Left: Mansai Nomura Right: Tsutomu Imai Kengyo

◎What is Kaitai Shinsho?
　Mansai Nomura, the artistic director of the Setagaya Public Theater, plans and performs himself, and every time he welcomes a variety of guests for a “talk and performance”.In this series, the various fields and elements that make up the world of contemporary art are broken down into parts, and the origins and foundations of each are questioned.

◎The theme this time is "narration"
"The Tale of the Heike" is music and "literary arts for the ear."It has been handed down to this day by listening to the sounds.This time, we will focus on the essence of "narration" by taking up Mansai Nomura's Kyogen narration "Nasu Yoichi" and Imai Kengyo Tsutomu's Heike narration "Nasu Yoichi".


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《Information for customers who have already purchased standing room tickets》
For those standing on the 1st floor, on the left hand side of the theater entrance,
Customers who are standing on the 3rd floor will enter the theater and go to the 3rd floor,
Please gather 15 minutes before each performance.
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[High school students and younger]
General sales start at 11:5 a.m. on Saturday, November 10th at the Setagaya Public Theater Ticket Center or by phone (03-5432-1515).
* Please present your age confirmation and pick up your ticket at the Setagaya Public Theater Ticket Center.

*Wheelchair spaces will be available at the Setagaya Public Theater Ticket Center (11-5-03) from Saturday, November 5432th.

[Appearance] Mansai Nomura / Tsutomu Imai Kengyo (Heike Biwa Kengyo) / Haruko Komoda (Professor at Musashino Academia Musicae)

●Mansai Nomura
Born in 1966.Kyogen performer.Artistic director of the Setagaya Public Theater.He is the eldest son of Living National Treasure Mansaku Nomura.General Designator of Important Intangible Cultural Property. He presides over Kyogen Gozarunoza.In addition to Noh and Kyogen performances in Japan and overseas, he has starred in the stage productions of "Meridian Ritual," "Oedipus Rex," "Hamlet," and the movie "Onmyoji." In "Machigai no Kyogen", he directed and starred in a stage that made full use of Kyogen techniques, and in "Kunitojin", a stage that tried to fuse classical performing arts and modern art.He is also active in a wide range of fields, such as appearing on NHK E-tele "Nihongo de Asobo". In 99, he received the Agency for Cultural Affairs Art Festival Theater Division Newcomer Award, and the 2003 Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Newcomer Award for Arts. In 05, he won the Kinokuniya Drama Award and the Asahi Performing Arts Award for composition and direction of Atsushi: Sangetsu-ki Meijinden.Main publications include "Mansai de Gozaru" (Asahi Shimbun), "Kyogen Cyborg" (Nihon Keizai Shimbun), "Kyogen Sannin Sansama Nomura Mansai" (Iwanami Shoten), "MANSAI ◎ Kaitai Shinsho" (Asahi Shimbun Publishing) and others.

● Imai Kengyo Tsutomu
Tsutomu Imai. Born in Konan City, Aichi Prefecture in 1958.Heike Biwa Kenko. From the age of 4, he learned koto, sangen (shamisen) and kokyu under the late Mitsue Yokoi, continuing the tradition of blind musicians. From the age of 12, he studied the Heike, koto and sangen under the late Shoho Mishina. In 92, he became the highest rank ``Kengyo'' of the ``Kokufu Ongakukai'', which inherits the tradition of Todoza from the Edo period.Both in name and reality, he is responsible for the tradition of Todo music. Beginning with a performance at Cornell University in the United States in 96, he has performed overseas in places such as Paris, Cologne, and Melbourne. In 97, he received the Nagoya City Art Encouragement Award.

●Interviewer: Haruko Komoda
Studied Western music history and Japanese music history in the doctoral program at Tokyo University of the Arts and its graduate school.She got her degree from Ochanomizu University.After working as an assistant professor at Ochanomizu University, she is currently a professor at Musashino Academia Musicae.Her specialties are the musical research of the Heike (Heike biwa), the history of the biwa instrument, and the historical research of blind priests.As a member of the Japan Music International Exchange Association, she is also involved in popularizing Japanese music.Her major publications include Music for Traditional Performing Arts in Japan (co-authored, Tankosha 2008) and Music of the Heike (Daiichi Shobo, 2003).The CD "Heike Monogatari narrated by Biwa Hoshi" (Kojima Recording), planned and supervised by Imai Kengyo, won the 21 Art Festival Grand Prize.

Setagaya Public Theater Ticket Center 03-5432-1515