Image: Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya
The Tokugawa Art Museum in Nagoya is presenting 'O Nō, Hajimemashite,' an exhibition devoted to the Japanese performing arts of Nō and Kyōgen, with the run continuing until July 20, 2026. Framed as an introduction to Nō for first-time visitors, the show draws on the museum’s own holdings and the collections assembled and preserved by the Owari-Tokugawa family.
The exhibition focuses on the material culture that shapes Nō performance: masks, costumes, and instruments. According to the museum, the galleries bring together a range of Nō masks, including rare small masks and a Hannya mask, alongside carefully made garments and theatrical objects that help convey the expressive range of the art form. The museum describes Nō and Kyōgen as traditions handed down for more than 600 years, rooted in stories drawn from classical literature and realized through the interplay of masks, costumes, chant, and instrumental sound.
Among the main exhibits listed by the museum are a Nō costume with a yellow ground and design of hanging cherry blossoms and long-tailed birds, a 'Ko-omote' mask attributed to Zeami Yoshimitsu, and a 'Hannya' mask by the same maker. The display also includes a Kyōgen mask of a monkey, a small Nō drum lacquered with paulownia design, and several other garments and accessories dating largely from the Edo period. Together, the objects chart the visual variety of Nō stagecraft through works preserved in the Tokugawa collection.
The museum’s page for the exhibition identifies the organizer as the Tokugawa Art Museum and the Nagoya City Hosa Library. Opening hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with admission until 4:30 p.m. The exhibition is closed on Mondays, except July 20, which falls on a holiday and is open. Admission is 2,000 yen for adults and 1,200 yen for high school and university students; elementary and middle school students are admitted free.
The museum has also paired the exhibition with related programs. A special lecture by Tatsumi Mansajiro, a Nō performer of the Hōshō school, titled 'O Nō, Hajimemashite. Introduction' took place on June 28, 2026. A Saturday lecture, 'To Know Nō: Looking at Nō Through Its Implements,' by curator Yayo Nomura, was held on July 4, 2026. The exhibition materials also include an English handout and a works list.
The exhibition opened on June 25, 2026, and remains on view in Nagoya through July 20, 2026.
