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Kaga Hosho flourishes There are five schools in noh play. They are; Kanze, Hosho, Konparu, Konngo and Kita. In Ishikawa Prefecture, Hosho school flourishes and it is called Kaga Hosho. In Kaga clan, generations of lords patronized noh play. At the beginning, it was Konparu. But as Tokugawa Tsunayoshi, the fifth shogun, favored Hosho, Tsunanori, the fifth lord of Kaga followed Maeda Tsunayoshi's foot steps and promoted Hosho. Since the time, Hosho became the mainstream of noh play in Kaga. In Kaga clan, while practicing noh play was civilized samurai's life style but ordinary citizens also enjoyed noh at religious performances. Yokyoku is the vocal part of noh play. The vocal as well as instrumental parts of noh play became so popular among the citizens that there is an expression that "In Kaga, yokyoku is in the air". |
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Sano Kichinosuke revived after the Meiji period After the Meiji Restoration, noh play lost its popularity in Ishikawa Prefecture. It was Sano Kichinosuke who revived it. Sano was a foot wear merchant. While selling foot wear, he kept the tradition of Kaga Hosho by accompanying the clan's official noh players. He spent his fortune to acquire traditional costumes and masks and devoted his life to restore noh play stages. In 1901, he had built Kanazawa Noh Play Theater and founded the basis of noh play which has been maintained to this day. Since 1949, the City of Kanazawa holds classes of "How to appreciate noh play" for all the junior high school students of the city. Also since 1990, Ishikawa Prefecture Noh Play Players Association holds mobile performances throughout the prefecture under its patronage. The purpose of these movements is to help raise awareness and understanding of Kaga Hosho among citizens by associating with performances of long traditions. These incessant efforts have succeeded in bringing up wide range of noh play lovers. |