2016 – the year of the Monkey – is here and it is time to celebrate (Noh style) at the INI headquarters in Kyoto.
The chōken dance cloak with the golden phoenix design used in the Noh Hagoromo, and the Okina kazari doll and decoration are on display. After performing at the Yasaka Shinto shrine, Kongo school actors will perform celebratory pieces at the Kongo Noh theatre this aftenoon.
We will be there!
In the early hours of September 13th 2015 Udaka Michishige continued with putting the finishing touches on the Deigan mask he would use later that day in his performance of Teika, the center piece of the 16th Seirannoh-no-kai at the Kongo Noh Theatre: adding more color, polishing, pausing to check the effect once again. This was the latest effort in the search for the essence of the expression of the Deigan mask, in this case for the essence that would most effectively portrayal his interpretation of the spirit of Princess Shokushi Naishinno. As always the process was continuing until the last possible moment.
His thoughts at this time as he kept on with this search included welcoming the 45th observance of his independence as a Noh actor and also his wishes for INI members. “Independence” can mean embarking on a lonely road and uncompromising battle of seeking the essence of your art. Michishige continues to be his own harshest critic and taskmaster, but he also treasures and finds strength in fellow travellers on the path. He hopes that you, too, as his fellow travellers are keeping to your path of seeking the highest essence in your endeavours.
Michishige also looks forward to sharing in training and performing Noh with as many of you as possible in the Gala Noh Recital at the Kongo Noh Theatre on August 21, 2016. More details will be coming soon, but please put the date down on your calendar and get in touch with us with any questions. As always at INI will do what we can to facilitate your participation.
In closing, the performance of Teika was very well received. Here are a few photos from the performance though they are hardly a substitute for the experience of the performance itself.
Rebecca Teele Ogamo
On November 3rd 2015 Udaka Michishige will perform the Noh Fujito. Udaka Tatsushige, his elder son, will perform the maibayashi (chant and dance excerpt with instrumental dance) from the Noh Awaji, while his younger brother Norishige will perform the shimai Kiyotsune.
In Fujito the spirit of the young fisherman who revealed to Sasaki no Moritsuna the shallows at the straits of Fujito so that he is able to take the enemy by surprise, appears and acts out how he was killed by Moritsuna, his body left to sink at the straits to ensure that the secret would not be revealed to anyone else. The Buddhist service Moritsuna offers on his behalf enables the spirit to gain enlightenment.
From 10:00 to 14:30 students of Udaka Michishige will perform dance and chant excerpts. INI members will also participate with the following shimai: Diego Pellecchia (高谷大悟): Kamo, Elaine Czech: Miwa. The performance of KIyotsune, Awaji, and Fujito will begin at 15:00.
Tickets: General Admission ¥5,500 Advance Sale: ¥5,000
Student Admission ¥1,500
For questions and reservations contact us.
KYOTO INI Main Offices, Training Center 111 Satta-cho, Kami-takano, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-0047 Fax: +81 (075) 701-1058 Email: ini.kyoto (at) gmail.com
CRT Milan, AsiaTeatro and the International Noh Institute have organised a four-day event series in Milan, Italy from October 14th to October 17. The events include lectures on the origins, history and aesthetics of Noh, a photography exhibition Fabio Massimo Fioravanti‘s (running until November 1st), and afternoon demonstrations (15-16-17) by INI member and Kongo school certified instructor Monique Arnaud.
Detailed info on the program, times and prices here (in Italian).
Kongo-school certified instructor Monique Arnaud (Photo: Fabio Massimo Fioravanti)
Dorothée Neff
Dorothée Neff is a young member of the Berliner Ensemble, the legendary theatre company founded by Bertolt Brecht in Berlin soon after the end of WWII. Dorothée has spent a month studying Noh with Udaka Michishige and the INI, seeking to expand her knowledge of performance beyond the boundaries of Western theatre. It has been a great pleasure to welcome her and see her develop dance and chant skills in such a short time. Sadia Gordon, whom we introduced in an earlier post, and Dorothée formed a great combo, helping each other as they moved through their first steps in the world of Noh. Below are some reflections she was kind enough to send us. I love the way she describes the INI as an intimate group in which the Noh tradition is transmitted from heart to heart, mind to mind, body to body.
Diego Pellecchia, INI Junior Director
by Dorothée Neff
After performing in Robert Wilsons “Faust I & II” at the Berliner Ensemble, I very much felt the desire to travel to Japan to learn more about Noh Theatre, since I could feel a very strong influence of Japanese culture and theatre on his theatrical work with us actors in Berlin. Before my first lesson at the Okeikoba, Diego Pellecchia introduced me and three of my fellow students to Japanese manners – how we should sit, greet, behave and talk in front of our teacher, Udaka Michishige. I soon realized that Japanese culture and Noh theatre go hand in hand together and I could never do one without being conscious about the other.
The first day I went to the okeikoba, I entered a room with a wooden stage and a table in the front. It felt as if time passed slower. When entering and leaving the rehearsal room we would first take off our shoes in front of the rehearsal room, enter and kneel in front of Udaka Michishige and our fellow students, bow and thank them for giving us the chance to study with him. In doing so every day, I felt like I was entering a very new and unique place, very different from everything I knew before. In the same breath I felt the power of tradition and heritage and how important it is to have a sense of where one is coming from.
From left to right, Sadia Gordon, Udaka Michishige, Dorothée Neff
A very special time during my stay in Kyoto at the International Noh Institute was an intensive three day rehearsal period in Matsuyama with Udaka Michishige, Diego Pellecchia and Rebecca Ogamo Teele, during which I had the stage, time and support to practice “Shojo” intensively. Since every movement in Noh Theatre, every gesture is very slow, I felt how important it is to be completely aware and conscious, with all of my body and energy, how important it is to stretch out my body, to fill the room with my energy and spirit. What I enjoyed most was the chanting. First I needed time to grasp the different pitches and sounds when chanting Noh in Japanese, but after Matsuyama, I felt I became more familiar with the sounds and pitches. “Familiar” is definitely a word I would use when describing the INI. It is a very intimate, one-to-one teaching atmosphere, something I had searched for for a very long time, and never found back home, but found when I came to the INI in Kyoto. I only realized after leaving Kyoto how much I missed and longed for “time”, “traditions” and “familiarity” as in a sense of trust and well-being based on a shared etiquette of respect.
When I came back to Germany, my friends and family asked me what I learned and what I could take on board from Japan, but I never knew what to say in the beginning, although I knew there was something. But it wasn’t until an audition, when I felt how much time, and space I took when speaking, moving, breathing, and observing, that I knew what it was. A teacher once said to me: “A pianist would not leave out one note when playing Beethoven, so why would you, as an actress, rush through your lines?” And now, after coming back from Japan, I feel how much I enjoy saying my words, how important it is for me that those down stage understand what I mean. For the first time, there is space, and I take it, with all of me, my breath and soul and it feels alive.
Last days of summer in Kyoto! Time to look back at what we have done during the summer. One of the highlights has been an intensive 2-day workshop with New York-based collective Theatre Mitu. The workshop took place in June 2015, at Iori Machiya, in Kyoto. Theatre Mitu periodically organises intensive ‘summer camps’ aimed at exploring non-Western traditions. Participants are both Mitu’s resident artists and also university students – I found this a particularly interesting formula, in which old-timers and perspective professionals can learn from each other.
Michael Littig, one of Theater Mitu’s Japan Artist Intensive programme members, sent us a kind message: “I thought Tatsushige-san was a very direct, clear, and well informed teacher. I found his enthusiasm to be contagious, and I would highly recommend him to any artist who is interested in exploring Japanese Noh.”
We look forward to meeting Theatre Mitu’s again soon!
This year’s Udaka Seiran Noh will feature the Noh plays Teika and Aoi-no-ue.
In the Noh Teika, performed by INI founder Udaka Michishige, a Priest is led to a vine-covered grave by a Woman he meets when sheltering from a passing autumn shower. It is the grave of poet Shokushi Naishinno, third daughter of Emperor Go-Shirakawa and the vines are called “Teika-kazura” after the poet Fujiwara no Teika. The story of their romance and lingering attachment unfolds as the Woman reveals that she is the ghost of Shokushi Naishinno. Teika belongs to a group of Noh plays that only very experienced plays are allowed to perform, hence this is going to be a very rare opportunity for those in the Kansai area to come see the play, which is going to be staged with the added special variations sode-kagura and shinto.
Aoinoue, performed by Michishige’s younger son, Norishige, is 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.
Kyogen: “KAMABARA” Shite: SHIGEYAMA Shime
Intermission
Tickets:
Center Reserved Seats 8,000 yen
Side Reserved Seats 6,000 yen
General Admission Mid-center Seats 5,000 yen
Student, General Admission Mid-center Seats 3,000 yen
Synopses of the plays will be available at the theater in English, French, German, and Italian.
The Udaka Office
(For questions or reservations.)
TEL: +81 (075) 701-1055
FAX :+81 (075) 701-1058
In English: Email: ogamo-tr@mbox.kyoto-inet.or.jp
Sherry Berry, Japanese blogger reporting from Ehime prefecture has recently interviewed Sadia and Dorothee during their intensive training session in Matsuyama. Here is the video of the interview (in English). Sherry has a very interesting vlog on YouTube – subscribe to her channel to learn about ‘countryside’ life in Japan!
I shall also take the chance to remind Matsuyama residents and exchange students of the unique opportunity to attend the INI Noh Performance Workshop on August 29th!
Today a bunch of us visited the Feature Exhibition: Japanese Masks – from religious procession to Noh performance at the Kyoto National Museum. The exhibition featured gyodo processional masks representing bodhisattvas, as well as some Muromachi period Noh masks. It was a great opportunity to admire ancient artworks and to compare different styles. We had a great time!
INI participants – Summer 2015
The International Noh Institute 