The mysteries of the Noh theatre at the Museum of Applied Arts and Design

At 4 pm and 7 pm, Wednesday, 22 October, the Museum of Applied Arts and Design of the Lithuanian National Museum (Arsenalo St 3A, Vilnius) will become a stage for the performances of the Noh, the oldest Japanese drama surviving into the present day, which will take museum visitors to ancient Japan. 

Noh is the main form of classical Japanese musical theatre shaped in the 14th century, the oldest branch among musical theatrical arts performed nowadays.  Noh performances mostly evoke supernatural phenomena and spiritual apparitions and include performance, dance, vocals, musical instruments, as well as other elements of theatrical expression. The characters in the plays and their emotions are embodied by elaborated masks and Noh puppets.   

This unique theatrical tradition will be presented to the Lithuanian public by Saruhachiza, a Bunya-style Sado Island-based puppet troupe. At the Museum of Applied Arts and Design, the troupe will present a classical play Taema. 

The Japanese puppet theatre features a rich variety of forms. The Bunya-style performances rely on puppets manipulated by a single puppeteer.  After many years of oblivion, the Bunya-style tradition was revived by Nishihashi Hachirobē, puppeteer and puppet enthusiast, also the founder of Saruhachiza troupe. 

Hachirobē collaborates both, with the masters of the traditional Japanese music (nagauta, yokobue and other instruments) and the creators of Western music, from opera performers to modern jazz improvisors. He performs in Japan and internationally. In 2011, Nishihashi Hachirobē worked in tandem with the shamisen (Japanese lute) performer and narrator Watanabe Hachitaju. Together, they seek to perpetuate the traditional Saruhachiza puppet theatre and expand its artistic arsenal. 

“Since 2014, I have orchestrated Noh theatre performances with Kanji Shimizu,” says Hachirobē. “Every summer we tried to stage a joint Noh and puppet theatre performance on Sado Island. Taema is a piece I worked on during the first year.”  

Zeami Motokiyo (1363–1443), the playwright of Taema, tells the story of Taema temple built in the early 7th century and a mandala (the Taima Mandala) from the 8th century kept therein. Legend has it that this celebrated mandala, a symbol of universal balance and harmony, was woven from the fibres of lotus stems over a night, later it was sacrificed to the princess Chujo. The original mandala is still extant and is kept at the Taima temple in Nara. 

The performances of the Saruhachiza troupe will offer a synthesis of the Noh and the tradition of Bun’ya-style puppet theatre, bringing their spectators closer to the circle of the Buddhist magic and mysteries. At the same time, they will expand the experience of the exhibition Peace in a Cup of Tea. The Culture of Tea Consumption, which traces the arrival of tea from the Far East in Lithuania. 

Participating artists:

Noh dancers: Shimizu Kanji, Nishimura Takao

Puppeteers: Nishihashi Hachirobei, Hori Yashima

Performances take place at 4 pm and 7 pm Wednesday, 22 October, 2025 

The Museum of Applied Arts and Design of the LNMA (Arsenalo St 3A, Vilnius)

Duration: approx. 1 hour

Entrance with a museum ticket

Information provided by Banguolė Žalnieriūnaitė, Public Relations Coordinator of the Communication and Marketing Department of the National Museum of Art (LNMA), tel. +37064946224, email: [email protected] 

The National Museum of Art of Lithuania (LNMA) is one of the largest national art museums in Lithuania, collecting, preserving, researching, conserving, restoring, and promoting art and cultural heritage of national significance. The LNMA collection is exhibited in nine branches located in Vilnius, Klaipėda, Palanga, and Juodkrantė.