Still we will live

A cypress stage for Kyogen artists living in the 21st century
Vol.13 The “core” of tradition and new values
Ozo doctrine (Noh performer Kyogen style Ozo school)

In February, the new coronavirus infection was slowly spreading in Japan. Various events have been canceled, including those in the sports world, and we in the entertainment world have also been canceled or postponed one after another.
From the performance in March until now, he has only appeared on stage once. There is still no prospect of holding any performances until August, but this can't be helped because the profession falls right in the middle of the "Three Cs" proposed by the government. I think the organizers have no choice but to cancel considering the traffic situation for the customers.
I was also scheduled to perform on my own on May 31st, but I decided against it.

"I can not do anything"
"Culture and art are powerless..."

I really don't want to feel negative, so I thought, ``Now is the time to do something I've never been able to do before!''
It's strange, but I was a bit bullish and thought, ``Is it acceptable under the current situation to be a little off?''

First, we moved the Kyogen class online.

Although it is modern, the feeling is solemn.

I worked on this at the request of the students, and it was surprisingly fun. Although there are limits to what I can do, I am currently looking for ways to practice online that are unique.
Furthermore, with university classes likely to be moved online, I wanted to teach more effectively, so I gathered a variety of equipment.

Although it's a bit solemn, it's kind of fun when you have more equipment!

From the right are wired and wireless earphones, in the center is a wide-angle lens, on the left is a mobile stand, and in the foreground is a fan. In other words, we have more things to prepare for rehearsals (lol).
The students were also happy that they were able to speak out and move their bodies every day while under house arrest.

Next, I took advantage of the fact that many artists are trying various things on SNS, and created and uploaded a Hakama challenge and a memorization challenge.

First of all, this is the "Hakama Challenge" that was released on Twitter. In other words, it is a challenge to the students.

Quickly putting on a hakama is something we take for granted, but it seems to be a surprisingly difficult task for modern people, so when I posted, ``If you have a hakama at home, give it a try,'' I received an unexpected response.

We encourage children to take on the ``memorization challenge.'' In any case, many fish names appear, so even those who like fishing should enjoy it.
[Can you remember? "Fish Sutra"]

I want to be seen by people, be happy with them, and be useful. I think that is the origin of my activities.

Now, what will happen to not only the entertainment industry but also the theater and music worlds after this? If it is difficult to gather together, I wonder if people will naturally turn to video streaming.

Apparently, many performing arts existed during the era when Noh Kyogen was born. It developed while incorporating various genres, was selected over a long period of time, and was elevated to a top-class art, but with the Meiji Restoration, it left the support of the shogunate and began to live among the common people. ``Laughter'' was sometimes prohibited during the war, but it has survived through various hardships and has been passed down. We may have to approach the hardships that are right before our eyes with a new set of values, while still maintaining our core of tradition.

I cannot extinguish the light in my heart that has been passed down to me now.
Culture and the arts are essential to human life.