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Theatre 1010
Narrating the Legends of Tono
-The World of Tono Interwoven with Storytelling, Performing Arts, and Video-

Performance Date
 March 28 (Sat.), 2026

Performance Time
2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
*The finish time is an estimate and may vary.

Narration : TAKEMOTO Chitosedayū, TAKEMOTO Hirotayū

Bunraku puppeteers : YOSHIDA Minoshirō, YOSHIDA Tamashō, KIRITAKE Kankichi

Kagura : Hirakura Kagura Preservation Society (Tono City, Iwate)

Shishi : Tonogo Itazawa Shishi-odori Preservation Society (Tono City, Iwate)

*English brochure is available.
*Subtitles: Available in English. Please download the application to your smartphone or tablet. How to install EG-G Subtitle application.

Tickets (Tax included)
Adults: [1st Grade] 6,000 yen  [2nd Grade] 4,000
Students: [1st Grade] 4,200 yen  [2nd Grade] 2,800 yen

Seating plan[PDF/310KB]

Booking Opens
10:00 a.m., January 18 (Sun.), 2026

*20% discount for audiences with disabilites and one accompanying audience.
*Tickets for students and persons with disabilities for this performance are available online.
*Wheelchair spaces are available. For more details, please contact the Box Office.
*If there are still tickets available for purchase on the day of the event, you may purchase them in person at the Box Office (on-site) for this performance.
Box Office (on-site) : Open from 1:00 p.m. until curtain time.

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Box Office
 0570-07-9900 (From overseas: +81-3-3230-3000) in English and Japanese (10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.)

Click here to find the details about how to buy tickets.

Book Online-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

in Japanese

Narrating the Legends of Tono
-The World of Tono Interwoven with Storytelling, Performing Arts, and Video-

First published in 1910, “The Legends of Tono” is a seminal work by YANAGITA Kunio, the father of Japanese folklore. It is a collection of oral traditions from the Tono region of Iwate Prefecture, as told by local storyteller SASAKI Kizen. Spanning myths, tales of the supernatural (yōkai), local anecdotes, and folk songs, Yanagita elevated these rustic oral accounts into a profound literary masterpiece.
In this performance, tayū (narrator) TAKEMOTO Chitosedayū from the classical puppet theater Bunraku takes on the challenge of narrating “The Legends of Tono” together with his disciple. Bunraku puppeteer YOSHIDA Minoshirō will also appear, bringing puppets representing characters to life from the stories—including the kappa and other supernatural beings—adding vivid presence and depth to the narrative.
Accompanied by traditional performing arts from Tono, as well as video imagery reflecting the town’s past and present and live music of traditional Japanese percussion, the audience will be invited to experience the rich and mysterious world of “The Legends of Tono.”