As part of its 2026 European tour and to celebrate 160 years of friendship between Japan and Belgium, the ensemble of the Kanze Noh Theater from Tokyo will be performing at Bozar for one exceptional evening in the Henry Le Boeuf concert hall. With Kiyokazu Kanze, the 26th Grand Master of the Kanze School—a descendant of the 14th-century Noh theater founders Kan’ami and Zeami and head of Japan’s largest Noh school—as the lead actor, the renowned ensemble will present three works of classical Noh theater: Hagomoro, one of the best-known Noh plays, which bears clear parallels to the European legend of the “Swan Maiden”; Kaki Yamabushi, one of the most popular Kyōgen comedies; and finally, the famous festive Noh play Shakkyō, featuring the spectacular lion dance. The Japanese art of Noh theater, which was perfected 700 years ago, has been passed down virtually unchanged to the present day and is thus considered one of the oldest performing arts in the world. As a musical-dramatic art form, it combines singing, dance, and instrumental music. In poetic narratives where reality and dreams, the living and spirits, converge, the actors, wearing Noh masks and performing with elegant, stylized movements, bring the story to life. Its unique aesthetics and spirituality have also had a lasting influence on European arts. In 2008, Noh was inscribed on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. An event presented by Bozar in collaboration with the Japanese-German Center Berlin and the Japan Cultural Institute in Cologne / The Japan Foundation, with the generous support of the Embassy of Japan in Belgium. The European tour of the Kanze Noh Theater is a joint initiative of the Berliner Festspiele / Musikfest Berlin, the Japanese-German Center Berlin, Bayerischer Rundfunk’s musica viva, Bozar – Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels, the Kölner Philharmonie / KölnMusik, and the Japan Cultural Institute in Cologne / The Japan Foundation, supported in part by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan | Japan Arts Council, and the Tokyo Club.Hagoromo (The Feather Robe)– a Noh dramaAnonymous, 14th–15th centuryDuration: 55 minutesKaki Yamabushi (The Persimmon Thief)– a Kyōgen comedyAnonymous, 14th–15th centuryDuration: 15 minutesShakkyō (The Stone Bridge)– a Noh drama in abridged formAnonymous, 14th–15th centuryDuration: 25 minutesKanze Noh Theater EnsembleKiyokazu Kanze, XXVI Grand Master of the Kanze School Lead ActorPerformance in Japanese with English subtitlesDuration: 2 hours with interval
