象中的狮子般的生物，代表着日本的神。最初由神社的神圣官员跳舞，以展示山神的力量并祝福人民，现在由整个社区的代表表演，他们为自己独特的文化感到自豪。传递和展示仪式是为了再次确认群体内的身份认同感，并有助于重要传统的延续。该法案的颁布还纪念了日本历史上的事件，并纪念了全国各地崇拜的山神之一。

2009年度列入人类非物质文化遗产名录。

来源：联合国教科文组织亚太地区非物质文化遗产国际培训中心

In the fourteenth or fifteenth century, when the people of Iwate Prefecture in the northern part of mainland Japan worshipped Mt. Hayachine as a deity, they began a tradition of folk performance that continues to enliven the Great Festival of the Hayachine Shrine held in Hanamaki City on the first day of August. The Hayachine Kagura is a series of masked dances accompanied by drum, cymbals and flute: six ritual dances begin the performance; five dances recount stories of the deities and medieval Japanese history, and a final dance features a performer dressed as a shishi, an imaginary lion-like creature representing the Hayachine deity himself. Originally danced by holy officers of the Shrine to demonstrate the power of the mountain deity and bless the people, the Hayachine Kagura is now performed by representatives of the entire community, who take pride in their distinctive culture. To transmit and display the ritual is to reconfirm a sense of identity within the group and to contribute to the continuity of an important tradition. Its enactment also commemorates events from Japanese history and celebrates one of the mountain deities worshipped throughout the country.

Included in the list of human intangible cultural heritage in 2009.

Source: UNESCO International Training Center for intangible cultural heritage in the Asia Pacific Region