Rethinking Zeami: Talking to Kanze Tetsunojo

Abstract

is a representative of one of the oldest and most influential families in noh theatre, a descendant of its pioneers-Kan'ami (1333-1384) and Zeami (1363-1443). Kanze is the name of the school he represents, while Tetsunojo is a hereditary artistic name of the masters in his branch of school. He works in a group named Tessenkai and is the eighth Tetsunojo-hasse (Master Tetsunojo). He is the grandson of Kasetsu (1884-1959) who, on his part, contributed greatly to the revival of noh following its breakdown at the end of the Igth century when Japan opened its borders to the outside world. In the '50s together with his two brothers, Hisao (died 1978) and Hideo-both outstanding noh actorsstarted another battle for the survival of noh which, as an art imbued with a nationalistic and militaristic spirit, was forbidden by American censors during the occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1951. The Kanzes started Hana-no kai (the Association of the Flower) in order to stage the best noh pieces and to discuss them in the context of Zeami's treatises. They also wanted to direct and stage the best Western classics (including ancient Greek drama) using the techniques of Japanese traditional performing arts and began to collaborate with Western-style theatres. Tessenkai was the first company to perform noh outside of Japan, at the Venice Biennale in I956. Hideo and Hisao played in several of Suzuki Tadashi's productions: in 1972, Agamemnon, and in 1978 The Bacchae. They opened their traditional stage in Tokyo to performances of French artists Jean-Louis Barrault in 1977 and Juliette Greco in 1983. Barrault participated in a symposium comparing techniques of noh to French pantomime. participated in theatrical experiments to a lesser degree than his brothers. Instead he devoted himself to educating young noh actors. From 1975 to 1979 I was Tetsunojo's first pupil from Europe and a zealous reader of Zeami's treatises. Thus my frequent meetings with were filled with conversations and discussions about tradition, medieval theatre theory, and its uses in contemporary culture.