Less than a week to go until the performance of 「Sign Language Kyogen」 at the Ishikawa Hyakumangoku Cultural Festival 2023*Deadline: 10/19(Thu) 【Kanazawa Event】

Sign language is often used and talked about in TV dramas. Have you ever heard of 「sign language kyogen」, a traditional Japanese performing art in which Kyogen is performed in sign language? A 「sign language Kyogen」 performance will be held at the Ishikawa Prefectural Noh Theater on Sunday, October 22 as an event of the 『Ishikawa Hyakumangoku Cultural Festival 2023』, the largest cultural arts festival in Japan.

An act of sign language kyogen (image from 『Ishikawa Hyakumangoku Cultural Festival 2023』 Instagram)

About the Japan Deaf Theatre Company (Social Welfare Organization Tot Foundation)

The 「Japan Deaf Theatre Company (Totto Fund for Social Welfare)」, consisting of Deaf actors, was established in April 1980 as the 「Tokyo Deaf Theatre Circle」. After meeting the current chairperson, Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, it became an affiliate theater company of the Tot Foundation and changed its name to the 「Japan Deaf Theatre Company」. It has been active for more than 40 years since its inception.

The company performs 「Sign Language Kyogen」 and other plays using 「sign mime」, a form of expression created by combining the characteristics of sign language and pantomime.

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This is a video of the 「31st Sign Language Kyogen and New Year’s party」 delivered in November 2011

This 「Sign Language Kyogen」 performance

Deaf actors are scheduled to perform 「Busu」 and 「Rokujizo」, which appear in the Ikkyu’s pompous stories.

By using sign language to express the dialogue, both those who can hear and those who cannot hear can enjoy the performance. The performers’ expressive and expressive skills are noteworthy.

Actors perform with sign language and rich facial expressions (image from 『Ishikawa Hyakumangoku Cultural Festival 2023』 Instagram)

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