【南川神楽】
　南川神楽は、宮崎県諸塚村の東南部、南川地区にて保存継承されている。地区には、梅の木・松原・佐礼・小払・中尾の５つの集落があり、持ち回りで毎年夜神楽が奉納される。
　神楽の起こりは諸説あるが、400年ほど前、小払集落にあった東蔵寺の祖的和尚によって始められたという伝承が残されており、南川神楽は神仏混淆の神楽とも言われている。小払集落にある「東蔵寺跡」には、それを示すものとして、中世の様式を示す仏像や神像、遺構が現存している。
　また、地形的に隣接する戸下神楽とは交流があり、神楽が奉納される日程は、戸下神楽の奉納と重ならないように取り決められている。
　かつては個人の家が神楽宿となり、軒先に接して屋外に張り出すように「御高屋」が建ち、脇宿を近くに設けて接待の場としていた。現在は、松原集落のみが個人の家を宿として使用しており、その他の集落は集会所を脇宿とし、敷地内に御高屋を建てて神楽を奉納している。
　「舞入れ」では、御高屋の近くにある鎮守の森から、行列が出発し、地区に伝わる20を超える神面をつけた神々が、優雅に舞いながら神楽宿に向かう様子が見られる。
　南川地区では「七荒神、八稲荷」と言い、各集落で七つの荒神と八つの稲荷が祀られていたと伝わる。この七つの荒神から、「荒神」の演目では、前段の「舞荒神」２番、「三宝荒神」と呼ばれる三荒神、後段の「舞荒神」２番、合計七体の荒神が登場する。三宝荒神では三荒神と神主が問答をしながら、神楽の由縁や起源を語る。夜中頃の神楽で「夜中の荒神」とも呼ばれる。
　令和７年(2025)３月現在、神楽保存会には43名が在籍している。少子高齢化の影響で舞い手が減少することを危惧しており、地区外の人でも、興味があれば、ともに継承していきたいという思いで積極的に活動している。
　令和６年は南川神楽伝来の地と伝えられる小払地区で奉納された。

【Minamigawa Kagura】
Minamigawa Kagura has been preserved and passed down in the Minamigawa district, located in the southeastern part of Morotsuka Village, Miyazaki Prefecture. This district comprises five settlements—Umenoki, Matsuwara, Sare, Obarai, and Nakao—where Yokagura is dedicated in rotation each year.
Although the origins of Minamigawa Kagura are subject to various theories, a longstanding tradition attributes its beginning to Soteki Osho, a Buddhist monk of Tozoji Temple, which once stood in the Obarai settlement about 400 years ago. Due to this connection, Minamigawa Kagura is known as a Shinbutsu Konko Kagura—one that blends Shinto and Buddhist elements. Traces of this history remain at the "Tozoji Temple Site" in Obarai, where Buddhist and Shinto statues, along with architectural remains from the medieval period, can still be seen today.
Minamigawa Kagura also maintains a close relationship with Toshita Kagura, which is geographically adjacent. The schedule for Kagura performances is coordinated to ensure that the dedication of Minamigawa Kagura does not overlap with that of Toshita Kagura.
In the past, private homes became Kagurayado, where a temporary shrine called "Mikoya" was constructed outdoors, extending from the eaves. Wakiyado were also set up nearby to receive guests. Today, only the Matsuwara settlement continues this tradition of using a private home as the Kagurayado, while the other settlements utilize community centers such as Wakiyado, constructing Mikoya on the premises for the performance.
During the "Mai-ire" procession, a parade departs from the Chinju-no-mori near the Mikoya. More than twenty masked deities, passed down in the region, elegantly dance their way toward the Kagurayado.
An old saying in Minamigawa states: "Seven Kojin, Eight Inari." This refers to the tradition of worshipping seven Kojin and eight Inari in each settlement. These beliefs are reflected in the "Kojin" performance, in which seven Kojin deities appear. The ritual begins with two "Mai-Kojin" performing an initial dance, followed by the appearance of three Kojin known as "Sanpo-Kojin," and concludes with two more "Mai-Kojin," making a total of seven Kojin. During the Sanpo-Kojin performance, the Three Kojin engage in a dialogue with the Shinto priest, narrating the origins and significance of kagura. Since this segment typically takes place around midnight, it is also known as "Yonaka no Kojin."
As of March 2025, the Minamigawa Kagura Preservation Society consists of 43 members. Due to concerns about an aging population and a decline in population, the society actively welcomes participation from those outside the district, encouraging anyone with an interest to help sustain this tradition.
In 2024, the kagura was dedicated in Obarai, the settlement believed to be the original site of Minamigawa Kagura's transmission.