2 shows in Tôkyô (Kabukiza), 1 in Fukuoka (Hakataza), 1 in Ôsaka (Shôchikuza) & 1 Tour (Ichikawa Danjûrô Tour)!

Living National Treasure Kataoka Nizaemon, Nakamura Kankurô, Nakamura Shichinosuke, Onoe Kikugorô, Nakamura Shikan, Nakamura Fukusuke, Nakamura Ganjirô, Nakamura Senjaku, Kataoka Takatarô, Onoe Shôroku, Nakamura Matagorô, Nakamura Hayato, Bandô Minosuke & Nakamura Tokizô perform at the Kabukiza !

Nakamura Shidô & Nakamura Kazutarô perform at the Hakataza!

Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô performs at the Shôchikuza!

Ichikawa Danjûrô is on tour!

Living National Treasure Kataoka Nizaemon, Nakamura Kankurô, Nakamura Shichinosuke, Onoe Kikugorô, Nakamura Shikan, Nakamura Fukusuke, Nakamura Ganjirô, Nakamura Senjaku, Kataoka Takatarô, Onoe Shôroku, Nakamura Matagorô, Nakamura Hayato, Bandô Minosuke, Nakamura Tokizô, Bandô Kamezô, Nakamura Matsue, Nakamura Kikaku, Nakamura Kashô, Nakamura Mantarô, Bandô Shingo, Nakamura Kangyoku, Nakamura Hashinosuke, Nakamura Toranosuke, Nakamura Utanosuke, Nakamura Kantarô, Ichikawa Otora, Nakamura Tamatarô, Nakamura Tanetarô

The Saruwaka Festival February Grand Kabuki at the Kabukiza. This festival was first held in 2024 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Saruwakaza Theatre (later, the Nakamuraza) by Saruwaka (Nakamura) Kanzaburô I and the staging of the first Kabuki performance in Edo.

Oedo Miyage:
(A Souvenir of Edo)
This modern play is a light comedy with a fanciful episode from the life of commoners in the Edo period. Two women, Otsuji (Nakamura Ganjirô) and Oyû (Nakamura Shikan), who travel annually to Edo to sell the cloth that they weave encounter a young couple. Moved by the spirit of romance, Otsuji spends all the money that she has made for a once in a lifetime meeting with a fabulously handsome Kabuki actor (Bandô Minosuke). Featuring also Kataoka Takatarô & Bandô Kamezô.

Tonbi Yakko: a kite flies off with the first bonito of the season which a footman (Onoe Shôroku) has bought for his master. The footman chases the kite with a pole from a well in his hand, intending to knock down the kite with it. A cheerful dance which portrays the lives of chic ordinary people in the Edo period.

Shibai no Nigiwai: this play is what is called shibai mae. The stage is made to resemble the area in front of the Nakamuraza in the Edo period and the principal actors of the troupe gather here. Starring Living National Treasure Kataoka Nizaemon, Nakamura Shikan, Nakamura Fukusuke, Nakamura Senjaku, Nakamura Kankurô, Nakamura Shichinosuke, Kataoka Takatarô and many young actors.

Seki no To:
(The Snowbound Barrier)
A snow-covered barrier decorated by a mysteriously blooming cherry tree provides the background for the larger-than-life story of a traitorous aristocrat disguised as a barrier guard and the beautiful woman, actually a supernatural spirit in disguise, that will defeat him. Nakamura Shichinosuke (the keisei Sumizome, in reality the spirit of Komachi's cherry tree), Nakamura Kankurô (Sekibê, in reality Ôtomo no Kuronushi), Nakamura Shichinosuke (Ono no Komachi) and Onoe Kikugorô (Yoshimine Munesada) star in what is considered to be one of the greatest Kabuki dance-dramas.

Jinmon/Kumiuchi: one of the greatest stories from the Japanese tradition is the encounter of the Genji warrior Kumagai and the young Heike general Atsumori. Although they are enemies, Kumagai would like to spare Atsumori because he is the same age as his own son, but the necessities of wartime force him to kill Atsumori nonetheless and this experience fills Kumagai with disgust at warfare and makes him become a priest. This Kabuki version of the story is filled with plot twists to emphasize the pathos of the situation. Starring Nakamura Kankurô as Kumagai and Nakamura Kantarô as Atsumori, with Bandô Shingo as Atsumori's lover Princess Tamaori.

Amagoi Gitsune:
(The Fox Praying for Rain)
They say that when it rains while the sun is shining, this means that the bridal procession of a fox is passing. That is what is shown in this relatively modern dance starring a talented dancer as a magical fox that does a series of dances in six highly contrasting roles: a fox, a shrine maiden praying for rain, a blind masseur, Ono no Tôfû (one of the greatest calligraphers in the history of Japan), the fox bride in a bridal procession and a paper lantern. 3 roles (a blind masseur; Ono no Tôfû; a fox) are danced by Nakamura Kankurô. 3 roles (a fox; a shrine maiden praying for rain; a fox bride) are danced by Nakamura Shichinosuke.

Ume Goyomi: this work is a Kabuki adaptation of a famous love story from the Edo period called "Shunshoku Ume Goyomi". Tanjirô (Nakamura Hayato), the foster child of a rich merchant in the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters lives with Yonehachi (Nakamura Tokizô), a geisha of the Fukagawa district, even though he has a fiancée named Ochô (Nakamura Kangyoku). Adakichi (Nakamura Shichinosuke), another geisha in Fukagawa, falls in love with him at first sight as they pass each other on boats, and she and Yonehachi become rivals for Tanjirô's love. Tanjirô’s master Chiba Hanjirô (Nakamura Hashinosuke) was disowned for losing a precious tea caddy named Zangetsu, the heirloom of the Hatakeyama clan, and he now lives at Tanjirô's house. Adakichi persuades Furutori Sabunta (Nakamura Kikaku) to sell the tea caddy in his possession as she wants to get it for Tanjirô who is searching for the lost one with Hanjirô. But this tea caddy turns out to be a complete fake. Tanjirô recovers the genuine one after great difficulty and hands it to Hanjirô. As a result, Hanjirô is permitted to return to his house and the ill feeling between Adakichi and Yonehachi dispels and they make up.

Sources: Earphone Guide Website, Shôchiku Kabuki Official Website or others sources

Nakamura Shidô, Nakamura Kazutarô, Nakamura Kinnosuke, Ichimura Manjirô, Kawarasaki Gonjûrô, Nakamura Yonekichi, Ichimura Takematsu, Ichimura Hikaru, Ichimura Kitsutarô, Sawamura Kiyoshirô, Nakamura Haruki, Nakamura Natsuki

A special program starring Nakamura Shidô and Nakamura Kazutarô and reviving the 2015 Kabuki drama based on Kimura Yûichi's famous series of illustrated child books "Arashi no Yoru ni" (in English 'One Stormy Night').

Arashi no Yoru ni: it is a series of picture books written by Kimura Yûichi. The first edition was published in 1994. As many people wanted to read a sequel to the story, it lasted to the seventh volume and became a best seller. More than 3,000,000 books have been sold. It became so popular that it has been turned into a game and made into plays. In 2005, it was made into an animated movie (the voice for the main character Gabu was supplied by Nakamura Shidô) by Sugii Gisaburô, an esteemed movie producer in the animation industry. On the night of a storm, a wolf Gabu (Nakamura Shidô) and a goat Mei (Nakamura Kazutarô) encounters in a mountain hut in pitch darkness by chance. They talk through night not knowing their identity and become friends. They determine their password as 'On the night of a storm' and promise to meet again. They are shocked when they meet again, but they nurture friendship keeping it secret to their each group. But their friendship is at last known to both groups and meets with violent opposition. The two are pushed to the edge ...

Source: Shôchiku Kabuki Official Website

Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô

The historic Shôchikuza, located in the vibrant heart of the Dôtonbori district in Ôsaka and affectionately nicknamed the 'Arc de Triomphe of Dôtonbori', will definitively close its doors at the end of May 2026. This program is a farewell performance in this theater for Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô.

Kôjô: the close relationship between the actors and the audience is shown by stage announcements, usually lavish ceremonies to commemorate various important events. This month at the Shôchikuza, it is a stage speech delivered by Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô.

Yukari no Tsuki:
(The moon of Karma)
A dance about a courtesan's sad mental state. While watching the moon, she is lamenting that she has to separate from her lover and to marry another man because of her poverty.

Zangetsu:
(A Morning Moon)
This work is said to have been composed in memory of the premature death of the daughter of Matsuya, a pupil of Minezaki Kotô, and the title of the piece is said to have been inspired by her posthumous Buddhist name. Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô stars in an exquisite Jiutamai dance, which quietly portrays the imagery of a moon that appears and disappears, and the fleeting fragility of the young woman's life.

Sources: Earphone Guide Website, Shôchiku Kabuki Official Website or others sources

Ichikawa Danjûrô, Kataoka Ichizô, Ichikawa Kudanji, Ôtani Hiromatsu

A special tour with a troupe led by Ichikawa Danjûrô XIII with performances in 21 venues.