Kyoto Kanze Noh Theater — Attraction in Kyoto

京都観世会館 京都観世会館は、ユネスコの無形文化遺産である能・狂言の催しが鑑賞できる能楽堂です。舞台の正面には、鏡板（かがみいた）と呼ばれる松を描いた板があり、舞台の唯一の飾りとなっています。京都観世会館の松の絵は、京都出身の著名な日本画家である堂本印象（明治２４年～昭和５０年）によって描かれました。定例会のほか、年に一度の特別公演である「京都観世能」や「面白能楽館」の催しなど、一年を通して様々な公演・イベントが開催されています。

観世流の歴史 観世流の原型となったのは、南北朝時代に大和（奈良県）で活動していた猿楽芸能の一座・結崎座で、その結崎座に所属し、大夫（座の代表する役者）を勤めていた観阿弥清次が観世流の初代です。観阿弥は、息子の世阿弥とともに京都に進出し時の室町幕府三代将軍足利義満に認められ、その庇護のもと各地に勢力を伸ばします。都の貴族文化を吸収した観世座の能は、観阿弥、世阿弥父子の手によって芸能としてより洗練され、深みを増しました。観阿弥の後を継ぎ、二世観世大夫となった世阿弥は、夢幻能という独創的なスタイルを確立したほか、「風姿花伝」などの画期的な芸能論を著すなど、傑出した才能を発揮しました。能を深遠な人間論と哲学に貫かれた芸術に高めた世阿弥は、芸術史上の巨人として、今では国内のみならず世界からも注目され、仰ぎ見られる存在となっています。 Kyoto Kanze Kaikan The Kyoto Kanze Kaikan is a Noh theater where you can enjoy Noh and Kyogen performances, which are UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. At the front of the stage, there is a board with a picture of a pine tree called a kagamiita, which is the only decoration of the stage. The picture of the pine tree at the Kyoto Kanze Kaikan was painted by Domoto Insho (1891-1975), a famous Japanese painter from Kyoto. In addition to regular meetings, various performances and events are held throughout the year, such as the annual special performance "Kyoto Kanze Noh" and the "Interesting Noh Theater" event.

History of the Kanze School The prototype of the Kanze School was the Yuzaki-za, a sarugaku performing arts troupe that was active in Yamato (Nara Prefecture) during the Nanboku-cho period. Kan'ami Seiji, who belonged to the Yuzaki-za and served as the tayu (the leading actor of the troupe), was the first head of the Kanze School. Kan'ami and his son Zeami advanced to Kyoto and were recognized by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, the third shogun of the Muromachi shogunate, and under his patronage, the troupe expanded its influence to various regions. The Noh of the Kanze troupe, which absorbed the aristocratic culture of the capital, was further refined and deepened as an art form by Kan'ami and his son. Ze'ami, who succeeded Kan'ami as the second Kanze Dayu, demonstrated his outstanding talent by establishing the original style of Mugen Noh and writing groundbreaking works on the arts such as "Fushikaden." Ze'ami, who elevated Noh to an art form imbued with profound humanism and philosophy, is now a giant in the history of the arts, attracting attention and reverence not only from within Japan but also from...

My wife and I attended a special Noh performance designed for English speakers. The Noh culture and theatre was all new to us. Prior to the performance, the theatre provided an overview of what Noh was all about and a detailed introduction to the pay itself. In addition, the theatre provided an app that allowed for English subtitles as each act unfolded, making it much easier to follow the story. All the roles, including the women’s parts, were performed by male actors, which added another layer of tradition. I must say it takes a bit at to warm up to. But it provided wonderful and educational experience that offered an intriguing look into...

Went to see an authentic Noh play. There are audio guides with English explanations about what happens on the stage as well as history and background. As an experience this was somethi g totally different. People in the audience mumbled the lines for them selves, read the play or had a nap. At one point the entire row behind me was asleep. Nobody minded and nobody was offended. There were breaks between all four parts and the play took most paft of the day (about 5 hours).

Tickers were easy to order by phone and pay for at the entrance. Staff was very welcoming...