A Day When Noh Feels Much Closer. Behind-the-Scenes Stories from the "Hōkasō" Lecture—Why a Living National Treasure Performs

Hello, this is Watashi Kaori.

Here today.

With the "Otsuki Bunzo Yuichi no Kai" performance coming up this weekend, the timing for this "Hōkasō" lecture couldn't have been better. The venue was packed, and both Kanade Narita and Yuichi Otsuki seemed very happy. Now, what is "Hōkasō"? Simply put, it is a story of revenge. The plot follows two brothers, Kojiro Makino and his older brother, whose parent was killed by Toshitoshi Tone. They disguise themselves as "hōka"—those in the Zen sect who have abandoned all attachments—and eventually encounter and kill their enemy. In the lecture, Kanade Narita reads the libretto, and together with Yuichi Otsuki, they explain the key points. Everything from Buddhist terminology and waka poetry to costumes and the order of appearance is explained very carefully.

Moreover, they explain it by replacing terms with modern language and adding a bit of humor, so it sinks in easily. It doesn't feel stiff, and Noh feels much more accessible.

Here is a raw, unedited video↓

I will refrain from writing about the content itself here, so this time I will share a few behind-the-scenes stories. This lecture was originally scheduled to be about "Shakkyo." It was changed to "Hōkasō." The timing of the announcement for the "Otsuki Bunzo Yuichi no Kai" on April 19th and the lecture guide didn't align, so they had jumped the gun a bit and announced it as "Shakkyo."

"Hōkasō" is a piece usually performed by younger actors. However, this time, Living National Treasure Bunzo Otsuki will be the shite. Bunzo-shi himself apparently didn't find this piece that interesting in the past. However, when he re-examined it for a performance at the 62nd Yarumai-kai (a memorial Noh for the 13th anniversary of Matasaburo Nomura's death) in 2019, he found some interesting materials from the Umewaka family and Hisao Kanze, and realized how interesting it actually was. He thought, "Wouldn't it be interesting to perform such a piece in Tokyo?" Last year, he performed "Teika," and apparently made comments that could be taken as his "final dance," and according to Yuichi-shi, "He has been saying things like that often lately." If you let your imagination run a little further—perhaps he has a desire to show a piece often performed by younger actors properly through his own performance. Perhaps it was this hesitation that made it difficult to decide on the program, leading to the premature announcement of "Shakkyo." The waki (Toshitoshi Tone) is Shigejuro Fukuō, and the ai (Tone's attendant) is Mansai Nomura. When they were asked, they apparently refused at first, but as soon as they heard the shite was Bunzo-shi, they accepted immediately. Yuichi-shi joked, "I guess they thought I was the shite (laughs)." They understand what is reasonable for each other, including whether they are suitable for the role. I felt like I saw a kind of "honor" unique to the world of Noh, where there are no producers, directors, or managers. During the lecture, there was a small surprise when Tatsushi Narita (Kanade Narita's father) suddenly peeked his face through the sliding doors. Including that atmosphere, it was a fun time. This is a gathering where you can participate with your guard down. There is plenty of commentary, demonstrations, and they even accept advance ticket reservations.

If you have the chance, please do come.

See you later.

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Noh Magazine for Outsiders↓