National Noh Theater — Attraction in Tokyo

Great to be here to enjoy Noh!

The master of the Kanze school, Katayama Kuroemon, performed "Yorimasa." In "Yorimasa," the ghost of Minamoto no Yorimasa tells the story of how, after losing the battle against the Taira clan, he committed suicide at Byodo-in Temple in Uji, reciting his death poem, "For the flowers of the buried tree had never bloomed, and my fate was pitiful." This Shura Noh piece was written by Zeami, who perfected Noh and left behind many masterpieces. Yorimasa, who was both a military commander and a poet who left behind a collection of poems, looks back on his life, which he likens to a "buried tree." In the Kyogen performance, the brothers Nomura Man and Nomura Mansaku, both Living National Treasures, will compete in "Fujimatsu." The master tries to get hold of the Fujimatsu (larch) that Tarokaja picked on a pilgrimage to Mount Fuji, and Tarokaja refuses to let him. The dialogue between the two, including their exchange of renga verse, will bring laughter. Noh is the quintessence of Japanese culture that was born in the Muromachi period and has survived through turbulent times. It is a supreme art performed by the best Noh actors in modern Japan, with solid technique and rich,...

This is where you can see traditional Noh theater (different from Kabuki, and older than it, the female figures wear mask). The place is huge and majestic. There is a small LCD screen in front of each seat, to provide subtitle in English and Japanese (yes, even Japanese people don't understand all the narrations, which are in old Japanese language). Other than that, there is no other English language info available for non-Japanese speakers. There is a nice small open garden, to catch some fresh air during the...

Fun and educational experience, a deeper understanding of the performances was possible because every seat is provided with access to four channels in Japanese, English, Korean and Chinese that has translations of the full scripts of the plays being performed, and even during the intermission no time was wasted because there are many other interesting things to see during that time, like the exhibition room or the small incredibly beautiful garden inside the theater, all in all it was a rich and enjoyable...