the 17th Tokyo Dai Takigi Noh 2018

 The International Foundation for Arts and Culture, or IFAC, organized the “17^th Tokyo Dai Takigi Noh.” The event was sponsored by the Agency for Cultural affairs and Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The event was a chance for the general public, including foreigners, to watch a noh performance for free in an open-air environment at the Toyo Citizen’s Plaza in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku Ward on Sept.23.

 With the exception of 2011 when the Great East Japan Earthquake hit Japan, the event was held annually until 2014, then due to the Tokyo Citizen’s Plaza renovations beginning in 2015, the 17^th Tokyo Dai Takigi Noh was put off until this year.

 Noh or Nogaku prospered in the 14^th century Japan. It is one of the major traditional arts in Japan. It maintained its presence to present day.

Actors perform noh at the Tokyo Citizen's Plaza 

in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building

in Shinjuku Ward, Sept.23.

IFAC 

 Nogaku is a musical drama where only male actors perform. They portray various actors including masked ghosts and goblins on top of the regular male and female roles.

 Also, the Noh was added to the representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity designated by UNESCO.

 For non-Japanese speakers to understand and fully immerse themselves in the performance, simultaneous interpretation into English was offered throughout the event. The pamphlet, printed in both Japanese and English, were handed out to the 4,177 people who gathered to watch the classical Japanese theatrical art.

 The event was livestreamed on YouTube as well.

  IFAC Chairman Dr.Haruhisa Handa said in the opening remarks, “I was glad to be back to the Tokyo Citizen’s Plaza, a perfect venue to experience noh, to restart and continue the tradition of the event.”  



(source: THE JAPAN TIMES, October 6, 2018）