“Nōgaku” Drama Kept Alive by Family Traditions

The Kanze Nō Theater in Shibuya, Tokyo.

Nō masks in the Kanze family collection: Ko-omote mask by Yasuhisa, Edo period (left); Hannya mask by Yasha, Muromachi period.

Other Kanze family masks: Obeshimi mask by Shakuzuru, Kamakura period (left); Okina mask by Miroku, Heian period.

Because purity is the central theme of Sagi, the actor in the leading role does not wear a mask and must be either a boy or an old man.

Kanze Saburōta—the 13-year-old heir of the Kanze legacy—performing Sagi.

Costumes in the Kanze family collection: Clematis and Chinese floral design against a yellow background, date unknown (left); chrysanthemum and cherry blossom design against red background, Edo period.

Pages from Zeami’s handwritten treatise on nō, titled Fūshi-kaden (The Transmission of the Flower of Acting Style).

A page from Fūshi-kaden with annotations in red ink.

A 2009 performance of Tango monogurui by Kanze Kiyokazu and his son Saburōta at the temple Chion-ji in Kyoto.