The 8th Sankei Kanze Noh Performance

Description

This poster advertises upcoming performances of Noh, a form of Japanese theater dating back to the fourteenth century but still performed today. Unlike kabuki theater, which is characterized by exuberant gestures and facial expressions, Noh theater is distinguished by a more minimalist, but no less dramatic, style of performance. While the costumes are exquisite, stage sets are often sparse and the actors’ movements are slow and controlled. Originally produced for villagers, Noh was adopted by courtiers starting in the fourteenth century and was enjoyed by the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, Japan’s ruler at the time. 

In this poster, Ikko Tanaka alludes to Noh theater’s long history by using only kanji (or “Chinese characters”). In the Japanese writing system, kanji are typically combined with hiragana (cursive characters that primarily represent syllabic units), whereas here only kanji are used, which is typical of texts written in classical Japanese. While Tanaka’s choice of script invokes Noh’s long history in Japan, his vibrant color palette speaks to its relevance for modern audiences.