Noh Reimagined 2026 at Edinburgh International Book Festival
Scottish Premiere of Song of Rona Island and Performance of Nonomiya
24–25 August at Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh
As EIBF expands its focus from reading literature to experiencing it through performance and music, Song of Rona Island (2025 Noh Reimagined)and Nonomiya ( Konparu Zenchiku ) have been selected as part of the festival’s main programme.
Created through a collaboration between Noh theatre, contemporary Scottish literature, and traditional Scottish music, Song of Rona Island is inspired by Kathleen Jamie’s essay On Rona, collected in her book Sightlines. Set on the remote island of Rona in the Outer Hebrides, it explores memory, nature, environmental change, and the fragility of human life. Following a workshop performance in Tokyo (2024) and its London premiere (2025), the work now comes to Scotland, where its story is set.
Together, Song of Rona Island and Nonomiya connect the works of two women writers—Murasaki Shikibu and Kathleen Jamie—across cultures through shared themes of place, nature, and the unseen.
https://www.edbookfest.co.uk/events/nonomiya-song-of-rona-island
Performers
- Kanji Shimizu (Shite)
- Takao Nishimura (Chorus)
- Kyosuke Tanabe (Kotsuzumi)
- Keinosuke Okura (Otsuzumi)
- Satoshi Tsukitaku (Noh flute)
- Aidan O’Rourke (Fiddle, Composer)
- Brìghde Chaimbeul (Scottish Smallpipes)
Song of Rona Island
Original text: Kathleen Jamie, On Rona (Sightlines)
Script: Gareth Mattey & Akiko Yanagisawa
Noh text: Kanji Shimizu
Dramaturg: Gareth Mattey
Nonomiya
Nonomiya is a Noh play by Komparu Zenchiku, based on an episode from Murasaki Shikibu’s The Tale of Genji. Set at the former Nonomiya Shrine in Kyoto, it evokes the spirit of Lady Rokujō and explores themes of memory, longing, and attachment drawn from one of Japan’s great literary classics. (This performance presents the second half of the Noh play)
Produced by Noh Reimagined in partnership with the Edinburgh International Book Festival, with support from the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, the British Council, and others.
