Extending the spirit of noh play online

A slow motion close-up shows a noh actor, clad in a ghost warrior mask, an extravagant long black wig and white kimono embroidered with gold decorations. The actor brandishes a naginata (curved-blade pole weapon), turns, inclines his head slightly and jumps. Along with these movements, from time to time, the actor who is performing the ghost warrior role reveals himself as a man without the mask, wig or kimono.

This is a scene from the newly produced video that depicts how the tradition of noh is being reproduced by noh actors living today.

“We want to present our performances from different angles that are not usually visible for the audiences in noh theaters,” said Takehito Tomoeda, a noh actor of the Kita Noh school.

Noh is a symbolic musical drama combining three different genres. These are a narrative chant using distinctive vocalization; slow and stylized body movements; and an ensemble of traditional instruments comprised of a Japanese flute, shoulder drum, hip drum and stick drum. Originating from ancient popular entertainment and developed in the 14th century into what is essentially its present-day form, noh is the oldest surviving Japanese performing art.

Organized by Arts Council Tokyo, noh events on the open lawn of the Tokyo Metropolitan Teien Art Museum in central Tokyo have been held to offer opportunities for both Japanese and non-Japanese audiences to experience the traditional performing art. The program included workshops where visitors enjoyed playing the instruments and trying on the costumes and masks, as well as noh performances.

Recognizing that COVID-19 outbreak might put the participants at risk, organizers accepted the inevitable cancellation of the event. Instead, they decided to produce a video. In the wake of the halt of inbound tourism, the idea behind the production was “to reach potential audiences abroad via the internet,” Tomoeda said, adding, “since we are also not able to go abroad for the moment.”

“When people want to enjoy watching baseball, their experiences are different depending on whether they view the game at a stadium or watch the details from close-up shots on TV,” Tomoeda said. “I believe that we can offer such different experiences in performing arts, too.”

Tomoeda involved videographer Satoshi Ohtsuki in the project as the noh actor appreciated Ohtsuki’s fresh perspective on the art.

In early October, shooting for the new video took place at the Kita Noh Theatre in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward. A crew led by Ohtsuki filmed a whole performance of “Funa Benkei” (“Benkei in a Boat”), using three cameras installed at different distances in front of and to one side of the stage.

The performers’ traditional and formalized movements, distinctive voices and sounds of flute and drums generated a feeling of tension unique to noh.

“It wasn’t that different from a live show even though there was no audience,” Tomoeda said. “Although you can see a video as many times as you like, it’s once-in-a-lifetime performance for us to perform each time.”

“Funa Benkei” tells the story of the escape journey of Minamoto no Yoshitsune, a renowned general of the Minamoto clan, from a mistrustful brother. Persuaded by his best subordinate, Benkei, Yoshitsune decides to have his mistress, Shizuka, return to Kyoto before they sail out on the sea. At sea, a storm suddenly hits the boat and the ghost of Taira no Tomomori, who was killed by Yoshitsune in a previous battle, appears and attacks Yoshitsune. Benkei devotedly prays and that eventually calms the vengeful ghost who disappears below the horizon.

One of the highlights of this play is that the main actor plays the two completely different characters of Shizuka, a beautiful female dancer, and Tomomori, a monstrous ghost warrior.

“Once I put on each mask, I was able to concentrate on each role, as usual,” said Tomoeda, who played both roles.

After the run-through shooting, they went on filming close-ups of interesting scenes, such as Shizuka’s farewell dance, a boatman's comical rowing of the boat and Tomomori’s revenge battle against Yoshitsune.

The noh stage is regarded as a sacred place. It was a rare opportunity that the shooting crew was allowed to work on the stage. A scarlet felt mat was put beneath the cameras to protect the stage, and the crew members wore shirotabi (traditional white split-toe socks), as anyone who goes on stage must do.

Ohtsuki shot Tomoeda’s Tomomori again and again, zooming in on his face and filming from below to capture the finest of Tomomori’s elaborate movements.

Rather than just a subject of study, as is often the case with traditional cultures around the world, the profession of noh actor has continued to exist up to the present. While adapting to the changing times, noh has survived “by holding firm to our fundamental axis,” Tomoeda said. Noh actors have passed down their traditions over generations by replicating every detail of their senior masters’ performances from standing position to foot-sliding movements and dancing.

“It’s not something meditative or mysterious, but it’s all about a spirit generated from concrete body movements that we have inherited,” the noh actor said.

From scene to scene arranged with close-ups and actions in the video, audiences will feel a spirit of noh that has been cultivated throughout its proud history of 650 years, and how the spirit is very much alive today.

"Noh Online: Funa Benkei, Legendary Hero, Riding the Wave from Tokyo to the World"
Online distribution: Friday, Jan. 29 - Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Fee: Free of charge
URL: www.tokyo-tradition.jp/2020/eng/program/010/