Up until now, I had been writing about the process leading to the third event using the image on the left as the main visual, beginning on December 8, 2023.
I have now compiled the full story of how the third event came to take its present form in the post titled “The Third Fushimi Event — How This Unique Program Came to Be”

Everything has unfolded through connections and encounters.
I would be very grateful if you would take the time to read it.

Masahiro Wakabayashi (Special Guest Appearance)

Born in 1968 in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto. Graduated from the Faculty of Economics, Doshisha University.
Chairman of the Fushimi Castle Research Association.
Actively involved in the local Fushimi Castle Research Association, Wakabayashi has devoted himself to the study of Fushimi’s regional history. Since 2013, he has conducted over 200 fieldwork sessions and delivered numerous lectures.
His work goes beyond academic research; with a strong focus on community building, he has volunteered extensively by giving lectures on Fushimi’s history, appearing on television and radio programs, and serving as a historical advisor and supervisor.
Publications include co-authored works such as Learning Kyoto: Fushimi Edition (Nakanishiya Publishing) and Report on the On-site Investigation of the Ruins of Fushimi Castle (Osaka Historical Society), as well as single-author articles including “The Transformation of the Ruins of Fushimi Castle” (Kyoto Studies / Rekisaikan Bulletin, No. 3), “Postwar Professional Baseball Promotions in Kyoto through Local and Trade Newspapers” (Museum Bulletin, No. 44), and “The Keihan Rokujizō Line, Shin-Keihan Yamashina Line, and the Nagoya Express” (Museum Bulletin, No. 43).

Manzō Nomura

(Kyōgen Performer, Izumi School)

Born in 1965 in Tokyo.
Second son of Nomura Man (Living National Treasure). He studied under his father and his grandfather, the late Sixth-generation Nomura Manzō. In 2005, he succeeded to the name Ninth-generation Nomura Manzō, becoming head of the family.

He is the founder and artistic director of “Yorozu Kyōgen” and “Manzō no Kai.”
In 2022, the commemorative performance “The 300th Anniversary of the Birth of the First-generation Nomura Manzō”received the Grand Prize of the Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival.

In addition to performing extensively both in Japan and abroad, he actively creates and directs new works. He has contributed significantly to the development and popularization of kyōgen through innovative projects such as cross-school collaborative performances (Tachiai Kyōgen-kai) and the founding of “Contemporary Kyōgen” with comedian Kiyotaka Nambara.

He appeared as Sanjo Sanetomi in NHK’s historical drama Segodon (2018).
Lecturer at Tokyo University of the Arts.
Committee member of the Izumi School Professional Performers’ Association.
Certified holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property (General Recognition)

Naomi Seki

(Shite Actor, Hōshō School of Noh)

Shite (principal actor) of the Hōshō School of Noh, Professional Performer.
Member of the Nohgaku Performers’ Association and the Hōshō Society.
She studied under Hōshō Eisai, the 19th head of the Hōshō school, and Hōshō Kazufusa, the 20th head.
Her first performance as shite was Hanagatami (2009), and she performed Midare in 2022.

She is the founder of the Kagetsu-kai, a performers’ association within the Hōshō school.

In addition to Noh, she is a certified instructor of Urasenke tea ceremony, a member of the Urasenke Tankōkai Special Instructors’ Association, and a member of the Urasenke International Association, having studied under Kanazawa Sōi, Urasenke tea master.

She holds a degree in Psychology from St. Francis College (New York, USA), graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts, Department of Traditional Japanese Music (Noh specialization), and completed both the Master’s and Doctoral programs at its Graduate School. She also completed the Advanced Course at the Urasenke Tea Ceremony School.

Born into a tea ceremony family, she began studying tea at the age of three. While studying in New York, she rediscovered the depth of Japanese culture, which deepened her commitment to both Noh and tea ceremony. After returning to Japan, she continued her tea practice while pursuing her long-held aspiration to perform Noh, eventually becoming a professional performer.

Her international perspective, cultivated through overseas experience, informs her creative work, allowing her to approach tradition with both respect and originality.

Representative of the traditional culture outreach organization “The Bridge of Tradition.”
Recipient of the Tokyo Women’s Advancement Award (Excellence Prize, 2018).
Certified holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property (General Recognition).

Motohiko Shigeyama

(Kyōgen Performer, Ōkura School)

Born June 4, 1975. Eldest son of the second-generation Shime (Shigeyama family).
Made his stage debut at age four in Iroha as shite, and later performed Chitose and Sanbasō.

In 1994, he co-founded the Hanagata Kyōgen Shōnentai with his cousin Shigeyama Shigeru and his younger brother Ippei, gaining enthusiastic support from younger audiences and appearing on NHK’s Top Runner.

Since 1995, he has performed regularly in kyōgen theater productions in Tokyo and has participated in international performances in France, Italy, and elsewhere.

From 2000 to 2005, he co-organized TOPPA!, an educational kyōgen initiative focused on cultivating mind, technique, and physical expression.
In 2006, he relaunched HANAGATA, a self-produced performance project emphasizing both artistic refinement and audience engagement. Since 2020, this initiative has continued under the name “Cutting Edge KYŌGEN.”

Together with his brother Ippei, he has also explored new two-person theatrical works, including That’s Entertainment: “Excuse Us, Mr. Shakespeare.”

Beyond kyōgen, he has appeared in fantasy kabuki productions, NHK television dramas, and numerous stage works and musicals. His wide-ranging activities make him a uniquely dynamic presence in contemporary performing arts.

Ippei Shigeyama

(Kyōgen Performer, Ōkura School)

Born June 12, 1979. Second son of the second-generation Shigeyama family.
Made his stage debut at age four in Narihira Mochi, and later performed Chitose, Sanbasō, and Tsuri-gitsune.

In 1994, he joined Hanagata Kyōgen Shōnentai, and from 2000 participated in TOPPA!, promoting educational kyōgen. Since 1995, he has also performed in kyōgen theater productions in Tokyo and abroad, including Spain.

He has appeared in films, television dramas, commercials, and stage productions, including NHK morning dramas. Together with his brother Motohiko, he has developed innovative two-person theater works such as That’s Entertainment: “Excuse Us, Mr. Shakespeare.”

Since 2006, he has continued activities with HANAGATA / Cutting Edge KYŌGEN.
He studied in France for one year beginning in 2006.

Since 2009, he has been active in collaborative projects combining kyōgen, Japanese dance, and rakugo, and has appeared in contemporary theater productions at the New National Theatre. From 2017, he appeared on NHK Educational TV’s language program Traveling Spanish.

He is co-author of Let’s Go to Kyōgen with Motohiko and Ippei Shigeyama.

Nobuyuki Ōe

(Noh Performer, Kanze School)

Born in 1976.
Eighth-generation head of Ōe Noh Theatre and a Noh performer of the Kanze School.

He studied under Seventh-generation Ōe Matasaburō and Living National Treasure Yūsetsu Katayama, making his stage debut at the age of three in the shimai Oimatsu.

In addition to performing, he is actively involved in the promotion of Noh, including teaching the Noh club at Nara Women’s University.

Recipient of the Kyoto City New Artist Award (2018).
A member of the Nohgaku Performers’ Association.
Certified holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property (General Recognition).
He is also known—fondly—as Japan’s tallest Noh performer.

Sayoko Hayashi

Handicraft artist and landscape quilt artist.
Born in 1965. Lives in Fushimi Ward, Kyoto.
Graduated from Ueda College of Fashion, Department of Fashion Creation.
Aspiring to become a craft artist from an early age, Hayashi developed her own unique methods of design drafting and sewing, distinct from American patchwork traditions, through self-directed study. In 2000, she began her creative activities by converting her family machiya townhouse into the Machiya Quilt Studio (registered trademark No. 4799241), and simultaneously opened the Machiya Quilt School.
Working independently without affiliation to any specific craft organization, she continues to present works that reflect her distinctive artistic worldview.
In 2018, she was selected as an artist for the Kami no Te Nippon (Hands of God Japan) Project, Phase IV.
https://www.hayashisayoko.com