The First Udaka Michishige Memorial performance event / Maibayashi “Kantan”

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8月22日（日曜日）故宇髙通成一周忌追善会「景雲会大会」にて舞囃子〈邯鄲〉を金剛流師範として勤めさせていただきます。通成先生は芸術として能を稽古するだけではなく、能を通じて人生を新たな視点から見る方法を教えてくれました。私たちにとってこの日は通成先生にもう一度感謝を伝える大事な機会となります。皆様のご来場を心よりお待ち申し上げます。

I’m happy to announce that, on August 22 (Sun) 2021 I will perform the maibayashi excerpt from the nō play “Kantan” on the occasion of the first Udaka Michishige Memorial Performance event at the Kongō Nō Theatre in Kyoto.

This will be my first performance as “shihan” (licensed instructor) of the Kongō School. Michishige-sensei took care of my shihan license application in 2020, from his hospital bed. Though the illness weakened him, he took care of his students until the very last moment. This day will be an important chance for us to express our gratitude to Michishige-sensei, whose work showed us a way we see nō not only as art, but as a way to see life. I hope you will join us on this special day! The event begins at 11:00 with various dance excerpts. I will perform at around 12:45.

Sono felice di annunciare che, Domenica 22 Agosto 2021 parteciperò alla prima performance in memoria del Maestro Udaka Michishige con un maibayashi estratto dal dramma nō “Kantan” presso il Teatro Nō Kongō, a Kyoto.

Questa sara’ la mia prima performance in qualità di “shihan” (istruttore certificato) della scuola Kongō. Il Maestro Michishige si prese cura della mia domanda di certificazione nell’inverno del 2020, dal suo letto di ospedale. Nonostante la malattia lo avesse indebolito, il Maestro si prese cura dei suoi studenti fino all’ultimo momento. Questo giorno sarà un’opportunità per esprimere nuovamente la nostra gratitudine al Maestro Michishige, il cui lavoro ci ha mostrato un modo di vedere il nō non solo come arte, ma anche come vita.

Matsuyama Shimin Noh 2014 – Aoinoue mumyo no inori

Next Sunday (November 3rd, which is both my birthday and the ‘culture day’ in Japan) I will take part to the Matsuyama Shimin Noh performance at the Yamatoya Honten Noh stage in Matsuyama, Shikoku. The event begins at 10:00 with a recital (entry free of charge), featuring Udaka Michishige’s students. I will perform a shimai, or dance excerpt, from the Noh Uta-ura, and will sing in the su-utai chanting of the Noh Kogō. The main event will be Udaka-sensei’s performance of Aoinoue in the ‘mumyō no inori’ kogaki, or variation. I am lucky enough to have a privileged observation spot, serving in the ji-utai chorus for this performance.

Every year in November Udaka Michishige takes the shite main role at the Matsuyama Shimin Noh performance. Although based in Kyoto, Udaka regularly teaches both utai/shimai and mask carving in Nagoya, Okazaki, Tokyo, Yokohama, and Matsuyama in Shikoku, the area where his family originally comes from. He is a descendent of two Shikoku families: Udaka and Kawada. The Udaka family had a castle in Niihama City during the medieval period and later served the Matusdaira clan feudal lords in Matsuyama as Noh actors from 1712 until the start of the Meiji period.

For this year’s shimin Noh we are giving away 2 free tickets to the first two people who contact us so make sure not to miss this chance if you are in Matsuyama next weekend! Find contact details below.

Aoinoue

Based on an episode from the Tale of Genji, the 11th century masterpiece by Murasaki Shikibu, the main character is not Lady Aoi, the wife of Prince Genji, but Lady Rokujo, the most intriguing female character in the novel. Once Genji’s lover but now abandoned by him and filled with resentment towards his wife after a humiliating incident at the Kamo Festival where her coach was forced out of its viewing spot by Lady Aoi’s retainers, Lady Rokujō’s living spirit torments her rival. A shamaness is sent to discover the source of the possession of Lady Aoi and then an exorcism is performed by the priest Kohijiri, finally bringing Rokujo to her senses by calling on the power of the Buddhist sutras. In the mumyō no inori kogaki or ‘Exorcism in Spiritual Darkness Variation’, the robe used to represent Lady Aoi is white rather than red, and Lady Rokujo leaves the stage for a change of costume rather than retreating to the koken-za stage attendants’ seat for only a change of mask. She returns in nagabakama, long vermillion trousers, often with a Nagakamoji, an extension of the wig that emphasises that Lady Rokujo’s is a noblewoman, increasing the sense of horror at the intensity of the expression of her jealousy in choreography also more graphic than in the standard production.

(Text by Rebecca Teele Ogamo)

Ehime University Noh Club

Udaka Michishige has taught students of the Ehime University Noh Theatre Club for over 30 years. Club activities include the practice of Noh chant and dance as well as workshops and performances. Every year in November club members join other students of Udaka at Matsuyama Municipal Noh Performance. Lessons are held both in Japanese and in English. Email: Kmct1q_es@ezweb.ne.jp

For information please contact:

KYOTO
Keiun-kai INI Main Offices, Training Center
111 Satta-cho, Kami-takano, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-0047
Tel: (075)701-1055
Fax: (075)701-1058

Email: ogamo-tr@mbox.kyoto-inet.or.jp (c/o Rebecca TEELE-OGAMO)

MATSUYAMA
Matsuyama Keiun-kai Shikibutai
Yamagoe 4-chome 11-38, Matsuyama, Ehime
Tel/Fax: (089) 924-8554

14th ‘Seiran Noh’ – MIDARE, FUTARI SHIZUKA

The Seiran-Noh (青蘭能) is a yearly performance at the Kongo Noh theatre in Kyoto featuring Udaka Michishige and his sons, Udaka Tatsushige and Udaka Norishige. Until now known as ‘Seigan Noh’, the event has recently changed its name into ‘Seiran’ honouring Udaka Michishige’s great-grandfather, painter Kawada Shoryo (1824-1898), who was closely related to Sakamoto Ryoma, one of the central characters in the Meiji restoration. Kawada’s favourite flower was the orchid (‘ran’ 蘭).

See below for ticket reservation

This year’s Seiran Noh (8 September 2013) features the Noh Midare, a special variation (kogaki) of the Noh Shōjō in which the midare-ashi a particularly unusual and challenging dance, is performed instead of the usual chu-no-mai medium tempo dance. Midare is a hiraki-mono, one of the plays marking a performer’s passage into a new phase of their career. This year Udaka Norishige will perform Midare, follow ing his father and elder brother’s steps.

The second play is Futari Shizuka, (‘Two Shizukas’), a third category play based on happenings and characters from the Genpei War tales. The special feature of this play is the instrumental dance performed by identically dressed shite and shite-tsure: the spirit of Minamoto no Yoshitsune’s lover Shizuka Gozen and a woman possessed by her. Futari Shizuka will be performed by Udaka Michishige and his eldest son, Udaka Tatsushige.

8 September 2013・The 14th Annual Udaka Seiran Noh Performance

Kongo Noh Theatre 1:30~5:00 p.m. (doors open at 1:00p.m.)

Noh: FUTARI SHIZUKA

Shite: UDAKA Michishige, Tsure: UDAKA Tatsushige

Kyogen: KURI YAKI

Shite: SHIGEYAMA Shime, Ado: SHIGEYAMA Motohiko

Noh: MIDARE

Shite: UDAKA Norishige

Tickets: Center Reserved Seats 7,000 yen, Side Reserved Seats 6,000 yen, General Admission Mid-center Seats 5,000 yen, Student, General Admission Mid-center Seats 2,000 yen

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

The Noh Diaries

In, on, and around nō theatre

Michishige