VOL.206 AUGUST 2025
THE APPEAL OF YOSHOKU: JAPANESE-STYLE WESTERN CUISINE (PART 1) [Discovering Japan Through the Eyes of Japanese Influencers] The Future of Nohgaku

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A nohgaku performance at Hosho Nohgakudo (Bunkyo City, Tokyo)
Photo: Hoshokai

In this month’s issue, HOSHO Kazufusa, the 20th souke¹ of the Hosho School of nohgaku shitekata, speaks of the future of nohgaku.

Nohgaku² is a traditional Japanese performing art and one of the many forms of cultural expression I hope visitors from overseas will have the opportunity to experience during their time in Japan. Although nohgaku performances are occasionally held overseas as special events and audiences can enjoy this art in a setting that highlights the features of local architecture, watching a performance at a nohgaku theater in Japan, the home of this traditional art, offers a uniquely emotional and original experience.

So how will nohgaku evolve in the future? As industrial technology has advanced, digital content, such as music and video designed for relaxation and stress relief, has taken over the traditional role of nohgaku as a form of “chill-out” entertainment that provides calming and grounding effects. In this context, the important challenge will be how to visualize the irreplaceable value of nohgaku.

To achieve this, I believe it will be necessary to scientifically break down the various beneficial effects of nohgaku and pursue innovation that transcends the boundaries of traditional performing arts. Historically, art has been evaluated based mainly on artistic sensibilities. Today, however, it is essential to conduct evidence-based research in order to accurately convey its product value.

An example of this approach is a research project conducted in collaboration with KIDANI Shunsuke, Research Associate Professor at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. Using data on heart rate and skin potential variations measured during nohgaku viewing, this research suggests that the viewing experience may have a relaxing effect. This effect indicates the possibilities for application of nohgaku in the wellness field,³ as well as for affirming its unique value as a new form of stage art that promotes relaxation and emotional grounding (the aforementioned “chill-out” qualities).

The traditional, fixed notion that equates nohgaku with an appreciative art has obscured its original value as an experiential performing art. Moreover, even as an appreciative art, nohgaku tends to be grouped together with the more entertainment-oriented popular performance arts of the 17th to 19th centuries. However, it is important to restore the position it held from the late 12th to the 16th centuries, when the emphasis was on its calming, “chill-out” qualities. This is why nohgaku needs to generate original value that sets it apart from entertainment-oriented performance arts.

Still, even with the need to emphasize the “chill-out” qualities of nohgaku, we must not forget its ability to provide spiritual stimulation. For instance, the kokata⁴ technique evokes a deep emotional response from the audience by showcasing the purity and dignity of children. Such heartfelt reactions are an essential element for “chill-out” performing arts, and, along with sensory stimuli like sunsets, scents, and breezes, trigger excitement that is different from surprise.

That is why it is also necessary to reconsider the very space in which nohgaku is performed: the nohgakudo theater. Today, lighting tends to be perceived as the entirety of stagecraft, but originally, it was the environment itself, including sunlight, natural scents, the sensation of the wind, that shaped the performance. Research in spatial design that explores natural ways of expressing these environmental elements will be indispensable to the future of nohgaku.

I am convinced that, in order to preserve the art of nohgaku and pass it on to future generations, we must strengthen an approach that incorporates scientific literacy alongside performance traditions. When you visit Japan, I encourage you to experience nohgaku with these perspectives in mind.

HOSHO Kazufusa
20th souke of the Hosho School. While carefully maintaining traditional performances, HOSHO also collaborates with other schools and is involved in the revival of past works. In addition to performing, he also plays a managerial role. HOSHO has also worked on overseas cultural exchange projects, mainly in Hong Kong and Italy. He won the 2008 Tokyo University of the Arts Acanthus Music Award, as well as the New Artist Award of the 40th Matsuo Performing Arts Awards in 2019. In 2022, HOSHO served as supervisor of the nohgaku-related scenes in the Disney Plus Drama Shogun. He has also been supervising the manga Shite no Hana – Noh Gakushi Haga Kotaro no Sakikata (“Flower of Shite – Noh Performer Haga Kotaro’s Way of Blooming,” which has been published in a weekly Shonen Sunday new series since October 2024.
Search: HOSHO Kazufusa

• 1. The grand master of a school in a traditional Japanese performing art or martial art.
• 2. A traditional Japanese performing art that attained greatness about 700 years ago. It is inscribed as a UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage as the world’s oldest continuously practiced performing art.
• 3. An industry that provides services designed to integrate “wellness” into daily life, where wellness is understood as a state of fulfillment encompassing physical, mental, and socio-environmental wellbeing.
• 4. Roles performed by child actors in nohgaku.

By HOSHO Kazufusa
Photo: ISHIZAWA Yoji; Hoshokai

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