VOL.205 JULY 2025
EXPO 2025 OSAKA, KANSAI, JAPAN: THE CHARM OF KANSAI
[Discovering Japan Through the Eyes of Japanese Influencers] Development of Nohgaku in Japan
A nohgaku chanting and dance class, where professional performers teach Hosho School utai (poetry chanting) and shimai (short dance excerpts).
Photo: Hoshokai
In this month’s issue, HOSHO Kazufusa, the 20th souke1 of the Hosho School of nohgaku shitekata, speaks of the development of nohgaku in Japan.
Japan is home to many traditional performing arts, such as nohgaku,2 which have developed through continuous evolution over the centuries. How, then, have these traditional performing arts evolved in modern times, a modern era defined by scientific and technological progress? The key lies in innovation. In this context, I define “innovation” as creation of new value through the application of existing traditions and principles. In modern times, novelty is often equated with collaboration, but this is only one aspect of value creation, and in some cases it may even undermine the original value.
Photo: Hoshokai
In the history of nohgaku, too, there was a period of interesting innovation. Over roughly 100 years, spanning the late 15th to the late 16th century, three powerful rulers rose to prominence in Japan. During this era,3 the social landscape changed dramatically, marked by the looming threat of war and death, a shift from physical military conflicts to political struggles, and risk hedging in governance. In line with these social transformations, the role expected from nohgaku also evolved. Although the plays themselves remained unchanged, their purpose and context shifted significantly as they came to serve as fostering psychological readiness for war, propaganda, or curbing military buildup through cultural competition.
This trend has continued into modern times. During the period of rapid economic growth,4 nohgaku attracted attention as a source of psychological stability, while during the bubble economy,5 it was used as a branding element. These examples illustrate how, by using different approaches to deliver the same content, nohgaku has continued to create new value throughout its approximately 700-year history.
In modern times, as needs diversify and social changes accelerate, a more careful discernment of value systems is required. It is a fact that on a global scale, amid growing social instability, the essential “chill-out” qualities of nohgaku — its calming and grounding effects — remain consistently in demand.
Photo provided by Spice of Life, Inc.
Photo: amigraphy
A quiet trend is emerging, particularly among people in their 30s, who seek to reexamine personal identity through the lens of traditional culture. As part of this trend, nohgaku is being reappraised for its essential value as an amateur practice — that is, a cultural form that can be learned and enjoyed by non-experts. Practicing nohgaku offers benefits that exceed the effects of mere observation — it helps improve core strength and regulate breathing, thereby contributing to extended healthy life expectancy. This has the potential to raise the overall quality of life of the working population in a longevity society.
However, in today’s age of information overload, this aspect of the value of nohgaku is not adequately conveyed. Going forward, it will be essential to promote initiatives that communicate its appeal to a wider audience and increase its visibility.
Photo: ISHIZAWA Yoji
When you visit Japan, I encourage you to experience nohgaku and other traditional Japanese performing arts, and to take interest in their historical evolution and future development.
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.
- 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. Japan’s Sengoku Period (also known as the “Warring States Period”), which spanned from the late 15th to the late 16th century, was a time when three warlords — Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu — rose to prominence.
- 4. The period from 1955 to 1973, when Japan achieved rapid economic growth.
- 5. The period from December 1986 to February 1991, when Japan experienced economic prosperity driven by rising all asset prices.
By HOSHO Kazufusa
Photo: amigraphy; ISHIZAWA Yoji; Spice of Life, Inc.; Hoshokai
