Emperor and Empress Watch Kabuki Ahead of Tokyo National Theatre Reconstruction

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:45 JST, October 24, 2023

The Emperor and Empress watched a kabuki performance of the second part of “Imoseyama Onna Teikin” (“Husband and Wife Mountains: An Exemplary Tale of Womanly Virtue”) on Monday in Tokyo at the National Theatre, which will close at the end of this month.

The theater in the Hanzomon district of Chiyoda Ward is currently presenting its farewell kabuki performances ahead of its reconstruction.

The current piece is set in the Asuka period (592-710), themed on the assassination of Soga no Iruka by Fujiwara no Kamatari.

The Emperor and Empress viewed the performance occasionally using opera glasses and applauded the passionate performance of Nakamura Karoku, who played Iruka, and the other actors.