The Mission of Japan, in cooperation with the Japan Society and the Consulate-General of Japan, New York, hosted “An Evening of Kyogen, Japanese Traditional Theater” at the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium at UN Headquarters. This private performance was part of a rare U.S. tour for the Mansaku no Kai group. Director and lead actor Mansai Nomura is the eighth generation of his family to perform kyogen. He also played the role of Tsurumaru in one of Akira Kurosawa’s classic films, “Ran.” His father is Mansaku Nomura, who is currently the head of the Mansaku no Kai group and the seventh generation of his family to be deemed an Intangible Cultural Asset by the government of Japan.

The evening began with a performance of a short excerpt from “The Kyogen of Errors,” based on William Shakespeare’s “The Comedy of Errors,” and afterwards Mansai gave a brief explanation of kyogen. After Ambassador Kenzo Oshima and the president of the Japan Society greeted the audience, a second short comedy entitled “Kusabira (Mushrooms)” was performed. Following the play, the Mission hosted a reception where audience members had the opportunity to meet the actors and the Mission’s ambassadors.