The 18th Tokyo Dai Takigi Noh (5)

  The third performance was “Yoro Shugen”(“Yoro Celebration”), a noh play about a waterfall in Gifu Prefecture that is said to have medicinal water. An imperial messenger sets out on a search for the waterfall and runs into two men who know where it is. They take him to waterfall and the mountain god, performed by Takao Yamauchi, a noh actor who made his stage debut at the age of seven, appears. The story ended with the mountain god’s graceful dance of a prayer for longevity and peace.

                                    Takao Yamauchi plays Yamanokami during "Yoro 'Shugen'"

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The 18th Tokyo Dai Takigi Noh (4)

 The second part of the program was “Shibiri”(“The Inherited Cramp”), a traditional kyogen piece. Just as Tatsumi explained that kyogen is a form of traditional comic theater that often depicts funny and somehow lovable adults, the characters in this short comedy were both witty.

 The master of a house orders Taro Kaja, performed by Noritoshi Yamamoto, a kyogen-kata(lead comic actor) of the Okura School and a designated Important Intangible Cultural Property, to run an errand to prepare for a sudden visitor. But Kaja refuses to go, saying that he is suffering an attack of his chronic paralysis. The master says:”What a pity. My uncle has invited us to dinner, but you won’t be able to make it.” Kaja replies that he will try to talk sense into his paralysis. The comical dialogue and movements drew laughter from the audience.

The 18th Tokyo Dai Takigi Noh (3)

 

On a stage illuminated by torches, the musician and jiuai (chorus) sat down quietly, and a high shrieking sound from a bamboo flute marked the beginning of the story.

 The first performance was “Kasuga Ryujin”(“The Kasuga Dragon God”). It is a story about a monk who plans to travel abroad and the dragon god who tries to stop him. Myoe Shonin, a Buddhist monk, who decided to travel to scared Buddhist sites in China and India, appears on the stage. He has come to visit Kasuga Shrine in Nara to announce his itinerary.

But an old Shinto priest, performed by Tatsumi, tries to convince him to continue his Buddhist practice in Japan. Tatsumi had explained prior to the performance that traveling abroad meant risking one’s own life because about one-third of vessels sank during voyages in the Kamakura Period (1185 to 1333), when the story set.

The monk finally agrees and gives up his trip and the delighted old priest promises to show him the life story of Buddha and disappears. Then, the dragon god, also performed by Tasumi, appears again and presents Buddhas life story before the eyes of the monk, and vanishes into a pond.

The 18th Tokyo Dai Takigi Noh (2)

 Prior to the programs, Manjiro Tatsumi, a Hosho School shite-kata (lead actor) and a designated Important Intangible Cultural Property, told the audience how to best enjoy noh and what each performance was about. He said, “Noh is the aesthetics of subtraction,” meaning that the simplicity in noh’s stage sets and props as well as noh actors’ movements and dialogues is a result of pursuing minimalistic beauty. He said, “The audience is expected to add their own imagination to what they see on the stage,” emphasizing that it is the power of the audience that makes a small and empty stage of noh an infinite space.

He added that “For over a thousand years, noh theater has been consistently expressing a prayer for peace.”

Tatsumi’s explanation about the programs helped the audience understand the stories even though the actors speak in ancient Japanese.

                                              Dr.Haruhisa Handa performs at the 18th Dai 

                                                  Takigi Noh(Noh by Firelight) in Sep.2018. 

                                                  He could not perform at this year's event due to

                                                   an injury.

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The 18th Tokyo Dai Takigi Noh(1)

　 On the evening of October 16, the 18^th Tokyo Dai Takigi Noh was held at the Citizen’s Plaza located in front of Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. The event was started in 1998 by the International Foundation for Arts and Culture (IFAC) as a rare opportunity for people to enjoy the art performed by noh professionals free of charge. Except for 2011, the year of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and between 2015 and 2017 while the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building underwent repairs, the event had been held every year until 2018. This is the first time for the performance since the beginning of infection of the COVID-19 pandemic.

 IFAC promotes arts, culture and education through supporting and funding various projects internationally. It was founded by Dr.Haruhisa Handa, also known as Toshu Fukami, who is a philanthropist, business leader, calligrapher, painter and operatic baritone, as well as noh actor of the Hosho School and member of Nogaku Performers’ Association. Dr.Handa studied noh at Doshisha University’s Hosho Noh society under the tutelage of Nihei Kashiwabara and Takashi Tatsumi. This time, the event was supported by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Cultural Affairs agency.  

 He was supposed to perform the leading role of “Sagi” (“The Heron”), one of the three performances at this year’s event. However, the program was replaced by a different piece because of his recent knee injury.

 

                              Manjiro Tatsumi plays Ryujin during "Kasuga Ryujin"

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The opera "Shotoku Taishi" (3)

 

The first act began with a battle scene, followed by a story of the politics of power centered around aristocratic politician Soga no Umako performed by Ryoichi Shimizu. Prince Shotoku found the situation wrong and revealed his resolution to create an ideal nation based on respect for Buddha and order, to his wife Tojiko no Iratsume, performed by soprano Hiroko Onuki, and Hata no Kawakatsu, performed by baritone Koya Muramatsu.

 

The second act illustrated how the prince put in place various policies based on the principles of equality, peace and global perspective under the rule of Empress Suiko.

The prince declares to Tojiko, “I have a dream. I want to make this country warless and peaceful.”

It also shows how Soga no Umako began to see the prince as a political rival and a threat, and how Tojiko, a daughter of Soga no Umako, was torn between her father and her husband.

 

The third act portrayed how the prince is grieving the loss of his wife and suffering from a loss of confidence when he receives salvation from Guze Kannon, a deity of mercy, and encouragement from his supporters. The Kannon performed a noh dance together with Prince Shotoku. Finally, in the climax, the prince renews his commitment to making an ideal nation with greater confidence and strength…

 

The performance ended with warm applause from the audience, and the applause never seemed to stop.

 

Dr.Handa left a comment in the program saying that this opera is asking the people of today’s Japan how they should respond to the message left by Prince Shotoku 1400 years ago at a time when a globalized Japan is facing numerous challenges.    

                 The climax scene of the opera 

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The opera "Shotoku Taishi" (2)

 

The opera incorporated not only ballet but also noh performances to make entire work deeper and more elegant. The performances were directed and choreographed by Tokyo City Ballet Director Nobuyoshi Nakajima and Manjiro Tatsumi, a noh performer of Hosho school. The music was composed by three people including Tomiko Kojiba, and it was beautifully played by the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra.  

 

Dr.Handa said, “We wanted to take a fresh look at Prince Shotoku without deifying him and as a realistic human being who held onto his ideals despite various sufferings and setbacks.” This perspective was even more remarkable for this year’s performance. Major revisions was made to the original script to make it more historically accurate yet dynamic, with more focus on the prince’s Buddhist side. For this reason, Hata no Kawakatsu, who is believed to have been a close secretary to the prince, was inserted into the new script. The music was renewed well with the addition of arias and duets.

　　Tojiko no Iratsume, played by Hiroko Onuki (right), and Prince Shotoku, played by Toshu Fukami

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