Hello, this is Onoe Kikunojo. It's been a while since I last wrote. It's been a while since I last wrote, but I wanted to give you an update on my activities from spring to summer this year, including the "Onoue Kikugoro VIII Succession Parade," "Opening Ceremony of the 2025 World Expo, Japan," "100th Azuma Odori," and the Kabuki Touken Ranbu "Azuma Kyo Setsumaen" and "Mai Keika Touken Danshi." I'd also like to give you an update on the 9th annual "Itsei-kai," scheduled for the end of September.

I was in charge of directing the parade celebrating the succession of the name of the 8th generation Onoe Kikugoro.

As you may already know, Onoe Kikunosuke V has taken on the name Onoe Kikugoro VIII, and Onoe Ushinosuke VII has taken on the name Onoe Kikunosuke VI. This is a very important event for the Onoe school, as it marks the succession of the Onoe Kikugoro family, the head family of the Onoe school of Japanese dance.

The name-succession performances at the Kabukiza were held over two months in May and June, but one month prior to that, on March 5st, a name-succession parade was held at Kanda Shrine in Tokyo, for which I was in charge of overall direction.

We came up with the overall structure based on this original idea: to convey the history of Otowaya and cheer on its future through rap.

A succession ceremony literally involves a procession over a fairly long distance, such as along the approach to Sensoji Temple or Naritasan in Asakusa. However, the approach to Kanda Myojin Shrine is shorter, only about 50 meters. We were discussing with Kikunosuke (currently the VIII Kikugoro) and creative director Kenji Kobashi, who joined us as an advisor, about what we could come up with, and Kobashi suggested rap.

It's certainly an interesting attempt that has never been done before, so we were thinking about how to put the whole thing together using rap, and we've invited Zeebra, who could be called the father of Japanese rap, to perform.We've also got collaborations with drummer Yamabe Yasutsugu, flute player Fujisha Suiho, and the Kikugorou Theatre Music Department to add to the excitement.

I think it was a lively parade typical of the Otowaya, with the 8th Kikugorou and Shin Kikunosuke walking while wrapped in wrapping paper that conveyed the history of the Onoe Kikugorou family.

This is an unprecedented special succession, with two Kikugorou existing at the same time.

Aside from the rap, the most important thing about this procession was how to express the unprecedented and extremely special succession, in which two Kikugoros, the VII and VIII, exist simultaneously. So, I came up with the idea of ​​the VII and VIII facing each other across the temple grounds, with the VIII walking powerfully with the new Kikunosuke towards the shrine where the VII is waiting. And at the end, the three of them line up at the shrine to offer prayers to the gods. It's common to see the old and new Kikugoros line up and greet each other at succession ceremonies, but I don't think there are many scenes where they face each other.

As the eighth head moves towards the seventh, the grounds of Kanda Myojin Shrine become a special space that evokes the 300-year history of the Kikugoro family, and the eighth and new Kikunosuke move forward as if filling that space. Then, in the main shrine, the three will stand side by side with the seventh, eighth, and new Kikunosuke, who is expected to eventually become the ninth. I wanted to see such a scene. And I wanted many people to feel it together.

The succession performances will be held in October at the Misonoza Theater in Nagoya, and in December at the Minamiza Theater in Kyoto as part of the regular Kaomise performances, and will continue until June next year at the Hakataza Theater. Please come and see the performances of the two Onoe Kikugorou and the fresh Kikunosuke, as well as the three generations of the Otowaya family.

Performance at the opening ceremony of the Osaka-Kansai Expo

In fact, I also worked with Kikugorou VIII and Kobashi at the Osaka Kansai Expo about two weeks later. The performance was at the opening ceremony, held at the EXPO Hall Shine Hut on April 4th, the day before the opening day, at the Expo site. The opening ceremony performance, which was overseen by Kobashi, the event planning producer, was divided into several parts, including "Relay of Life," "Heartbeat," and "Festival." I supervised the kabuki direction for the "Festival" part and was in charge of the choreography.

The performers were Onoe Kikunosuke, who will soon be taking on the name of the eighth Kabuki actor, Nakamura Hayato, and Nakamura Tsubame. In addition to these three, there was also the world-famous rapper Awich, 3 Japanese music performers, and artists from various genres, including Kodo, Okinawan Eisa, and dancers, all collaborating on one stage to create a powerful performance.

This will be my third time participating in an Expo, following the Seville Expo held in Spain in 1992 and the Aichi Expo held in Aichi Prefecture in 2005. On both of the previous two occasions, I performed alongside Kikunosuke, and at all the Expos I have been involved in, I have been with Kikugoro VIII. I feel grateful for this connection.

Preparations have already begun for next year's 101st Azuma Odori.

The Azuma Odori dance festival was held in May. This year, marking its 5th anniversary, featured a unique twist: geisha and geisha from 100 entertainment districts across Japan, performing on a rotating schedule each day. It was a lively and fulfilling commemorative performance. The Shimbashi geisha, especially, were especially enthusiastic, conscious of the guest performers. The first act's "Seigaiha" and "Hyakka-Sanbaso" and the third act's "Okonomi-Shinbashi ~ Shiawase Negau Yume no Kakehashi" showcased the best of Shimbashi geisha, thrilling the audience. On the opening day, Kikugoro Onoe VIII, who was currently performing his own name-taking performance at the Kabuki-za, made a surprise appearance during the 19th anniversary speech and presented flowers. The Shimbashi area itself was bustling throughout the performance period, making it a truly joyful and fulfilling week for me. Because the 100th anniversary performance was such a great success, I believe that next year, the 1st performance, will be a crucial year in which we must put in even more effort than ever before. Meetings in preparation for the 100st performance have already begun. Please look forward to an even more powerful Azuma Odori next year.

The second production of "Kabuki Touken Ranbu" was performed from July to August.

From July to August, the Kabuki Touken Ranbu production "Azumakagamiyuki no Midare" was performed in Tokyo, Fukuoka, and Kyoto. This is the second production following "Tsuki no Tsurugie Nishi no Kirinoha," which was performed in 7. As with the first production, it was directed and choreographed together with Matsuya Onoe.

The more popular the first film is, the more difficult the second one is. However, "Touken Ranbu" does not follow a story, and apart from basing it on the game's setting, there is a lot of freedom in the story and development, so we were able to try a lot of different things. However, on the other hand, there are the expectations of customers who saw the first film, and there is also a world that fans of the original work have imagined. In that sense, it is true that we made it while feeling a lot of pressure.

Aiming for the "Touken Ranbu" that can only be achieved through Kabuki

This time, we've incorporated a 40-minute dance revue separate from the play. The idea is to incorporate classical Kabuki dance as well as folk songs from areas with a connection to swords, with the sword boys in the main citadel dancing in the style of Kabuki. This is something we've been conscious of since making the first production, but rather than doing anything outlandish, our first priority is to present Touken Ranbu in a way that only Kabuki can do. Kabuki and Touken Ranbu have a high affinity and a deep respect and affection for each other, and we believe there is potential for them to create even more new imaginations in the future.

I also hope that these performances will provide a new platform for young Kabuki actors to shine. Young people are adept at grasping the worldview of new themes such as "Touken Ranbu." In that sense, this could be a production in which young actors can shine, so I hope that audiences will pay attention to the performances of these young actors. By participating in such productions, they will feel the joy of creating a work together and will develop the ability to learn and think. This will lead to increased confidence as actors and a desire to study the classics. I envision this having a double or triple effect, leading to successful performances of classical works. Of course, please look forward to seeing Matsuya and me grow!

The "Isseikai" will be held at the end of September. This will be the 9th year.

We are now less than a month away from our "Itseikai" performance at the end of September. This will be our 9th year. Last year, we celebrated our 1th anniversary with a grand performance that felt like a festival. That's why we feel we need to take on new challenges this year even more.

One of the challenges we are taking on is inviting Onodera Shuji, the leader of the "Company De La Cinera," to participate as a guest. Onodera is a performer who creates unique direction and choreography based on the movements of pantomime, and has been active in fields outside of classical performing arts, including performing on stage himself. I have long admired Onodera's stage production methods and concepts, including the way he moves people on stage and the movements of the body itself.

Chemical reaction with Shuji Onodera

I believe there are infinite ways to move the body and express oneself through the body. There are differences in genres such as Japanese dance, Kabuki, Kyogen, and pantomime, but precisely because physical expression is infinite, there may be something that can be used as reference across genres. With this in mind, I actually asked Onodera-san to hold a workshop about 10 years ago. Members of the Shigeyama family and volunteer dancers also participated, and it was a very meaningful workshop. I hope that one day Onodera-san will join the Itsei-kai. I have long wished for this, and now it has finally come true.

The new work is "Ojizo-san." It's a story about a slightly silly monster. In typical Itseikai fashion, the monsters are unable to threaten or harm people, but they discover that they can. Right now, I'm working hard on the script. As September approaches, readings and rehearsals will begin, and I'm feeling a mixture of excitement and impatience (as always...wry smile).

I have been involved in the Itseikai for over 15 years and it has become my life's work.

"Itseikai" has been going on for over 15 years and is completely my life's work. However, I don't want to do it out of habit, so I'm always looking for new things to do. At the same time, I want to cherish the past works that I've accumulated so far, so if there's an opportunity, I'll try to perform past Itseikai works and bring them closer to completion, as I did last year.I would like.

Onoe Kikunojo and Shigeyama Ippei duo performance "Isseikai"

・Dates: Saturday, September 2025th to Sunday, September 9th, 27

Venue: Cerulean Tower Noh Theater

·ticket:Onoue official website

Kikunojo Onoe

■ Onoe Kikunojo III, fourth-generation head of the Onoe school

Born in 1976, he studied under his father from the age of two and made his debut on stage at the age of five. In 2, he succeeded the fourth head of the Onoe school and took the stage name Onoe Kikunojō III. He hosts his own recital, "Onoue Kikunojō no Kai," and "Itsusei-kai" with Kyogen performer Shigeyama Ippei. He also devotes himself to creating new works and has presented a wide range of pieces. He has directed and choreographed in a variety of genres, including new kabuki, Hanamachi dance, the Takarazuka Revue, OSK Nippon Revue, and ice skating shows "Hyouen" and "Luxe." He is a part-time lecturer at Kyoto University of Arts and a director of the Japan Dance Association.

For inquiries to “Kikunojo FAN CLUB”, please contact:Onoue official website .