【戸下神楽】
  宮崎県諸塚村戸下地区は、村の南東部に位置し、平成３０年度現在、集落世帯数９戸で夜神楽が継承されている。（夜神楽は荒谷公民館区全戸の協力の下、奉納される。）諸塚村は標高１０００メートル級の山々に囲まれた山里で、村の９５パーセントを覆う山林の恵みを活かし林業や椎茸の栽培が盛んである。
  戸下集落の鎮守である白鳥神社（しらとりじんじゃ）には、戸下神楽の主祭神である権現様（日本武尊命（やまとたけるのみこと））が祀られており、神楽は白鳥神社の春祭りにて奉納される。
  公民館を神楽宿とし、神々を勧請する御神屋（みこうや）は、屋外に張り出す形で床高に設えられる。毎年奉納される「普通神楽」と、集落の大願成就の年などに奉納される「大神楽（おおかぐら）」があり、その番付は五十番にも及ぶ。大神楽でしか行われない山の神と神主との問答である「山守（やまもり）」は、全国的にも類例のない番付であるといわれる。
  戸下神楽は地形的に隣接する南川（みなみがわ）神楽とはほぼ同根といわれ、神楽舞や楽での交流があり、互いの祭りを行き来し、座を盛り上げる。
  白鳥神社での神事が終わると、先祓いの箒（ほうき）持ちを先頭に「舞い入れ」が行われ、記紀神話の神々に加え土地の神々が一同に神楽宿へ向かう。八百万の神を御神屋に招き降ろす演目である「御大神（おだいじん）」は、上・中・下に分かれており、中の段に入ると神楽宿に隣接する民家が「脇宿（わきやど）」として開かれ、集落の女性たちによるふるまい料理で、夜通しのもてなしが始まる。この「御大神」が終わると「神楽せり歌」を歌うことが許され、神楽の場は神々と村人との交歓の場となってゆく。
  特色として、言い句、禰宜歌（ねぎうた）、唱経（しょうぎょう）を豊富に伝えていることがあり、その内容は近世以降の神道化の波を受けることなく、神仏混淆（しんぶつこんこう）の様相が色濃く残る。平成２７年（２０１５）にはそれらを書き記した本を戸下神楽保存会が発行、神楽の伝承に努めている。

【Toshita Kagura】
The community of Toshita is located in the southern part of Morotsuka, in Miyazaki Prefecture, and as of 2018 consists of 9 households, in which night kagura is performed. Morotsuka is a mountain village surrounded by mountains of around 1000 meters in height, and since around 95% of the area is covered by bountiful mountain forests, forestry and the cultivation of shiitake mushrooms are very popular.
Shiratori-jinja, the main shrine for the community of Toshita, venerates Yamato takeru no mikoto, the main deity featured in Toshita kagura, which is performed at the Shiratori-jinja’s annual festival.
The local Residents’ Association building is designated for the performance of Toshita kagura, and a high-floored sacred stage is constructed extending outdoors to welcome the deities. Besides the futsū kagura, or ‘normal kagura,’ which is performed every year, there is also ō-kagura, or ‘great kagura,’ performed to honor special occasions or auspicious years for the community, which has a repertoire consisting of fifty dances. It is said that the yamamori kagura, which involves a dialogue between the mountain deities and the Shinto priest, and is only performed during ō-kagura, is entirely unique.
Toshita kagura has very similar roots to Minamigawa kagura, which is geographically close to the area. With a lot of exchange of kagura dance and music taking place, the communities will often participate in each other’s kagura performances to liven the occasion
After the ceremony at Shiratori-jinja is completed, the mai-ire opening purification ritual is performed using a broom-like implement, and in addition to the deities mentioned in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, the local deities also head to the kagura performance. The odaijin, the title given to the kagura performance, with the intention of inviting the myriad deities to the stage, is divided into upper, middle and lower sections. Once the performance reaches the middle section, the house next to the kagura stage is opened up as the waki-yado (‘side-house’), and the local women begin to freely serve food and provide hospitality throughout the evening. Once the odaijin has finished, the kagura-seri uta is performed, and the kagura area becomes a space where the deities and villagers can commune with one another.
Unique aspects of Toshita kagura include the wide variety of phrasing used, the negi-uta, singing by the performers, and the syōgyō (chants), the content of which, unlike many shrines that followed the modern exclusively Shinto approach in recent generations, still retains a lot of evidence of Shinto-Buddhist duality. The Toshita Kagura Preservation Society published a book listing these unique features in 2015, and are actively working to promote local kagura.