An Evening of Noh and Kyogen 2024

Every year in autumn, the Japan Foundation Kyoto Office organizes an event called “An Evening of Noh and Kyogen” to give people an opportunity to experience traditional Japanese culture, inviting international students, the Japan Foundation Fellows, and those enrolled at the Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai to join us.

Summary of An Evening of Noh and Kyogen 2024
Date and time Thursday, November 14, 2024 from 6:30 p.m.
(Doors will open at 6:00 p.m.)
Venue Kyoto Kanze Nohplay Theater (44 Enshoji-cho,Okazaki,Sakyo-ku,Kyoto)
Tel: +81-(0)75-771-6114
Flyer: An Evening of Noh and Kyogen 2024 (PDF:3.8MB)
Program

<Kyogen>
BOSHIBARI (Tied to a Pole)
Featuring: SHIGEYAMA Sengoro

<Noh>
TORU shaku-no-mai
Featuring: KATAYAMA Kurouemon

Organizers The Japan Foundation Kyoto Office
The Japan Foundation Japanese‐Language Institute, Kansai
Collaboration Katayama Noh and Kyomai Preservation Foundation,
Kyoto Kanzekai,
Shigeyama Kyogen Troupe,
Art Research Center, Ritsumeikan University
Endorsement Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto City, Kyoto City Tourist Association,
The Kyoto Shimbun Co., Ltd,Kyoto Arts and Culture Foundation
Admission Fees
(all free seating)
¥3,500 (students: ¥2,000)
Group discount (20 people or more) ¥3,150 (students: ¥1,800)
Tickets will be Available from Thursday, September 12 at

Kyoto Kanze Nohplay Theater
Box Office:44 Enshoji-cho,Okazaki,Sakyo-ku,Kyoto
Tel: +81-(0)75-771-6114
Online purchase/reservation (WEB):Reservation/Purchase ※Japanese only
The Japan Foundation Kyoto Office
Office:3rd Floor, Kyoto International Community House2-1 Torii-cho, Awataguchi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
Tel: +81-(0)75-762-1136

Programme Synopsis

Kyogen:BOSHIBARI (Tied to a Pole)

Photo of Kyogen BOSHIBARI

Whenever the master is away, his servants Taro Kaja and Jiro Kaja steal and drink his sake. To prevent them from doing their mischief during his absence, the master tricks them, ties them up, and goes out. Despite being bound, the two servants ingeniously devise a way to drink sake together and begin a lively drinking party. At that moment, the master returns home...

The element of humor shines through in the spectacle of the two bound servants, who, despite their constraints, cleverly find a way to drink sake. Dancing in that restrained predicament presents a significant challenge to the performers, making the scene a highlight of the play.

<Kyogen>

Kyogen is a form of comic theater that emerged during Japan’s Muromachi period (around 1336 to 1573) and developed alongside Noh. It traces its origins to “Sarugaku,” a form of Japanese entertainment dating back to the late Heian period (mid-12th century). Later, the term “Nohgaku” was created to encompass these twin arts of Noh and Kyogen. While Noh is a tragic musical play, Kyogen is a comedy based on spoken dialog and wordplay. Performed as an interlude between acts of the more solemn Noh play, Kyogen creates comic relief, inducing laughter from the audience like a circus clown.

Stories of blunders in everyday life or making fun of the little quarrels among couples are the favorite motifs of Kyogen, a laughter theme unchanging even in modern days. Kyogen is a universal form of art that has made people laugh for centuries and will for centuries to come.

Noh: TORU shaku-no-mai

Photo of Noh TORU

The allure of the noh performance Toru lies in its magnificent dance.

The play centers around Minamoto no Toru, a real-life aristocrat from the 9th century. Born the son of an emperor, Toru built a splendid mansion in Kyoto, where he embraced a life of refined cultural pursuits in his garden.
Years later, a traveling priest visits the ruins of the now desolate estate. On an autumn evening, as the full moon rises in the eastern sky, an old man carrying pails appears and says: This is the site of the grand mansion built by Minamoto no Toru, a place where he replicated the scenic landscape of the Tohoku region, had seawater brought from Osaka Bay to make salt, and relished the purple smoke that rose during the process. Basking in the moonlight with the traveling priest, the old man shows how he draws water with his pail before vanishing into thin air.
That night, the spirit of Toru manifests himself, just as he was in life. Under the radiance of the full moon, the ruins recapture their former splendor. Toru, admiring the landscape, performs a beautiful dance to the music. As the moon sets in the west, he disappears.

The refined and intricate movements, exquisite noh costumes, and melodious music of Toru all epitomize Japan’s graceful beauty.

<Noh>

Noh traces its origins as far back as the 14th century, and it has continued to this day, uninterrupted. Noh was originally a form of entertainment for the common people, as a rite performed to pray for bountiful harvests and good fortune. It later began to draw its plots from works of classical literature, giving the audience a greater appreciation for the literary depth of the world. Its themes include gods’ blessings, prayers for the dead, manifestation of beauty, and states of emotional unrest in the face of a crisis. These themes are universal, and hence Noh has continued to be appreciated.
The methods of expression in Noh have been refined over hundreds of years, and are distilled down to a bare minimum, evoking the audience’s imagination and inviting them to actively infer the significance of each move for themselves. Masks, costumes, music, and movements embody the essential features of Japanese culture. Join us, and we will guide you through the world of Noh to invite you to experience the essence of Japanese culture.

Profile

SHIGEYAMA Sengoro

Photo of Sengoro Shigeyama

Born in 1972. Eldest son of Shigeyama Sensaku V. Birth name Masakuni.
First appeared on stage at the age of four as the protagonist of “Iroha.” Subsequently led such projects as the Hanagata Kyogen Kai, the Kyogen Shogekijo, “TOPPA!,” and the Kokoromi no Kai in his efforts to win new fans not just for Kyogen but also for Noh theater itself. Currently, he is working to communicate the appeal of Kyogen to a wider age-range of audiences by leading such projects as the Shigeyama Kyogen Kai, the “Cutting Edge KYOGEN” group (a revamped Hanagata Kyogen Kai), the Kashizuki no Kai in partnership with his younger brother, Shigeru, and the Waraenai Kai in partnership with Rakugo specialist Katsura Yonekichi. He has also actively collaborated with artists in other theatrical genres, including Yan Qinggu of the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company and the Sichuan opera face changing master Jiang Peng. Succeeded to Shigeyama Sengoro XIV in 2016. Recipient of the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ New Artist Award of the National Arts Festival in 2005, recipient of Kyoto Prefectural Culture Award’s Distinguished Service Prize in 2008.

KATAYAMA Kurouemon

Photo of KATAYAMA Kurouemon

A shite (primary actor) of the Kanze School of Noh, Katayama Kurouemon was born in 1964 in Kyoto as the first son of Katayama Yusetsu (Katayama Kurouemon IX). His grandmother was the late Inoue Yachiyo IV, the former head of the Inoue School of the traditional Kyoto Kyomai dance, and his older sister is Inoue Yachiyo V, the head of the Inoue School.He studied Noh under his father and then Kanze Tetsunojo VIII. He organizes the Katayama Regular Noh performances. He performs frequently in theaters throughout the country, and often joins overseas tours as well.

He is involved in a variety of activities which are designed to share the joy of Noh with younger generations, including visiting Noh classes at schools, production of Noh picture books, and the creation of virtual Noh plays using computer graphics technology.
He is a recipient of the Kyoto Prefectural Cultural Encouragement Award, the Kyoto Municipal New Artist Award, the New Artist Award of the National Arts Festival of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Japan Traditional Cultures Foundation Award, the Kyoto Prefectural Culture Award’s Distinguished Service Prize, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists, and the Hisao Kanze Memorial Hosei University Nohgaku Award.
He is a holder of Important Intangible Cultural Properties (collective recognition) and also serves as director of the Kyoto Kanze Kai association and President of the Katayama Noh and Kyomai Preservation Foundation.

[Contact Us]

The Japan Foundation Kyoto Office
(3rd Floor, Kyoto International Community House 2-1 Torii-cho, Awataguchi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto)
Tel: +81-(0)75-762-1136