NOH

MYSTICAL ART FORM UPS AUDIENCE IMMERSION

Aserene sanctuary divided from the bustle of the surrounding metropolitan Tokyo, the gardens of the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum are the venue for this year’s open-air noh event scheduled on Oct. 11 and 12. Organized by Arts Council Tokyo, the Noh Theater in the Garden will offer a rare opportunity for both Japanese and foreign audiences to enjoy the traditional composite art form, with a history of 600 years, on the large lawn of an autumn garden.

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Connecting with viewers

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A hands-on experience

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Active storytelling

On the first day, a noh masterpiece, the tragic story of “Kurozuka” (“Black Mound”), will be performed. It is an emotional story of the solitary life of an ogress in the mountains. One night, a group of yamabushi, or mountain ascetics, looks for a place to sleep and finds a house where a woman lives alone. She kindly offers overnight shelter and says she will go out and get some firewood. As she leaves the house, she warns the visitors not to open the door to her room, but one of the monks opens it anyway. Inside, they find a pile of dead bodies and realize the woman is an ogress. She tries to attack them, but they barely manage to protect themselves with the help of Buddha.

“The story depicts the sadness that leads to malice. Disconnectedness eats away at people’s minds and pushes them to the edge,” said Tomoeda.

The second day’s performance is “Funa-Benkei” (“Benkei in a Boat”), which is about the escape of Minamoto no Yoshitsune, a renowned general of the Minamoto clan, from a mistrustful brother. As Yoshitsune and his best subordinate, Benkei, sail on the Seto Inland Sea, the ghost of Taira no Tomomori, killed by Yoshitsune in a previous battle, suddenly appears and fiercely attacks them. Benkei’s prayers eventually calm the vengeful spirit and the ghost disappears into the ocean depths. “What makes the storytelling of noh unique is that the main characters are often not historical heroes,” Tomoeda said.

The story of “Kurozuka” takes place in a mountain, while “Funa-Benkei” is set in the ocean. “Even without stage settings or large props, the stage can turn into a mountain or sea just by the movements, actions and voices of the actors who control the space. I hope there will be many people in the audience who will watch both shows to enjoy the difference,” said Tomoeda.