The beautiful movements of kimono-clad dancers, set to traditional Japanese music, and expressing the inner strength, passion, and pathos of women. The female roles of many Nihon buyo classics are often considered the pinnacle of beauty, as expressed in Japan’s traditional arts. While the roots of Nihon buyo lie in kabuki, where male actors play female roles, dances by female performers led to an extraordinary artistic evolution. We focus on Azuma Tokuho, one of the women dancers who has shaped the art, and do a deep dive into her performance of the classic “The Heron Maiden (Sagi Musume).” Explore one of the Japanese ideals of feminine beauty, and Azuma’s hopes for the future.

Presented by: The Japan Foundation (JF) (https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/)

＜Program Credits＞
Performers: AZUMA Tokuho Ⅱ
Additional Materials：
The NIHONBUYO Association /NHK / Bandokai / National Diet Library, Japan / Tokyo Metropolitan Library / Kuroki Kanzo Collection, UTokyo, Komaba / The Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, Waseda University / Tohoku University Library / National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) /ColBase （https://colbase.nich.go.jp/）
Supervision: FURUIDO Hideo, ABE Satomi
Video Image Production: NHK ENTERPRISES, INC.
Video Image Producer: HAMANO Takahiro, KAWAI Akiko
Video Image Director: TAKAKI Eiji
Video Edit: MUTAGUCHI Keigo

＜Subtitling Credits＞
English Translation: Angela PEACHEY
Indonesian Translation: Simul International, Inc.
Thai Translation: Simul International, Inc.
Vietnamese Translation: Simul International, Inc.

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