Stone Stage, South Gate, and Musicians’ Galleries
Many of the festivals and ceremonies at Sumiyoshi Taisha include kagura and gagaku performances. Kagura is an ancient religious dance and gagaku is the music that accompanies it. At Sumiyoshi Taisha, these performances are staged in the area directly between the four main shrines and the South Gate.
In the center is a stone stage that faces north toward the four shrines. It was built in 1607 to replace a wooden stage at the request of Toyotomi Hideyori (1593–1615), whose father Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–1598) ruled Japan at the end of the sixteenth century. Hideyori’s mother, Yododono (1567–1615), is said to have donated the Sorihashi Bridge at the western entrance to the shrine.
On performance days, a vermillion fence is placed along the edge of the stage, and the two galleries located on either side of the south gate are opened for musicians who perform inside. Two large taiko drums are set up near the galleries. As they perform, the musicians and kagura dancers face the main shrines, toward the gods of Sumiyoshi Taisha, rather than toward the crowds who gather to watch them.
The ports near Sumiyoshi Taisha were once the center of international trade in Japan, and the development of kagura and gagaku was influenced by the musical traditions brought by sailors and visitors from mainland Asia. This mixing of cultures influenced many parts of Japanese daily life and is one of the reasons why Sumiyoshi Taisha remains connected to the performing arts today, especially poetry and dance.
The stage, gate, and galleries are designated Important Cultural Properties.