Noh: Dōjōji

A valued customer who has always supported us performed Noh in celebration of his 70th birthday.

The piece was Dōjōji, which, I am told, is rarely undertaken even by professionals.

He is not a professional Noh performer, but all those performing the supporting roles were professionals—an impressive lineup indeed.

Once again, the performance was held at the Kanze Noh Theatre in GINZA SIX.

A large cloth temple bell, handmade for this occasion by several kyōgen performers and weighing 80 kilograms, was a striking presence on the stage.

The bell, with a bamboo framework covered in cloth, weighs as much as 80 kilograms. The shite stands beneath the suspended bell, and then the bell falls over him.

I had always thought of Noh as subdued and still, but Dōjōji was so intense that it could be called Noh’s grand spectacle.

Certainly, until the bell-entering scene in the first half of the story, it is the familiar kind of Noh one is used to seeing. But when that scene arrives, the quiet longing until then turns into fierce resentment—an extraordinary transformation.

At the end, the spirit retreats before the monks’ wholehearted prayers, bringing the performance to a close (though, being Noh, there is no curtain to close).

For a moment, the entire hall fell silent; then, as though everyone had come back to themselves, the room erupted in applause.

It has only been a few years since I was first invited to watch Noh, but I have never been as deeply moved as I was this time.

Thank you for a wonderful performance.

And congratulations on your 70th birthday.