The 3rd Kisaku Ito Memorial Award: Introduction of Award Winners

The 3rd Kisaku Ito Memorial Award selection committee was held at Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre Atelier West from April 15th to 26th.

Following a rigorous review by seven selection committee members, both inside and outside the association, at the selection exhibition venue on April 20th, the winners of each award were decided as follows.

[Association Website] https://jatdt.or.jp/

[Exhibition Period] April 15 (Wed) - 26 (Sun), 2026

[Venue] Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre Atelier West

[Selection Date] April 20 (Mon), 2026

[Selection Committee Members] (In no particular order, titles omitted)

≪External Selection Committee Members≫ Kyoko Tokunaga (Theater Journalist), Ken Hagiwara (Professor, Meiji University, School of Global Japanese Studies)

≪Association Selection Committee Members≫ [East Japan Branch] Itaru Sugiyama, Nana Kosaka, Etsuko Handa

[Chubu Branch] Hisanori Takei

[West Japan Branch] Mitsunori Hotta (*Originally committee member: Hiroshi Kageyama replaced due to circumstances)

In addition, the award ceremony is scheduled to be held on the following date.

[Award Ceremony] From 5:00 PM on Monday, May 25, 2026

[Venue] Kinokuniya Hall, 4F Kinokuniya Bookstore Shinjuku Main Store, 3-17-7 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0022

Scenes from the selection committee

What is the Kisaku Ito Memorial Award (formerly: Kisaku Ito Award)?

[About the Award]
The Kisaku Ito Award was established in 1967 by the "Kisaku no Kai" (Kisaku's Group), formed by friends of Mr. Kisaku Ito, the first president of our association, after his death. Each year, the "Kisaku Ito Award" was presented to individuals who had made particularly outstanding achievements in various artistic fields, including performing arts.

However, the commendation by "Kisaku no Kai" ended in 1973, and our association took over its name as an award for stage design.

The award for the best annual work in stage design has now been given 46 times. In 1977, a Special Award was established, in 1986, a New Artist Award, and in 1996, an Encouragement Award, earning it a high reputation as the only specialized award for stage design in Japan.

In 2021, with the transition to incorporation, the award was renamed the "Kisaku Ito Memorial Award" with the aim of further contributing to the creative development of performing arts.

[Kisaku Ito]
Born August 1, 1899 (Meiji 32).
After debuting as a stage designer with the set for the 19th performance of "Julius Caesar" at Tsukiji Little Theatre in 1925 (Taisho 14), he worked on numerous stage designs across a wide range of genres, including modern drama, Kabuki, Shin-kokugeki, Shinpa, commercial theater, opera, musicals, Japanese dance, ballet, dance, and puppet theater, becoming a pioneer of Japanese stage design.
In 1953 (Showa 28), he established the stage design department attached to Haiyuza Theatre Co., Ltd. in Kawazakura-cho, Shiba-ku.
Died March 31, 1967 (Showa 42), at the age of 67.

[Award Overview]
The award targets stage design, including sets, costumes, props, wigs, and makeup.
The Main Award, New Artist Award, Encouragement Award, and Special Award are selected from all stage performance works, from classical to contemporary, performed during the two-year selection period.

Main Award: Awarded for the most outstanding stage design work (design of sets, costumes, makeup, etc.). All staff involved are recorded as collaborators in the work.

New Artist Award: Awarded to regular members who are new artists within 10 years of their stage design career or under 40 years old, and are recognized as outstanding. This award can only be received once.

Encouragement Award: Awarded to regular members who have achievements in activities under restricted conditions (performances in small theaters, school facilities, children's theater, etc.), long-standing achievements, or new initiatives in specialized stage design.

Special Award: Awarded to individuals or organizations outside the association who have contributed significantly to research, education, and development in all aspects of stage design over many years and have left outstanding achievements. Regular members are eligible for selection if their activities are other than design work.

*Excluding the Special Award, recipients must be members of our association.

3rd Kisaku Ito Memorial Award Winners

◆Main Award Hiroko Matsuo (Set Design)
'Die schöne Müllerin' (Opera)

Reason for Selection
Despite significant constraints such as a one-day performance and the presence of sound reflectors, she ingeniously used an inexpensive material called "suzuran tape" to beautifully express the flow of water and time towards the audience. Her bold approach to spatial composition and the three-dimensional structure that brought an unpretentious power were highly praised, making it the most fitting work for the Main Award.

Recipient's Biography
After graduating from Osaka University of Arts, she worked on set designs for 5 productions, including the Nissei Masterpiece Theatre, while at Shiki Theatre Company. She studied under stage designer Shigeaki Tsuchiya. In 2009, she moved to the UK. She completed a master's degree in spatial design at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and worked in London until 2014, assisting Simon Holdsworth and Antony McDonald.

Her main works after returning to Japan include "Falstaff," "Ningle," "Madama Butterfly" (directed by Tatsuo Iwata), and "Lucia di Lammermoor."