【栂尾神楽】
  栂尾地区は、九州山地の山間地、小丸川上流右岸の急峻な山腹に位置する。椎葉村の東に位置し旧南郷村と接しており、以前は、旧南郷村の鬼神野（きじの）地区との神楽の交流もあった。
  栂尾神楽は、栂尾神社拝殿にて１１月２２日に奉納される。天正の頃、黒木済門之助（さえもんのすけ）が肥後の阿蘇神社に行き、神楽を習得し栂尾に持ち帰り村人に伝えたと言われている。その後は、戦中戦後も途絶えることなく、現在まで神楽が続けられている。黒木済門之助は栂尾の開拓者で栂尾神社の初代神主とされている。その末裔である黒木武見（たけみ）家には、寛永九年（１６３２年）の墨書をもつ女面（おんなめん）などの神楽面が保管されている。現在の拝殿が改築される前は、拝殿の外に御神屋を設けて拝殿を支度部屋として神楽を行っていた。
  保存会員数は１６名だが地元在住者は６名のみで、出身者や縁のある者が帰省し神楽に参加する。５０年前までは世襲制で、親から子へ伝えられ、公の場では練習することはなかった。昭和４０年代に入り世襲制を無くしたことで、すべての演目が現在にも受け継がれてきている。

【Tsugao Kagura】
Tsugao District is located in a steep mountainous region of Kyushu on the right side of the upper Omaru River basin. It is located in the east of Shiiba Village and adjacent to former Nango Village. In old days, Tsugao had a kagura exchange with Kijino District of former Nango Village .
Tsugao kagura is performed at Tsugao Shrine on November 22nd every year. It is said that Mr. Saemonnosuke Kurogi learned kagura while visiting Aso Shrine in Bungo Province, and passed it down to the inhabitants of Tsugao in the Tensho era (1573～1593). Since then, kagura has been passed down continuously even during and after WW2. Mr. Saemonnosuke Kurogi was a pioneer of Tsugao as well as the first priest of Tsugao Shrine, and his descendants have kept masks such as “Onnamen”, which is written “Kanei 9 (1632) in black ink. Before the current hall of worship was renovated, night kagura was presented on mikouya, a sacred stage built outside of the hall of worship. The hall of worship served as a dressing room during a kagura performance.
The Tsugao Kagura Preservation Association is made up of 16 performers; however, only 6 of them are living in Tsugao district. The rest of them are natives and relatives living outside of the village, joining kagura performance.
Until 50 years ago, the repertoires used to be passed from father to son, and their practices were closed to the public. However, in 1965 and onwards, the hereditary system was abolished; and therefore, all the repertoires are surviving to date.