“For over a thousand years, noh theater has been consistently expressing a prayer for peace,” said Manjiro Tatsumi, a Hosho School shite-kata (lead actor) and a designated Important Intangible Cultural Property, at the explanatory session of the 18th Tokyo Dai Takigi Noh (Noh by Firelight).
The event was held at the Citizen’s Plaza located in front of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building on the evening of Oct. 16. Started in 1998 by the International Foundation for Arts and Culture, it has served as a rare opportunity for people to enjoy the art performed by noh professionals free of charge. Except for 2011, the year of the Great East Japan Earthquake, and between 2015 and 2017 while the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building underwent repairs, the event had been held every year until 2018. This is the first time the performance has been held since the COVID-19 pandemic.
