Kyoto

New Year Kyogen Performance

Traditional theater at Kitano-Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto

Cathy Cawood Dec 31, 2014 - 1 min read

<p>A beautiful gold screen with a painting of a pine tree formed a backdrop to the stage  </p>

<p>The kyogen stage at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine</p>

<p>A crowd started to gather in front of the stage as the performance time drew near</p>

<p>There were both male and female actors in the performance</p>

<p>This man was one of the leading players</p>

<p>Fans were an integral part of the movements performed by the actors</p>

<p>This was my favorite photo that I took during the performance</p>

<p>I wished I could understand it better</p>

<p>Winter afternoon sun created beautiful lighting!</p>

<p>The actor pointed with his fan to all four directions - north, south, east and west</p>

<p>The 'chorus' filing back onto the stage</p>

On the second day of 2014 I went to Kitano Tenmangu Shrine, and was lucky enough to see a traditional kyogen performance. The shrine's theater had doors all around that were raised with ropes so that the stage was open on three sides. There were no props except the fans the actors carried, and the play was lit by golden winter afternoon sunlight. My Japanese friend did his best to explain the story, but to be honest I was just fascinated by the visual spectacle. I think the kyogen performance is a regular event, so visit Kitano Tenmangu during the New Year period if you get the chance!

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Find out more about Kitano Tenmangu.

Cathy Cawood @cathy.cawood

I came to Japan in 2003 to teach English. I lived in Shiga prefecture for 1 year, and it still holds a special place in my heart. I lived in Kyoto for 9 years, then moved to Machida, Tokyo in 2014 after meeting my Japanese partner. I love to take photos, and my Japan in Pictures Facebook page ha...