The 41st Shimabara Castle Takigi Noh Play will be held to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shimabara Castle! .

Long ago in Shimabara, Noh and Kyogen were performed at Shimabara Castle for about 400 years. When Shimabara Castle was completed, Shigemasa Matsukura, the feudal lord of Shimabara, invited people to celebrate the completion of the castle with a Noh performance, according to records. Later, when Lord Matsudaira Tadafusa came to Shimabara, he was a “lord who loved Noh,” and Noh performances became popular.

In 1983, the “Shimabara Castle Firelit Noh Play” was revived in order to pass on the culture of Noh, which had been passed down in the castle town of Shimabara since the Edo period (1603-1868) when Shimabara was a feudal domain, along with the history of Shimabara.

On the occasion of the 400th anniversary of the construction of Shimabara Castle, we would like to further cherish and pass on the “Shimabara Castle Takigi Noh Play”, an autumn tradition of the castle town Shimabara, centering on Shimabara Castle, as a symbol of the inheritance of Shimabara’s history and culture.

One year remains until 2024, the final year of the 400th anniversary of Shimabara Castle’s construction over the past seven years! As the opening of the The 41st Shimabara Castle Takigi Noh will be held to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shimabara Castle and the 20th anniversary of Hizen Shimabara Children’s Kyogen.

The performance will be held on a specially built Noh stage for the first time in five years against the backdrop of Shimabara Castle’s keep, which has undergone a complete renovation and redecoration. The stage will be lit by firewood and flames, and will transport you back in time to Shimabara in the Edo period.