Culture Sado keeps alive Japan’s ancient Noh tradition (gift article)

Nowhere else in Japan today is the ancient drama form so widely embraced as it is on Sado. The fishing and farming communities here have made the medieval art form a central part of their local culture, which children learn while still in school, and residents perform at religious festivals. The island of 45,000 residents, which is accessible only by ferry, has 34 Noh stages, most of them at temples of Buddhism or the nation's native Shinto religion. That is about one-third of the total number of Noh stages in all of Japan. In most of Japan, Noh is an arcane art form practised by professional troupes. But on Sado, the dozens of performances every year are conducted by amateurs.

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