10th, and Final, Sanrinshojo series Noh Performance

TORU

(Jusandan-no-mai)

Master-Actor UDAKA Michishige

3 November 2012 The National Noh Theatre, Tokyo
 1:30~4:20 p.m. (doors open at 12:30p.m.)

Synopses of the plays will be available at the theatre free of charge in English, French, German, and Italian.

UDAKA Michishige created his ‘Sanrinshojo series’ to take on the challenge of performing in Tokyo once a year one of the ten great classics of Noh drama. The title of the series is from lines in the Noh MIWA that refer to the development and purification of the body or action, speech or vocal expression, and mind or intention. When these become one on stage an unforgettable experience of the world of Noh occurs. Before this final performance of the series, UDAKA Michishige treasures advice he was given ten years ago, the words of Edo period poet Basho: “Do not follow in the footsteps of the men of the past; rather, seek what they sought”.

In the Noh Toru we meet the spirit of Minister Minamoto-no-Toru. He built a magnificent villa in Kyoto where he created a replica of the salt kilns of Shiogama in Miyagi prefecture. This highly evocative Noh describes the beauty of the Matsushima area, one of the three most famous scenic spots in Japan, through the eyes of Toru. The Noh closes with the Jusandan-no- mai, the kogaki variation featured in this year’s performance. A Dance in Thirteen Movements, it repeats the standard five movements of the Haya-mai Fast Tempo Dance in the Banshiki mode related to the element water, and closes with three movements of the Kyu-no-mai, Rapid Dance in a rapturous meditation on the fleeting beauty of life.

PROGRAMME:
Commentary:     Dr. ONO Yoshiro, Professor (Kyoto Institute of Technology)
Kyogen:                AKUTARO (MIYAKE Ukon)
Noh:                      TORU Jusandan-no-mai (UDAKA Michishige)

Tickets:
Reserved (stage front) 7,000 yen, Reserved (side) 6,000 yen, General admission (middle) 5,000 yen, Student (middle) 2,000 yen. For tickets or further information contact: ogamo-tr@mbox.kyoto-inet.or.jp and mention INI (International Noh Institute) when you book your ticket!

↓↓↓ Download the programme below ↓↓↓