The Warrior Atsumori: Uzawa Noh
Presented by Theatre at UBC and the Centre for Japanese Research
7:00 pm, September 18
Frederic Wood Theatre
$20 for public, free for students
Purchase your ticket here
Living National Treasure Hisa Uzawa and her daughter Hikaru Uzawa join us for a single evening of Japanese noh theatre. The warrior play Atsumori recounts the famous Battle of Ichinotani through the eyes of the beautiful youth Taira no Atsumori. The clash of the Taira clan with the Minamoto, their defeat, and Atsumori’s final moments are retold when he appears in the earthly realm to meet his foe, the warrior Kumagai Naozane. The play culminates in a climactic dance which brings reconciliation and salvation.
Acclaimed performers Hisa and Hikaru Uzawa trained under the leading actors of the Tessenkai branch of the Kanze School of noh and today teach a large coterie of noh practitioners in Japan. They continue a classical tradition of Japanese theatre that dates to the fourteenth century as an art form which entertained military rulers and the gods. Through their skill and artistry, Hisa and Hikaru Uzawa have carved a place for themselves at the pinnacle of noh practice as two women in a male-dominated profession.
Bios
Noh Actor Hisa Uzawa was born into a Noh family in 1949. Her father, Masashi Uzawa, was lead actor (shite-kata) in the Kanze Tessenkai School. She studied under Masashi Uzawa, Hisao Kanze, and Tetsunojō Kanze the 8th. Debuting at the age of three in the play The Drunken Sprite (Shōjō), at the age of thirteen she performed as a lead actor in the play The Deity of Yoshino (Yoshino Tennin). She has performed lead roles in a wealth of plays and is regularly featured in plays within the Kanze Tessenkai School. Uzawa has been recognized as a preserver of Important Intangible Cultural Property (commonly known as a Living National Treasure) A recipient of Kawasaki City Cultural Prize and the Kanze Hisao-Hosei University Noh Theater Prize, she has been recognized for her achievements in Noh Theater, insightful interpretations of the art, and exceptional level of artistic excellence.
Noh Actor Hikaru Uzawa was born into a Noh family in 1979, following in the footsteps of her grandfather, Masashi Uzawa and her mother, Hisa Uzawa as a lead actor (shite-kata) in the Kanze Tessenkai School, she studied under Masashi Uzawa, Hisa Uzawa, and Tetsunojō Kanze the 9th.
Her debut at age three was in the play The Aged Pine (Oimatsu) and at age thirteen she performed her first lead actor role in the play The Drunken Sprite (Shōjō). She has shown artistic versatility through a wide range of plays, including Dōjōji, is a regularly featured member of the Kanze Tessenkai School.
Hisa Uzawa and Hikaru Uzawa have both collaborated in modern theatre collaborations and led workshops and productions abroad. Their last visit to Canada was in 2007 for a sold-out performance of Lady Aoi.