Art Festivals & Events

Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees was first performed in November 1747 at the Takemoto-za theater in Osaka as a Japanese puppet show, before its adaptation as a Kabuki play the following year. Still popular today, it is considered to be one of the genre's three greatest plays, along with Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy and Chushingura: The Treasury of Loyal Retainers. The story is set in the time of the Genpei War, as chronicled in classic works of Japanese literature such as The Tale of the Heike and Gikeiki, following the fortunes of protagonist Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159–1189). The work will be performed in three parts, with a stellar cast featuring Onoe Kikunosuke (playing three characters, including the title role), Nakamura Tokizo, and Nakamura Ganjiro. English audio guides will also be available.