What is a specific Shinto ceremonial dance called?

Kagura ("god-entertainment") is a specific type of Shinto ritual ceremonial dance. Once strictly a ceremonial art derived from "kami'gakari" ("oracular divinification"), kagura has evolved in many directions over the span of more than a millennium. Today, it is very much a living tradition, with rituals tied to the rhythms of the agricultural calendar, thriving primarily in parts of Shimane prefecture, and urban centers such as Hiroshima.

The epics "Kojiki" and "Nihon Shoki" describe a folktale origin for the dances. In these texts, there is a famous legendary tale about the sun goddess Amaterasu, who retreated into a cave, bringing darkness and cold to the world. Ame-no-Uzume, goddess of the dawn and of revelry, led the other gods in a wild dance, and persuaded Amaterasu to emerge to see what the ruckus was all about.

Around the time of the beginning of the Tokugawa shogunate (1603–1868) performances derived from this emerged in Edo (modern Tokyo) as a major form of entertainment. In connection with the celebrations surrounding the beginning of the shogunate, lion dances, acrobatics, juggling, and a great variety of other entertainments were performed on stages across the city, all nominally under the auspices of "daikagura". Over the course of the period, these came to be more closely associated with "rakugo" storytelling and other forms of popular entertainment, and still today, "daikagura" continues to be performed and include many elements of street entertainment.