By TABITO FUKUTOMI/ Staff Writer
November 16, 2021 at 17:45 JST
HIROSHIMA--Traditional Japanese Noh performances were given in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome here ahead of its 25th anniversary of UNESCO's registration as a World Heritage site in December.
The “takigi Noh” performances were staged outdoors on the evening of Nov. 15 and reflected the sounds and lives of people in the area before the atomic bombing of the city on Aug. 6, 1945.
The stage was lit by crackling bonfires to mourn those who died and to remember the local cultural tradition lost after the attack.
The event was the first of its kind organized by people who lived near the site before the bombing.
Masaaki Tanabe, 83, one of the organizers, lived next to the east side of where the Atomic Bomb Dome currently stands and lost his parents and brother in the bombing.
“I want people to imagine that residents near ground zero also had spent their daily lives just like everyone else,” said Tanabe.
The area was formerly known as the Sarugakucho and Saikumachi districts since they were home to many “nogakushi” (Noh players) and “saikushi” artisans of musical instruments during the Edo Period (1603-1867).
Before the atomic bombing, Noh songs and musical accompaniments were frequently heard in those districts even during World War II.
Cenotaph tribute to POWs killed in A-bombing of Nagasaki
May 5, 2021
Alarmed by 9/11, A-bomb survivor writes novels to share experience
October 27, 2021
At 92, Nagasaki atomic bomb survivor vows to share her story
August 10, 2021
Japan grants health benefits to A-bomb ‘black rain’ victims
July 26, 2021
Nagasaki curator strives alone to preserve A-bomb artifacts
August 23, 2021
Hiroshima stung by refusal to honor A-bomb victims at Games
August 2, 2021
Stories about memories of cherry blossoms solicited from readers
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series on the death of a Japanese woman that sparked a debate about criminal justice policy in the United States
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
“Takigi Noh” performances are staged in front of the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima on Nov. 15. (Jun Ueda)
