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Kanze Hideo

かんぜ ひでお

Kanze Hideo

Pen Names: Gotō Hideo（Used when he temporarily joined the Kita school as the artistic adopted son of Gotō Tokuzō）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1927-08-03 （Shitaya Ward, Tokyo City, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan (historical)）
Died
2007-06-08 （Tokyo, Japan） age 79
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
Noh performer (shite), Actor, Opera director, University professor
Active Years
1950-2006
Affiliations
Kyoto University of Art and Design (faculty), NIKIKAI (Opera), Japan Opera Association, Fujiwara Opera, Tokyo Chamber Opera
Influenced By
Kanze Masayuki (father), Kanze Kasetsu, Kita Roppeita, Kita Minoru, Gotō Tokuzō

Education

Tokyo Music School (old system)
Noh performance major
Period: 在学中中退
Country: Japan
Left before completing the Noh program

Awards

Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education Award)
1997
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs / Art Encouragement Prize
Result: 受賞
Mobil Music Award
1998
Organization: Mobil Music Award
Result: 受賞
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette (4th class) / Zuihō-shō
2001
Organization: Japan (Honors)
Result: 受章
Mainichi Art Award
2005
Organization: Mainichi Newspapers
Result: 受賞
Tsubouchi Shōyō Award
2006
Organization: Tsubouchi Shōyō Award Committee
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Noh (Japan's Famous Essays No.87)

1990 Essay / Cultural commentary

A collection of essays on Noh, discussing techniques and the spiritual aspects of the art form.

NohTraditional performing artsTheory of performance

Yu: The World of Kanze Hideo

1997 Edited volume / Photographic essays

An edited volume combining photographs and text that surveys Kanze Hideo's activities and stage work.

Stage documentationExpression in Noh

From Splendor to Subtlety: Autobiography of Kanze Hideo

2007 Autobiography

An autobiography recounting his personal life, stage career, and return to Noh.

AutobiographyNohFamily and succession

Bibliography

  • Noh (Japan's Famous Essays No.87) (Sakuhinsha, 1990)
  • Yu: The World of Kanze Hideo (ed., Ozawa Shoten, 1997)
  • From Splendor to Subtlety: Autobiography of Kanze Hideo (Hakusuisha, 2007)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Classical, concise expression rooted in Noh practicePractical commentary based on stage directing experience
Recurring Motifs
Connection between tradition and modernityFamily and successionStage and bodily expression

Health

  • Colorectal cancer
    2007
    Under treatment for colorectal cancer; following a car accident and associated shock, he died about one month later

Legacy

Recognized as a performer and director who bridged Noh with modern theatre and opera. Also respected as an educator; his autobiography and a biography were published posthumously.

Academic Societies

  • Kyoto University of Art and Design (faculty)

Archives

  • Holdings at the National Diet Library (related works and materials)
  • External archives such as AllCinema profile

In Popular Culture

  • Widely known through numerous TV drama and film appearances
  • Influential in the performing arts world through opera direction

Trivia

  • His wife Emiko was the adopted daughter of writer Jun'ichirō Tanizaki; he once portrayed Tanizaki on television.
  • In May 2007 he was involved in a car accident on the Chuo Expressway that killed a passenger; he died later of colorectal cancer.
  • He served for many years as a professor at Kyoto University of Art and Design.