A place where summer ends and autumn begins, a dedicatory Kyogen performance.

The grand stage for Kyogen performers living in the 21st century
Vol.4 A dedicatory Kyogen performance in the place where summer ends and autumn begins.
Ozo doctrine (Noh performer Kyogen style Ozo school)

The temperature seemed to drop sharply at the beginning of October, but the heat returned on October 6th after a long time. Today's performance was a dedication of Kyogen at Nakanojima Inari Shrine.
Turning the corner, you can hear the festival music. The approach to the shrine is bustling with stalls, creating an exciting atmosphere that makes you want to loosen your purse strings a little. Although there was no fear of a typhoon, the wind was rather strong, and some long-time members of the festival support association commented, "I've never seen such strong winds before."
I moved here seven years ago, and the following year I started a Kyogen (traditional Japanese comic theater) class at the community center owned by the neighborhood association.

After my child was born, I made contact with the head priest during our first shrine visit to the local guardian deity. I immediately asked if I could perform a Kyogen (traditional Japanese comic theater) in the Kagura-den (sacred dance hall), and he readily agreed. The head priest then brought members of the support association to a Kyogen performance I organized, and they also expressed a strong desire to have Kyogen performed at the shrine. I feel a strange sense of destiny in how all these things came together at the same time.
And this year marks the sixth time. The students all work together to create the pine tree curtain hung at the back of the stage, the stage set modeled after a Noh theater, and the programs distributed to the audience. The audience seating is in the traditional style with straw mats laid out. In a faint, indescribable atmosphere that feels like the end of summer has been announced, the performance begins.
This was the first time all 13 students had sung kouta together. The "Kyogen Kouta Collection," a collection of various kouta songs that appear in Kyogen plays, was very enjoyable and, above all, powerful, as the students' feelings and voices became one. Each of the other performances was brilliant, and laughter could be heard from the audience. Even amidst the occasional gusts of wind that rustled the trees loudly, the students' voices must have reached many people.

In this classroom, the students are the main characters, and I see myself as merely a supporter. It's a difficult world to live authentically, but the world of Kyogen affirms who you are. The students' vibrant performances are truly beautiful. The hour flew by, but I'm sure God was pleased with the students' enthusiasm and the audience's laughter.
The celebration concludes with a celebratory song, expressing the wish for a little more fulfillment in their daily lives.