A Living National Treasure speaks on the 'fascination' that transcends logic.

LOUNGE | Kita-ryu Noh Actor, Living National Treasure Akio Tomeda

Akio Tomeda, a Kita-ryu Noh actor, Living National Treasure (designated as a holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property), and entrusted by the head family of his school, calls the essence of his art "ki." He began studying under Minoru Kita, the 15th head of the Kita school, at the age of six. Ahead of the release of a collection of twelve of his finest performances from ages 43 to 81, we had the opportunity to speak with him.

Text by MASAAKI Tominaga | Photograph by TAKUROW Tomita | Interview by OPENERS

Noh is not an easily accessible art form. The stage, a mere three ken square, is almost bare. Movements are few and slow. The language is archaic and difficult to understand. Yet, it can suddenly touch the heart, even bring tears. This remains true even when performed for audiences in foreign countries where the language differs. Something reaches us, just before the realm of logic. Noh is such an art.

The personality of the person on stage. The "ki" emanating from the performer becomes the outline of the art, visible through its form. Akio Tomeda states this, suggesting that Noh is, in the end, about "people." While he possesses a solid, structured style inherited from his teacher, Minoru Kita, the 15th head of the Kita school, many observe that Tomeda's art transcends these boundaries.

We had the opportunity to speak with Akio Tomeda as a DVD collection of twelve performances, personally selected by him, was being produced for release in early 2026. The accompanying booklet for pre-orders, "Noh: My Path, Akio Tomeda" (edited by Noh critic Naoki Kaneko), chronicles his years facing the stage and his inner thoughts at each moment, told in a calm narrative. It is not an ostentatious autobiography; rather, the many things left unsaid convey the depth of his accumulated practice.

"Actually, I wasn't very enthusiastic about releasing this DVD either. Art is best experienced live. I've always believed that Noh should be seen live, in a Noh theater, and have consistently refused such projects."

Twelve pieces as a culmination of his work. Why choose the medium of video at this particular time?

"However, my past performances, these twelve pieces... I thought it would be good to preserve them for future generations, along with the musicians, supporting actors, chorus, and especially the interlude by Master Man Nomura. Through video, I hoped people could feel the enjoyment, the flavor, of Noh. That's why I finally became enthusiastic about it."

Noh is not an explanatory or easily understandable art form. Unlike Western theater, which uses sets and gestures to convey scenes and emotions, Noh evokes the audience's imagination in a space with almost nothing. Its sparseness demands precision and density.

"Noh is a somewhat unhurried art; there are few movements, and explanations are kept to a minimum. Therefore, I believe there is room for various interpretations. To convey this, the 'signal' from the performer must be strong. Well, I think that 'signal' is 'ki.' Since receivers also vary, I always consider the need to transmit a very strong signal."

If the "ki" emitted by the dancer is the signal, then the audience's sensibility is the receiver. Knowledge can be helpful; many performances now include pre-show explanations. However, the transmission process discussed here operates beyond mere knowledge, in a realm that cannot be expressed in words. How does it resonate with the hearts of each individual audience member, whose experiences and sensibilities differ? To achieve this, Akio Tomeda emphasizes the importance of first "infusing ki."

"From a young age, my teacher (Minoru Kita) always told me, 'Ki-ai, ki-ai!' Infuse your ki and practice, repeatedly, over and over. Eventually, after fifty years, you naturally begin to grasp the essence of what each piece is trying to convey, without necessarily being able to articulate it. So, I believe repeated practice is the most essential."

Repetition may seem simple, but continuing it for a lifetime is not. The atmosphere of a performance, and the unspoken understanding with the audience, changes from ten years ago to today, even for the same piece. The supporting actors, musicians, chorus, kyogen performers, the atmosphere in the audience, the surrounding environment – all these countless elements converge to make each performance a "once-in-a-lifetime" event. Even within repetition, no two moments are ever the same.

This is felt even more strongly in outdoor performances.

"The atmosphere is quite different between outdoor and indoor stages. You can feel the air. Since the Meiji era, Noh has largely moved indoors... but on stages like Itsukushima in Miyajima or at Nishi Honganji Temple, even while dancing, I can feel the beauty of being outdoors."

At the famous Noh stage on Miyajima Island, the ebb and flow of the tide reportedly alters the sound. The "Akio Tomeda Itsukushima Moon-Viewing Noh" performance, which Akio Tomeda initiated in 1996, marked its 27th year in 2025. It is a fantastical Noh performance staged on a Noh platform built over the sea at the World Heritage site of Itsukushima Shrine, under the moonlight.

The performance of "Mochizuki" included in the DVD was from 2011. However, "Mochizuki" was also performed at the first event, receiving high praise from Masako Shirasu, who attended the performance at that time.

"It's completely different with or without the tide. The tide seems to act like a reflective surface. It's entirely different without the water."

It's not just the tide; darkness, too, is part of the stage.

Noh "Mochizuki" from NHK VIDEO "Akio Tomeda's Noh: 12 Self-Selected Pieces" DVD
Distributed by NHK Enterprises (C) 2026 NHK

"The first time, I felt a shiver. The audience was completely invisible in the darkness. Because it was so dark on their side, I wondered who was watching me, and that brought a sense of fear and tension."

Beyond the darkness, there are unseen spectators. This "invisibility" brings focus to Akio Tomeda's performances. While Noh was traditionally performed outdoors, indoor performances became more common after the Meiji era. Perhaps the essence of Noh's stillness is supported by the darkness found in nature.

Accumulating Dynamic Stillness Within

Akio Tomeda began his training at the age of six and a half. In the post-war era, his father, Kikuo Tomeda, a master whose style was described as semi-cursive, was not his primary teacher. Instead, Minoru Kita, the 15th head of the Kita school, consistently guided his training.

"I teach young people now, and I find that if they haven't reached a certain level, learning from many different people can lead to confusion. I believe my father understood this."

Minoru Kita's style was also described as having the solid structure of regular script.

"Although it might sound a bit presumptuous, I believe that unless one has thoroughly mastered the fundamentals, it's difficult to express oneself effectively. That's my feeling."

Fundamentals and "ki." Repetition and further repetition.

While "ki" dominates the stage, it does not arise from simply standing still.

A top spinning at high speed appears to be stationary from the outside. Akio Tomeda likens Noh's stillness to this phenomenon.

The slow movements in Noh are not due to a lack of power. It is because the power is not allowed to dissipate outwards. The dancer remains still, containing a dynamic stillness within. This is a form of tension, of restraint, akin to a yearning for movement. Suppressing that yearning requires far greater concentration than fulfilling it. Through repeated practice, the dancer's body, having memorized the chants and movements, precisely controls actions and emotions. It is perhaps in the invisible manifestation of the immense energy contained within that Noh's audience perceives "ki."

A Vessel Capable of Holding the Essence of Predecessors

His teacher, Minoru Kita, passed away when Akio Tomeda was 46 years old.

Tomeda described this moment in his autobiography as "the restraints, in a good sense, that had firmly held me in place, were removed."

"If those restraints had been removed when I was much younger, I might have deviated in strange ways."

It is precisely because of the solid foundation built through practice that other "styles" can be incorporated. After losing his teacher, a standard shifted from external to internal, and the ability to "observe oneself from a distance" became necessary.

"Master Rokuhira (Note 1) speaks in terms of emotional states rather than fixed forms. However, as I gradually became a bit more assertive, I was undoubtedly drawn to the theatrical approach of Master Hisao Kanze (Note 2). Master Minoru Kita never spoke of such things. To put it extremely, he focused entirely on fundamentals, saying only 'infuse ki, infuse ki.' He never conveyed 'this piece is about this.' Nevertheless, because Master Minoru Kita rigorously solidified my fundamentals, I believe I have not ended up with strange results."

(Note 1) Rokuhira Kita XIV (1874–1971) was the 14th head of the Kita school of Kita-ryu Noh. Considered a master since the school's founder, he was a leading Noh actor of the Showa era. Kikuo Tomeda, Akio Tomeda's father, studied under Rokuhira Kita XIV.

(Note 2) Hisao Kanze (1925-1978) was a Kita-ryu Noh actor. The eldest son of Tetsunojo Kanze VII (Masayuki). He pursued the fundamental meaning of Noh based on Zeami's theories of Noh, and died suddenly at the age of 53.

Understanding a piece involves conveying feeling rather than explicit meaning. A solid foundation built through faithfully repeating forms under the guidance of a teacher. Upon this, the styles of many predecessors are incorporated through rigorous examination of what is "right or wrong." Yet, the art within the school is not lost, likely due to the overwhelming refinement of the "transmission techniques" themselves, residing within the repeated practice.

"I believe Noh is arguably the world's oldest stage art. The fact that it has survived for nearly 700 years is entirely different from, say, the survival of Horyu-ji, the world's oldest wooden structure. It is expressed in space through the human body, and it shares time and space with the audience. The fact that it has continued for nearly 700 years... I truly believe it is something remarkable. Because we must appeal to the audience in each and every moment. With painting, for example, a painter like Van Gogh might not be appreciated in his time but later generations accept his work. We don't have that luxury."

Noh is neither a tangible object nor a standardized curriculum. In the space of a one-day Noh performance, Noh actors, engaging in the art of Noh, share what they have continuously accumulated over time. Carrying the weight of centuries, they share this with the audience. Therefore, if "Noh" is not conveyed in that precise moment, it is meaningless—Akio Tomeda's words can be said to quietly reveal the solemn values of the art of Noh.

Akio Tomeda
Born in Tokyo in 1940. He is a Kita-ryu Noh actor entrusted by the head family of the Kita school. Born as the eldest son of Kikuo Tomeda into the Honza Tomeda family, which had served as Noh actors for the Kato and Hosokawa families in Higo-Kumamoto for generations. In 1946, he began studying under Minoru Kita, the 15th head of the Kita school. The following year, at the age of seven, he made his debut in "Kurama Tengu" at a flower-viewing event. In 1950, he performed his first shite role in "Seiōbo." In 1964, he was invited to the Advanced Theatre Institute in New York and traveled to the United States. He provided instruction in Noh and performed in various locations including Washington, Boston, and Chicago. He received the New Artist Prize of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 1978, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Award in 1995, the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 2000, and the Japan Art Academy Prize in 2003. In 2008, he was certified as a Living National Treasure (holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property). He became a member of the Japan Art Academy in 2011 and received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon in 2020. He currently presides over "Tomoe Kai" and "Akio Tomeda no Kai." Since 1996, he has held the "Akio Tomeda Itsukushima Moon-Viewing Noh" at the Itsukushima Shrine Noh stage.

A collection of videos of 12 pieces carefully selected by himself from his past performances, "Akio Tomeda's Noh: 12 Self-Selected Pieces" (12-disc DVD set), is scheduled for release by NHK Enterprises. Pre-orders are being accepted until Sunday, February 15, 2026. As a special pre-order bonus, a valuable discussion on art, "Noh: My Path, Akio Tomeda" (edited by Noh critic Naoki Kaneko, not for sale, 110 pages), will be included.

https://tomoeda-akiyo-noh.solflare.co.jp/