Kamakura Takigi Noh

Kamakura festival with Noh performance

The Kamakura Takigi Noh, held annually in autumn at Kamakuragu Shrine.

The 2025 menu is as follows:

Kyogen(traditional short comedic drama) is the Izumi school. The shite(main actor) is Mr. Yuki Nomura. He is Mr. Mansai's eldest son.





The play is “Boushibari”.

Noh is Komparu school. The shite is Mr. Norikazu Komparu. He is the 81st grand master of the Komparu School





The play is "Hagoromo".

A stage was set up within the grounds of Kamakuragu Shrine. As seen in the photo, the shrine's lights are visible behind the stage, which is surrounded by sacred trees and sacred ropes.





Noh is fundamentally a stage of dreams and illusions. The Hashigakari is a bridge that connects the spirit world with the present world.





I was more entranced than ever, losing all sense of time.

Especially the piercing words of the celestial maiden in “Hagoromo”: “Doubt lies within humans. Heaven knows no falsehood.”





And immediately, the fisherman's words: “Oh, how embarrassing!” as he returns the Hagoromo(feather robe) to the celestial maiden.





I can honestly say that scene brought tears to my eyes.





The fisherman said he would return the Hagoromo if she danced, but the celestial maiden protested that she couldn't dance without it. So the fisherman suspected she intended to break her promise the moment she got the Hagoromo back and fly back to heaven. That's why the celestial maiden uttered the words recorded above: “Doubt lies…”





In that scene, a celestial maiden from another world and a fisherman representing us mortals briefly touch through the Hagoromo—albeit only for a moment.

The fisherman hesitates to return it, then the celestial maiden's sharp words—ashamed by her words, the fisherman immediately returns the Hagoromo.





Wouldn't fisherman also be good actors?

Anyway, that scene where the celestial maiden extends both arms forward, and the fisherman approaches and places the Hagoromo within her outstretched arms—it moved me profoundly.





Both the celestial maiden and the fisherman were well-played by the actors, so the story reached a beautiful conclusion without descending into the unsightly spectacle of demands for repayment.

There are people in this world who can never understand one another. This is surely an essential lesson for adults, but if—just if—all people could be like this celestial maiden and fisherman, this world would be nothing short of heaven.

Lab Deep in Kamakura　Juei Masuda