A Night Centurion Took Me to the Essence of Traditional Performing Arts: A Record of the Mansai Nomura Special Kyogen Performance

Wednesday, December 2, 2015.

That day, I was at the Noh theater.

A special Kyogen performance by Mansai Nomura. A private performance exclusively for card members. On the same day as a popular performance that usually sells out immediately if you try to get tickets, a stage was quietly prepared solely for Centurion card members.

The Presence of Mansai Nomura

Mansai Nomura.

Born into a family of Living National Treasures in the Izumi school of Kyogen, he is a Noh performer who has gained high acclaim both in Japan and abroad as a Kyogen master. While he is active not only on stage but also in film and theater, at his core is always a deep knowledge of classical performing arts.

His performances sell out the moment tickets go on sale. Securing a seat through general channels is not easy.

Watching that stage in a private performance exclusively for card members. This was the experience prepared by the Centurion Card for December 2015.

A Production Close to a 'Private Viewing'

What made this performance special was not just the content of the stage.

The format itself, which was close to a 'private viewing,' changed the quality of the experience.

In a regular performance, the seats are filled with audience members who have gathered for various reasons. But in a private performance, members who hold the same card have gathered for that very night. The atmosphere of the venue is different. A unique sense of tension and intimacy is born simultaneously between the stage and the audience.

I believe that for a performer like Mansai Nomura, a private performance also carries a special sense of tension. The Kyogen seen in that atmosphere remains deeply etched in one's memory, not just for the quality of the performance, but as the memory of 'having been there.'

Another Stage: The Sukiya Kanetanaka Restaurant

The experience of this day was not limited to the stage alone.

The invitation noted a set that included lunch and the performance at the Sukiya Kanetanaka restaurant, which is adjacent to the Noh theater.

Sukiya Kanetanaka. Anyone who values fine dining should recognize that name as a renowned Japanese restaurant. Having a meal there before the performance, or sitting down to a meal with the lingering aftertaste of the performance afterward.

Traditional performing arts and Japanese cuisine. Both are 'authentic' treasures that Japan boasts to the world. The design of incorporating both into a single day created the richness of this day's experience.

When the meal at Kanetanaka ended, the dishes were cleared, the sliding doors were opened, and right before my eyes was the Noh stage. Mansai Nomura explained the world of Noh to us directly, and I stepped onto the Noh stage, which is normally impossible to enter. We were presented with tabi socks specially autographed by Mansai Nomura, and I stepped onto the stage wearing them. Thanks to the explanation of Noh provided beforehand, I was able to enjoy the performance.

What Centurion Delivers

Whenever I look back on experiences like this, I have a thought.

What the Centurion Card delivers is not a ticket or a meal. It is the memory and experience of having been there.

If you pay money, you can buy a ticket. If you pay money, you can go to a high-end restaurant. However, special experiences exclusive to card members cannot be obtained with money alone. It is only through the relationship that is Centurion that those doors open.

The words written on the invitation still remain in my memory: 'A rich moment to encounter the essence of traditional performing arts.'

The weight of these words is completely different when reading them as text versus looking back on them after actually experiencing that night. Experience changes words.

Consideration for Kyogen Beginners

There was another feature of this performance noted in the invitation.

The phrase: 'All the performances are recommended for those new to Kyogen.'

Many Centurion members are unfamiliar with classical performing arts. The program was carefully selected so that it would be an opportunity for such people to experience the atmosphere of a Noh theater for the first time.

A luxury experience does not mean it can only be enjoyed if you have prior knowledge. How richly can you design the moment when a newcomer touches that world for the first time? I believe that is true hospitality.

A Record of the Year 2015

This invitation I have in my hand is a record of a night in the year 2015.

In the 24 years I have walked with the Centurion Card, such experiences have accumulated. Each one is a place and a memory I could not have reached without the card.

Even before the term 'Centurion Living' came into use, Centurion has continued to prepare such nights for its members. The essence of this card lies in that continuity. It is true that these types of events have become fewer recently. It is also a fact that in the past, there were many plans where one could enjoy special events or tickets for Centurion members that included after-parties with the actors after the performance.

A genuine experience belongs only to those who were there. Tickets disappear, but the atmosphere of that night certainly remains, even 24 years later.