PLEASE NOTE: There will be a free, pre-performance lecture on Kyogen at 6:30pm.

Kyogen is a form of traditional Japanese comedic theater which balances the more solemn form of Japanese theater called Noh. It was originally developed to provide comic relief between heavier, more serious Noh acts. Kyogen represents a wellspring for traditional Japanese performing arts and, as such, has had tremendous influence on Kabuki and other arts that developed later. Kyogen plays are almost all comedic spoken dramas, and are easy to understand. Performers wear traditional Japanese costumes without any make-up, using very unique vocalizations and particular methods of stepping around and across the stage.

Please join us for a very special presentation of Kyogen, including Obagasake, a comical play involving a nephew who loves sake and his stingy aunt who runs a liquor shop. The nephew disguises himself as an oni (demon) in order to trick his aunt, who does not want to give him anything to drink. He is ultimately successful in getting a hold of her sake, but finds it to be a challenge to drink with his oni mask on.

About the Artist:

Manzo Nomura IX - From childhood, he received rigorous training from both his grandfather (Manzo Nomura VI) and his father (Man Nomura), both of whom are recognized Living National Treasures. At the age of 4, Manzo Nomura IX appeared on stage in his debut role as a child monkey in the play Utsubo-zaru. After that, he performed numerous roles in plays such as Nasunoyoichigatari (1985), Sanbasou (1988), Tsurikitsune (1990), Kanaoka (1994), Hanago (1996). Manzo Nomura IX leads Yorozu Kyogen, a branch of the Manzo family school, and has held performances not only in Japan but in America, Canada, Spain, Korea, and other countries as well. One can see a dignified style in Manzo Nomura IX’s acting which he has inherited from his father, and which makes him a precious and rare performer in the modern age.

Co-presented with The Japan Foundation

Held in conjunction with the exhibition Kamakura: Realism and Spirituality in the Sculpture of Japan, on view at Asia Society Museum from February 9 to May 8, 2016