Kanze Saburota

Masked in the titular role, Saburota gives a magnificent performance in Okina.

Saburota made his stage debut at the age of five, taking on a shite (leading role) for the first time at the age of 10. At 16, he performed his first hatsuomote role in mask. Under the guidance of his father, Kiyokazu, he has continued to grow, and in 2022, at the age of 23, he performed the titular role in Okina, a classic in the Kanze school repertoire.

Okina is not a typical noh play, as there is no story as such. Rather it is a sacred rite danced by performers as prayer for the people. Performing as divine figures, the solemn dance serves as a memorial for the dead and a prayer for peace in the future.

“If the feeling of prayer does not come naturally from within, the dance will not be good. For this reason, I was taught that it is also important that one behaves correctly in life, as well.”

While working hard to carry on the traditional Japanese art, Saburota has recently taken on the challenge of creating new noh plays with contemporary themes. He says he hopes to create opportunities for people unfamiliar with classic Japanese arts to discover an interest in noh.

“Noh plays unfold with only a few words and gestures, and many people may find it difficult to understand. But a great aspect of noh is the ability to use your imagination and interpret it in your own way.”

Moriyama Kaiji

Katana represents the sharpness of the Japanese sword through a highly toned body. Photo: Yoshikazu Inoue

Dancing Between Presence and Absence

Moriyama Kaiji is a leading figure in the field of contemporary dance. He captivates audiences with the one-of-a-kind expressivity of his dance, bringing fluid movements that form supple curves together with linear movements that cut sharply through space.

“I often move in an airy, floaty way. This is to express lightness. I want to eliminate heaviness and, if possible, eliminate even my own presence. I dance in pursuit of this feeling.”

With Yu-Zuru, which he debuted in 2001, Moriyama did in fact capture this feeling. The dance is based on the Japanese folk tale Tsuru no Ongaeshi about a crane who takes human form to repay a favor to an elderly couple. Is the performer a bird, a person, or something not even of this world? Moriyama danced this story of an ambiguous entity in an attempt to depict absence. From that point on, he says, “Expressing that space ‘between presence and absence’ has been a theme for me.”

Since then, he has been developing a wide range of stage productions that address Japanese culture, including Katana, in which he portrays a sharpened Japanese sword, and Ninja, which incorporates ninja sorcery in a dance filled with humor.

“I would like to develop a uniquely Japanese physical expression by depicting things that are difficult to see, such as the spirit embedded in the sword and the movements ninja use to disguise their presence.”