KAGURA: The Descent of the Japanese Gods ― 2025/07/04 04:33
- The Photography of HIROSHI IKUTA -
Saturday,26th July - Saturday,9th August 2025
Monday - Friday : 9am to 6pm
Saturday : 9am to 5pm
Sunday : Closed
BOURNEMOUTH LIBRARY
22 The Triangle Bournemouth Dorset UK
BH2 5RQ
Hiroshi Ikuta (born 1965) is a photographer from Kobe, Japan. He has been photographing Kagura and Kabuki performances by ordinary people. In particular, he has been photographing Kagura in Miyazaki Prefecture for over 19 years, since 2007. This is the first exhibition of Ikuta's photographs to be held abroad.
Various deities exist everywhere in Japan. Kagura is a Japanese religious song and dance dedicated to these deities. Kagura is usually performed by ordinary people in the local area, rather than the clergy. The masks used in Kagura performances are also deities in their own right. When the masks of the deities are worn by the dancers, the deities descend on the spot.
Hiroshi Ikuta has photographed Kagura throughout Japan, but this exhibition focuses in particular on photographs of Kagura from Miyazaki Prefecture in the Kyushu region. Miyazaki Prefecture, the origin of Japan in Japanese mythology, has well preserved the primordial nature of Kagura. Kagura is performed throughout the night during the annual festival. It is also dedicated not only to regular festivals but also to various daily events such as housewarming celebrations and funerals.
Ikuta is a member of the Society of Folkloric Performing Arts. He also took the photographs for the report on Ohae Kagura and the collection of “SHINMEN” works. He provided the cover photograph for the March 2023 issue of the magazine “Monthly Cultural Property”, supervised by the Japanese Government Agency for Cultural Affairs.
His “IKUTAGRAPH” will also be on display at the exhibition. IKUTAGRAPH is a new photographic expression technique created by Hiroshi Ikuta. He uses traditional Japanese paper, Washi, to create unique works of art. IKUTAGRAPH provides the viewer with a unique experience, depending on the angle of view.
*The exhibition period will be divided into two parts: the first half (26 July to 2 August) and the second half (4 to 9 August).
The exhibited works will be changed between the first and second halves.
The list of exhibited works will be announced here soon.
