【野方野神楽】
  野方野神楽が伝承されている野方野は宮崎県高千穂町岩戸地区の東に位置し、平成３０年度現在の世帯数は８３戸である。高千穂盆地を眺望する国見ケ丘から見る朝日は、背面の大平山（おおひらやま）、上野岳（うえのだけ）、猿岳（さるだけ）を結ぶ稜線から姿をあらわす。集落から日之影町深角（ふかすみ）に通じる上野岳の峠道は、古くは延岡地方と行き来する主要往還路で、貞享２年（１６８５）、水戸藩士佐々介三郎（さっさすけさぶろう）が『大日本史』史料収集のため、野方野を通り肥後熊本へと進んだ。他にも幕府測量隊・伊能忠敬（いのうただたか）、北海道開拓者・松浦武四郎など多くの旅人が集落を通った記録が残る。
  野方野の氏神社である石神神社（いしがみじんじゃ）は国常立命（くにとこたちのみこと）が主祭神として祭祀されているが、延宝２年（１６７４）の高千穂庄神明帳（たかちほのしょうしんめいちょう）には「牛神大明神（うしがみだいみょうじん）」とあり、神武天皇の兄で、高千穂神社の祭神である三毛入野命（みけいりのみこと）に仕えていた牛を社傍（しゃぼう）にお祀りしたのが創建の由来と伝えられている。畜産の神としての信仰が厚く、境内地には牛の石像が建立されている。
  弘化３年（１８４６）の高千穂神社宮司田尻則満（たじりのりみつ）日記に、「１０月２１日晴天、野方野の石神の面彩色に付き、遷宮（せんぐう）並びに祭礼相勤め、神楽宿は伝次方、其夜は同村新助方泊り」とあり、民家で夜神楽を奉納していた貴重な記録となっている。頭部に牛の角が施された牛神様（うしがみさま）神楽面は、「舞込み」「杉登（入鬼神）」「地割（竈神楽（かまどかぐら））」「舞開」など、重要な神楽で使用される。
  神楽保存会会員は２１名で、２０代から４０代の舞手が大半を占めており、近年は集落内だけでなく、高千穂町に赴任した宮崎県西臼杵支庁の職員を神楽の舞手として受け入れるなど、活発な伝承活動に取り組んでいる。夜神楽は毎年１２月１４日の祭日に民家を神楽宿として奉納されていたが、近年は野方野公民館を神楽宿に、１２月第２土曜日と定め、５組の小集落廻し当番で斎行されている。

【Nokatano Kagura】
The village of Nokatano, where Nokatano kagura has been passed down over the generations, is located in the eastern part of the Iwato region of Takachiho and, as of 2018, consists of 83 households. If you watch the morning sun rising from Kunimigaoka, in the Takachiho plateau, you can see the mountain ridge connecting Ōhirayama with Uenodake and Sarudake. The mountain pass at Uenodake that leads from this small community to Fukasumi, in the town of Hinokage, was frequently used as a main route to and from the Nobeoka area in the past. In 1685, Sassa Sukesaburō, a samurai from Mito domain, passed through Nokatano on the way to Higo (modern Kumamoto), while researching for the famous historical book, Dai Nihonshi. Inō Tadataka, a surveyor for the Shogunate, and Matsuura Takejirō, one of the pioneers who settled in Hokkaido are also among the many famous visitors documented to have passed through the community.
Kunitokotachi no mikoto is the main deity worshipped at Ishigami-jinja, the main shrine in Nokatano, but according to Takachiho no shōshinmeichō, a historical record from 1674, there were also shrine buildings honoring Ushigami daimyōjin, an ox used by Mike-iri no mikoto, elder brother to Emperor Jimmu, who is the main deity worshipped at Takachiho-jinja. Since Ushigami daimyōjin is famous as the guardian deity of livestock breeding, he became very popular, and so a statue of a cow was placed within the shrine precincts.
According to the diary of Tajiri Norimitsu, head priest of Takachiho-jinja, in 1846; “October 21st: Clear weather. After applying color to the Ishigami kagura mask, had the honor of installing the sacred symbol in the new shrine building, and making preparations for the annual festival. Kagura to be performed at the Denji residence, and later that night in the Shinsuke residence.” This excerpt is an important record of night kagura performances in local houses. The kagura mask with cow horns on the top is used in particularly important kagura performances, such as the suginobori irikijin, kamado kagura jiwari and iwato kagura maibiraki kagura.
The local Kagura Preservation Society consists of 21 members, mostly performers in their twenties to forties, and more recently they have members not only from within the community but also an employee from the Nishi-Usuki branch of the Miyazaki Prefectural Government stationed in Takachiho has joined the society as a performer, and they are actively pursuing promotional activities.
Night kagura was previously performed on the festival day, December 14th, in local homes, but in recent years the Nokatano Residents’ Association has been performing kagura around five small local communities on the second Saturday in December.