【船引神楽】
  船引神楽が保存継承されている宮崎県宮崎市清武町は、宮崎平野の南西部に位置し、南部には鰐塚山地（わにつかさんち）が連なり、鰐塚山を水源とする清武川が、町の中心部を東流している。船引神楽は宮崎市清武町の北端、船引地区に鎮座する船引神社で、春季の稲作豊穣の予祝（よしゅく）として奉納される。冬季に行われる山村の夜神楽に対し、平地稲作地帯に分布する昼間に行われる日神楽（ひかぐら）であり、作神楽（さくかぐら）や春神楽などとも呼ばれる。
  船引神社は堀河天皇（ほりかわてんのう）の御代、寛治元年（１０８７）の創建と伝わり、当初は正八幡神社（しょうはちまんじんじゃ）と称し、現在も地元では八幡様とよばれ親しまれている。神社本殿の向拝柱（ごはいばしら）には、雲の中を泳ぐ竜の姿が浮き彫りにされ、嘉永６年（１８５３）の日付と、宮崎本郷北方の大工 川崎伝蔵（かわさきでんぞう）の墨書が残る。社殿裏のクスの木は、樹齢約９００年とされ「清武の大クス」として国の天然記念物に指定されている。
  平成３０年度現在、船引神楽が奉納される機会として、船引神社で３月２１日の春分の日のほか、氏子区である庵屋（いおや）の炎尾神社（ほのおじんじゃ）、黒北（くろきた）の大将軍神社（たいしょうぐんじんじゃ）においても執行されている。その他、船引神社の歳旦祭などの神社祭典で数番が奉納される。炎尾神社は承和１０年（８４３）の勧請と伝わる。大将軍神社は宝暦１２年（１７６２）遷宮の記録が残り、三社とも地元の尊崇は今なお篤い。（※大将軍神社での神楽奉納は平成３０年をもって終了。）
  船引神楽は、江戸時代中期には既に成立していたと伝わる。明治の中ごろに神楽衰滅の危機があったが、同系の神楽である串間市の串間神社に３名の少年を派遣し、習得させ復活を図った。
  番付は、作祈祷（さくきとう）神楽を中心に「相撲舞（すもうまい）」などアクロバティックな番付も多く有している。保存会には２０代から６０代までの舞子がバランスよく在籍し、後継者育成にも力を入れており、若手の活躍がめざましい。

【Funahiki Kagura】
The town of Kiyotake, part of Miyazaki City, Miyazaki Prefecture, where Funahiki kagura has been preserved over the years, is located on the Southwestern part of the Miyazaki plain, with the Wanitsuka mountain area to the south, and the Kiyotake river that has its source in Wanitsuka flows eastwards through the center of the town. Funahiki kagura is performed in the spring at Funahiki-jinja, the village shrine in the Funahiki region in at the northern end of Kiyotake in Miyazaki City, to pray for bountiful rice harvests. In contrast to the night kagura performed in the mountain regions in the winter, Funahiki kagura is performed during the day, and in the flat rice-producing areas of the prefecture, and hence is also known by various names such as saku-kagura (‘harvest kagura’) or haru kagura (‘spring kagura’).
Funahiki-jinja was founded in the time of Emperor Horikawa, in 1087. At the time, it was known as Shōhachiman-jinja, and even today is often referred to locally as “Hachiman-sama.” The main pillars in the shrine’s main building are carved into the shape of a dragon swimming through a sea of clouds, and are marked with the date 1853, and the name of Kawasaki Denzō, a carpenter from Hongō Kitakata in Miyazaki. Kiyotake no ō-kusu, the camphor tree behind the shrine’s main building, is thought to be around 900 years old, and is a nationally-designated important natural asset.
As of 2018, besides the vernal equinox celebrations on March 21st, during which the entire repertoire of Funahiki kagura is performed, kagura is also performed at Hono’o-jinja, a community shrine, and Daishōgun-jinja in Kurokita. Also, several kagura from the repertoire are performed at Funahiki-jinja’s annual festivals. It is said that Hono’o-jinja was founded in 843. There is a record of the main building of Daishōgun-jinja having been relocated and rebuilt in 1762, and all three shrines are well-respected in the community even today. (Daishōgun-jinja stopped performing kagura in 2018)
It is believed that Funahiki-jinja was already established during the Edo period (1600-1868). Around the late 19th century, Funahiki kagura was in danger of dying out, but they dispatched three young novices to Kushima-jinja in Kushima, which performs a similar style of kagura, who learned the style and restored the art.
The kagura repertoire centers around very acrobatic performances such as sumō mai, the ‘sumo dance,’ and other sakukitō, or ‘prayer-based’ kagura. The local Kagura Preservation Society maintains a good balance of performers from those in their twenties up to their sixties, and thanks to their strong efforts in promoting education and furthering of the art form, there is a remarkable amount of participation by younger members of the community.