The haiku poet Matsuo Basho is embarking on a journey with his disciples, but the boat does not leave. As they wait on the banks of the Sumida River, they meet a robot boy and a shadowy woman. This work is a retelling of the Noh play Sumida River from the perspective of modern themes and values.
This was first performed when the troupe members were students at Waseda University. The CoRich Performing Arts Festival was launched the following year, and the group became the first student organization to win the Grand Prix in spring 2019. The group, which focuses on the classics of East and West, has subsequently gained continuous acclaim for its style in which the script, the performers’ lines and appearances, art design and costumes exist as if in the midst (awai) of life and death.
The work debuted at Waseda’s 70-seat Drama-kan Theater. It was selected for the Geigeki Eyes series at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theater in 2022, where it played at the 300-seat Theater East. The sight of the sweeping space with virtually no stage sets highlighted the gap between life and death, between classic and modern.

2022
Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre Theatre East

Presented by: The Japan Foundation (JF) (https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/)
In cooperation with EPAD (https://epad.terrada.co.jp/)

＜Performance Credits＞
Written and Directed by OTSUKA Kentaro
Performers: KAMIMURA Satoshi, NAKAMURA Ryota, TSURUTA Risa, ODORIKO Ari, FURUSE Rinao
Music by OGIMI Umi
Scenic Design by SUGIYAMA Itaru
Lighting Design by CHIDA Minoru
Costume Design by FUJITANI Kyoko
Sound Design by GONDO Madoka
Stage Manager : ITO Shin
Stage Assistant : TANIGUCHI Yu
Dramaturge : ONA Yosuke
Associate Producer : Assistant KAWANO Haruka
Associate Producer : TAKAMOTO Sae
Organized by Theatre Company Awai / Karumi Co., LTD

＜Subtitling Credits＞
Multilingual subtitling：
Supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Goverment of Japan through the Japan Arts Council

Chinese Translation (Simplified): Zhenzhen WU
Chinese Translation (Traditional): SWSG
English Translation: Christopher Gregory
French Translation: Pascale Doderisse
Spanish Translation: José Antonio AMBRIZ

＜Promotional Text＞
KAWANO Momoko

End date of distribution: 25/1/2027