Events

Noh Seminar—Learn, Play and Watch
on Monday July 28, 2025

2025.07.28(Mon)

Overview

◆ Noh Seminar—Learn, Play and Watch

Noh play is one of Japan’s quintessential performing arts, established more than 600 years ago in the Muromachi period (14th century). Today, it is inscribed on UNESCO’s list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This summer holiday program comprises two parts, offering participants a chance to play the musical instruments for Noh plays and enjoy watching a play in the Noh theater. Part One is a unique opportunity to take part in a workshop on the instruments, including the fue (flute), kotsuzumi (shoulder drum), ōtsuzumi (hip drum), and taiko (drum), instructed by professional Noh musicians. In Part Two, participants watch authentic Noh and Kyōgen performance in the museum’s Noh Theater.
The seminar introduces Noh play Hagoromo (The Feather Mantle), in which the story unfolds between a nymph and a fisherman against the backdrop of Miho no Matsubara, one of Japan’s best scenic spots located in Shizuoka prefecture. The stage is appreciated for a number of artistic features, including the calm spring sea, white sandy beach and hazy Mount Fuji in the distance. Ucing on the cake is the elegant dance of the nymph. In a coupled kyōgen stage, Chatsubo (The Tea Box), a comical exchange ensues between a countryman and a con man, the latter trying to steal a box of tea from the former, ending up in being arbitrated by a governor, whose verdict is nothing but a surprise. The plays are preceded by short presentations by the Noh performers, who will provide easy-to-understand introductions and guide the audience through the highlights. This is a family-friendly event for summer holidays.

TICKETS

Saturday January 25: exclusive offer for Museum membership holders

Tuesday January 28: standard ticket sales open

Tickets are available online from the official website (access from the link below). You can also call us to book your tickets.

●Museum Online Ticket Shop at https://www.e-tix.jp/moaart/en/

●Telephone *Please note that phone booking is subject to a ticket delivery fee.
Noh Theater (MOA Museum of Art) Tel: 0557-84-2500

◆ Fee for Noh Seminar Part One: Workshop【Places Sold Out】

550 yen (note that participation only in Part One requires separately purchasing museum admission ticket to enter the museum.)

◆ Fees for Noh Seminar Part Two: Presentation and Show

S: 6,600 (5,500) yen *Figures in brackets are Membership concession rates
A: 5,500 (4,400) yen
B: 4,400 (3,300) yen
Children up to junior high school are admitted for 1,100 yen.

◆ Part One: Workshop【Places Sold Out】

Professional Noh theater musicians lead the workshop on how to play the instruments (flute and three types of drums). Playing the instruments is not obligatory (shadowing is an option).

Fee: 500 yen. Participation only in Part One is accepted (the admission fee to the Museum applies separately)
Places available: 60
Starting at 10:30
Venue: Museum Guest Reception Room on Floor 3

◆ Part Two: Presentation and Show

Starting at 13:00 (doors open at 12:20)

Presentation on Noh and Nogaku by Tatsumi Manjirō of Hōshō school
with descriptions of the plays in the program

Presentation on the kyōgen repertoire Chatsubo
by Nonura Mansai of Izumi school

Presentation on the Noh repertoire Hagoromo
by Takeda Yoshiteru of Kanze school

◆ Program: Noh play Hagoromo by Kanze school

- Performers -
Principal: Nymph by Kanze Saburōta
Counterpart: Fisherman by Fukuo Kazuyuki
Companion 1: Fisherman by Murase Dai
Companion 2: Fisherman by Yano Shohei
Fue (flute): Sugi Shintarō
Kotsuzumi (shoulder drum): Iitomi Yoriaki
Ōtsuzumi (hip drum): Kamei Hirotada
Taiko (drums): Katō Hiroki

◆ Program: Interlude (Kyōgen performance) Chatsubo by Izumi school

- Performers -
Principal: Suppa (con man) by Nomura Mansai
Counterpart: Chinese man by Kanazawa Keishū
Other: Governor by Nomura Yūki, and others

Kanze Saburōta, Kanze school of principal performers

A young principal performer of the Kanze school, who succeeds his father and the 26th principal actor, Kanze Kiyokazu. He was practically born into the Noh world, starting very early under his father’s instructions and making his debut at age 5. Subsequently, he performed on many stages during his childhood. His first principal role was in the play Kappo in 2009, and he had his mask-premier (lead role performed with a mask) in 2015, in the play Tsunemasa. He also performed on a number of important occasions, such as the official dinner to celebrate the current Emperor’s enthronement in 2019 and the 2023 G7 summit in Hiroshima, presenting Japan’s traditional cultural heritage before state leaders and delegates from many countries. As part of the Japan Cultural Expo’s special performance at the Kokyo Gaien National Garden, he performed several repertoires with his father at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo in March 2021. The previous occasion such as this was about 100 years ago. He currently assumes the post of vice president of Kanzekai and Director of Kanze Bunko archive.

Nomura Mansai, Izumi school of kyōgen performers

Trained by his grandfather and the 6th master Nomuar Manzō and his father Mansaku, Mansai today is a collective holder of the Important Intangible Cultural Property. He has been performing on stage since age 3. Mansai is an alumnus of Tokyo University of the Arts and organizes his kyōgen company Mansaku-no-kai. While being an internationally successful kyōgen performer, he has also been active in acting for films and TV dramas, as well as directing and choreographing modern stages inspired by literary classics, such as Atsushi, Macbeth, Requiem on the Great Meridian, the Noh version of Demon Slayer ‘Kimetsu no Yaiba’ and Hamlet. He underwent skill-training in the UK in 1994 as part of the Agency for Cultural Affairs’ overseas resident program. He has garnered numerous accolades from various art and theatrical events, including the Art Encouragement Prize for New Artists by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. His performance in the self-directed Requiem on the Great Meridian (2018) won him the Mainichi Art Award for the recognition of outstanding directorship. The play also received the best play award by the Yomiuri Theater Awards. He was also awarded the Kanze Hisao Memorial Noh Theatre Award of Hosei University in 2021 and the Matsuo Performing Arts Award in 2022. He currently teaches at Tokyo University of the Arts.