Kyoto Kanze Kaikan

Kyoto has many Noh theaters and performances, which may be worth watching once while you are here. Kyoto Kanze Kaikan is especially large and has regular performances.

Kanze Style is the biggest school of Noh and was practicing mainly at Kanze Noh Theater. However, near the end of World War II, in April 1945, they wer forced to evacuate, and the theater was demolished. After the War, there were voices to restart Noh and Kyoto Kanze Kaikan was opened with two-story seats and a stage made of cypress wood.

Since then, Kyoto Kanze Group has been conducting a regular performance every month as well as other events. This is a valuable place to be able to watch Noh and Kyogen in a casual setting. There are performances for beginners, free ones danced by amateurs, even the equipment to display captions of story lines for beginners, English subtitles, and subtitles for the visually impaired (some performances charge a fee). Call them and find out. In the theater, Noh-related books, CDs and DVDs are available and the shop is open according to the performance schedule.