Ahead of the evening’s main event, a performance of ‘Sumidagwa’ in Hall One, there was a discussion about the play between Noh performer Kohei Kawaguchi and Jason James, Director General of the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation.

Sumidagwa (Sumida River), written by Kanze Motomasa (c. 1394 – 1432), the eldest son of Zeami Motokiyo (c.1363 – c.1443), stands as one of the most renowned Noh plays of all time.  It is a story about a mother whose son has been kidnapped. The mother embarks on a journey which ends in despair as she finds that her son died a year previously. The play famously inspired Benjamin Britten to compose Curlew River.

Jason James, Director General of the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation, is joined in conversation by Noh artist Kohei Kawaguchi, who has recently performed the role of the mother in Sumidagawa. Together they will examine the secret of the play’s timeless popularity, relevance, and artistic impact.

About the speakers

Kohei Kawaguchi  – shite actor, Kanze School

Born in 1976 in Tokyo, Kohei Kawaguchi is the eldest son of the manga artist Kaiji Kawaguchi. Fascinated by Noh during his studies at Keio University, Kawaguchi decided to pursue the path of Noh. He became an apprentice of the 56th Umewaka Rokuro (Umewaka Minoru Rosetsu) in 2001. He made his debut on stage with a fukkyoku (revival) Noh play Goma. After he became independent, Kawaguchi performed important roles including central roles in Okina, Sakkyo, Shojomidare, and Dojoji.

Jason James

Jason James OBE has been Director General of the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation since October 2011. Having been fascinated by Japan on a choir tour at the age of 13, he chose to read Japanese Studies at King’s College, Cambridge, where he was a double scholar (academic and choral). Subsequently he worked for many years in the financial industry, mostly specialising in Japanese equities. From 2007-2011 Mr. James was Director of the British Council in Tokyo. Jason’s interest in Japan is broad, covering the economy, financial markets and tax, as well as Japanese literature and arts, and the relationship between the UK and Japan.

This was a chance for the audience to have direct conversations with the esteemed performers from Japan and discuss their unforgettable performance of the Noh play ‘Sumidagawa’, right after the presentation in Hall One, over drinks and snacks.

“Why is Noh Theatre fascinating for you?” 

“It is because Noh theatre is a unique form of stage art that depicts scenes through its music (hayashi) and distinctive intonation of chanting (utai, which includes singing and dialogue). It erases the expressions of the most important actors with Noh masks, and conversely, through these masks, it allows the soul of the character to possess them, enabling the powerful expression of various emotions.” (Shizuka Mikata, shite actor, Kanze School )

“Noh expresses the emotions and drama of people since ancient times through quintessentially original Japanese words and music.”  (Tatsushi Narita, kotsuzumi shoulder drum, Ko School)

“After the climax of the Noh drama, filled with chants, dances, and music overflowing with heartfelt emotions, a moment of stillness, known as ‘shijima’ in Japanese, unfolds on the stage. It’s a moment we share with the audience, when something within their hearts begins to stir and connect with the essence of Noh.  A truly sensational moment!!” (Seigo Mikuriya, waki actor, Hosho School)

“The way of movement, vocal expression, and overall body usage in Noh is profound, and as a result, even the same forms or chants can appear completely different depending on the actor or the viewer.” (Yasuki Kobayakawa, shite actor, Kanze School)

“In contrast to the Western approach of captivating viewers by complex and sophisticated movements, Noh relies on the idea that stillness can imbue even the smallest movements with great persuasiveness. Noh reduces the number of instruments to the utmost minimum, aiming to express the most beautiful sound of “silence It is intriguing and deeply resonate with people’s hearts.” (Tetsuya Yamamoto, otsuzumi hip drum, Okura School)

See ‘Meet the Noh Performers‘ for all the performers who were present at this 2024 event as well as performers from previous events.

For our first headline event of Noh Reimagined 2024, Mu Arts and Kings Place were proud to present a rare performance of ‘Sumidagawa’, one of Noh Theatre’s greatest masterpieces. British storyteller Xanthe Gresham-Knight’s ‘A Tale of the Sumida River’, adapted from ‘Sumidagawa’, preceded the Noh performance, offering an introduction to the play’s timeless narrative of love, loss, and the river that carries us all.

Sumidagwa (Sumida River), written by Kanze Motomasa (c.1394 – 1432), the eldest son of Zeami Motokiyo (c.1363 – c.1443), stands as one of the most renowned Noh plays of all time. It is a story about a mother whose son has been kidnapped. The mother embarks on a journey which ends in despair as she finds that her son died a year previously. The play’s timeless narrative of love and loss, famously inspired Benjamin Britten to compose Curlew River. For this rare performance of the play in the UK, Mikata Shizuka – one of the most esteemed Noh performers from Japan – performed in the lead role as the mother.

Sumidagwa Cast:
Shizuka Mikata, mother (shite)
Seigo Mikuriya, ferryman (waki)
Gasho Yamanaka, jiutai chorus
Kohei Kawaguchi, jiutai chorus
Yasuki Kobayakawa, jiutai chorus
Yasumitsu Kobayakawa, jiutai chorus
Yasuhiro Sakoh, nohkan flute
Tatsushi Narita, kotsuzumi shoulder drum
Tetsuya Yamamoto, otsuzumi hip drum
Monet Hirai, kokata (child)

The performance of Sumidagawa was preceded by a newly written English re-telling of the story “A Tale of the Sumida River” performed by Xanthe Gresham -Knight.

“A Tale of the Sumida River” team
Xanthe Gresham-Knight ( Co-writer and storyteller)
Gareth Mattey ( Co-writer and dramaturgy)
Carlos Davy ( Sound design)
Akiko Yanagisawa ( Creative Producer)

Read the synopsis for Sumidagwa provided by the-noh.com ‘Noh Plays Database’.

This workshop explored the essence of movement and self-expression of Noh, an artform with a legacy spanning 650 years.

The Noh movements are choreographed using a range of basic patterns called kata.  Led by Yasuki Kobayakawa and Yasumitsu Kobayakawa of the Kanze School, participants discovered Noh’s stylised movement and expressions,  how to focus their centre of gravity and energy, and movement patterns of Noh.

The full beauty of Noh masks and costumes, minimalised movements and expressions are made manifest on top of basic movements.

Acting from Inside

Led by Kohei Kawaguchi, and Gasho Yamanaka, the shite actors of the Kanze School, joined us for a Noh Movement Creative Sessions that is open to everyone, but most suitable for actors, choreographers and dancers.

Jean-Louis Barrault, a French actor who uses Noh techniques to help him inhabit his characters, described his experience of movement in Noh by saying, “it appears to me that, acting more from the inside, making fewer gestures, I gain effectiveness – I enter fully into the role and control it.”

Led by Kohei Kawaguchi, and Gasho Yamanaka, the shite actors of the Kanze School, the workshop delved into fundamental elements of kata (forms). You will turn these basic movements into a series of fluid motions that enable subtle emotional expression referring to the Noh play Kinuta which will be performed later that evening.

Additionally, participants had the opportunity to create short choreographed pieces of their own.

Introduction to Rhythm and Pulse

This event was a unique opportunity to experience demonstrations and participate in a hands-on workshop led by renowned Noh musicians. The audience Learnt about the unique rhythm, pitch, kakegoe (drum call), ma (space), and orchestration of Noh music, and joined the Noh musicians using their voices and air drumming to perform highlights from the Noh Play ‘Kinuta’, which was performed later in the evening.

For over a century, Noh has inspired composers such as Benjamin Britten, Stockhausen and Iannis Xenakis. Pierre Boulez, in his essays, praised Noh as the pinnacle of non-Western art highlighting its unique solutions to transcending the spoken and the sung, surpassing the limitations seen in Baroque recitative and Schoenberg’s Sprechstimme.

Workshop leaders: 

Tatsushi Narita, kotsuzumi shoulder drum
Tetsuya Yamamoto, otsuzumi hip drum
Yasuhiro Sakoh, nohkan flute
Yasuki Kobayakawa, Noh chant

This event is presented thanks to the support of The Hinrichsen Foundation.

British composers Ben Nobuto and Hollie Harding, recently returned from a residency in Japan, joined Daryl Jamieson, a multi-award-winning composer and Noh expert, to discuss the influence of Noh on future generations of composers, followed by a screening of two pieces by Jamieson.

Over the past year, they studied Noh in depth with the eminent shoulder drum player Tatsushi Narita and Daryl Jamieson, a multi-award-winning composer and Noh expert, through their residency in Japan and online tutorials. Noh Reimagined commissioned them to write new pieces inspired by Noh in collaboration with the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, who premiered their pieces on 23rd June in Birmingham.

Link to a Facebook Reel from Birmingham Contemporary Music Group about the project.

In conversation with composer Daryl Jamieson, they discussed the influence of Noh on future generations of composers. The talk was preceded by the screening of Jamieson’s video works, Descant 2 and Descant 4 for Solo Instruments in Natural Environments, which are deeply inspired by the concept of Noh. Download the programme notes here.

NOH TRIPTYCH by Harding and interbeing by Nobuto were successfully premiered at the CBSO Centre in Birmingham on June 23rd, performed by the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group (BCMG).  Also BBC Radio 3 New Music Show featured their interview and recording of the live concert

NOH TRIPTYCH

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0020ybq  ( from approx. 40:00)

interbeing

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m00214c9 ( from approx. 45:00)

https://on.soundcloud.com/9Mhg6KfHK9HapDdY7

Feedback from Composers

“The Noh Reimagined Project has been extremely rewarding and transformative for me as an artist. It has allowed me to explore new perspectives and approaches that I would have never attempted before, and has invigorated and energised my creative practice. The trip to Japan to study Noh with Mu:Arts was incredibly valuable and allowed me to explore some of the musical practicalities of Noh
performance (through studying kotsuzumi and performing alongside a Noh Theatre group), the philosophical and historical aspects of the art form (through lectures by Daryl Jamieson and Noh performers) alongside experiencing several performances and meeting expert practitioners. ” ( Hollie Harding)

“It was a challenging project for me! it pushed me to try new things and explore different sounds / approaches from what I would usually do. It’s not perfect but I think it’s a good starting point in my journey of learning about Noh and I’m sure I’ll carry these concepts with me for a long time and develop them in later pieces .” ( Ben Nobuto:)

This event is presented thanks to the support of The Hinrichsen Foundation.

For the closing event of Noh Reimagined 2024, we presented a performance of Zeami Motokiyo’s final and greatest play – a tragedy that portrays the agony of a wife who believes she has been abandoned by her husband, leading to her death and subsequent suffering in hell. However, due to her husband’s love she is saved, and the play concludes with a sense of dignity.

Kinuta refers to a wooden or stone block used for pounding cloth to make it soft and bring out its lustre. The rhythmic beating of the kinuta is associated with the nightfall of late autumn nights and the solitude of an abandoned wife, as well as the fading love of the husband.

Zeami received much acclaim for establishing the style of dramaturgy called Mugen Noh, which involves dream states or visions intersecting with the present. This is represented in Noh plays such as “Izutsu (Well-Cradle)”.  However, the older Zeami made another breakthrough in ‘Kinuta’ by combining Genzai Noh, which deals with events in real world, and Mugen Noh.  In Kinuta, the wife appears on stage in the opening scene and dies at the end of the first part of the play.  The first part of the play is in the style of Genzai Noh. She then reappears as a ghost in the second part, representing reality.

During Zeami’s era, Noh plays were shifting from the popular portrayal of “oni” (demons) to focusing on characters with inner struggles, which appealed more to the culturally educated class and gained support from the warrior class. In Kinuta, Zeami portrays these “demons of the heart” without outward anger, emphasizing the inner turmoil and delusions of humanity.

Event Schedule:

Kinuta Pre-concert talk: 25 minutes
Interval: 20 minutes
Noh Kinuta performance: 75 minutes

About the Pre-Concert talk

Prior to the performance of Noh Kinuta, a young Noh performer, Yasuki Kobayakawa (shite actor, Kanze School) from a highly gifted Noh family, and Dr. Alan Cummings, an authority in Japan studies at SOAS University of London, talked about the masterpiece and the performance of the evening.

Cast: 

Shizuka Mikata, wife/the ghost of the wife (shite)
Seigo Mikuriya, husband (waki)
Yasumitsu Kobayakawa, Yugiri a maid servant (tsure)
Gasho Yamanaka, jiutai chorus
Kohei Kawaguchi, jiutai chorus
Yasuki Kobayakawa, jiutai chorus
Yasuhiro Sakoh, nohkan flute
Tatsushi Narita, kotsuzumi shoulder drum
Tetsuya Yamamoto, otsuzumi hip drum

Read the synopsis for Kinuta provided by the-noh.com ‘Noh Plays Database’