Tennoji Gakuso Garyokukai to Host 52nd Gagaku Seminar "Kan'ei Gyoko and Gagaku" and Reiwa 7th Gagaku Training Institute Presentation

Gagaku Seminar Flyer

Tennoji Gakuso Garyokukai (General Incorporated Association Garyokukai, Representative Director & Chairman Shinryu Ono, https://tennojigakuso.org/) is an organization that transmits the tradition of "Bugaku of Shoryo-e" (Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property), performed annually on April 22nd, the anniversary of Prince Shotoku's death at Shitennoji Temple, to the present day. In addition to participating in ceremonial Bugaku performances at Shitennoji Temple, and dedicating Bugaku at Itsukushima Shrine, Sumiyoshi Taisha, and Imamiya Ebisu Shrine, last year they successfully completed a 10-day North American tour by invitation from the University of Toronto and the University of California, Santa Barbara, expanding their performance activities both domestically and internationally. This July, they will hold the "Gagaku Seminar" and the "Gagaku Training Institute Presentation."

About the Gagaku Seminar...

Tennoji Gakuso Garyokukai annually holds the "Gagaku Seminar," where experts are invited to give lectures and explanations on various Gagaku themes, along with demonstrations and lecture-demonstrations tailored to the content.

Last year's theme was "Is there a relationship between Gagaku and Rokyoku?"

The performance featured the Saibara "Koromogae."

Regarding the 52nd Gagaku Seminar "Kan'ei Gyoko and Gagaku"

In Kan'ei 3 (1626), Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu invited Emperor Go-Mizunoo and other imperial court members to Nijo Castle, where they were entertained for five days with various performing arts including Bugaku, Nohgaku, and Waka poetry. The Tennoji musicians participated in the imperial procession and Bugaku viewing, performing Bugaku before the Emperor, various court nobles, and samurai retainers of Tokugawa. The Kan'ei Gyoko was a historical event that became an opportunity for Gagaku, a culture of the aristocracy, to spread among the samurai class.

Reiwa 8 (2026) marks the 400th anniversary of this Kan'ei Gyoko, and various commemorative projects are being developed, mainly in Kyoto.

This seminar, with the theme "Kan'ei Gyoko and Gagaku," will feature Ms. Kanako Hamasaki (Associate Professor at Kyoto Prefectural University, Producer of the Kan'ei Gyoko 400th Anniversary Festival) as a lecturer, and include a lecture and dialogue with Mr. Shinryu Ono, Chairman of our association. In conjunction, Bugaku "Manzairaku" (duet dance) and Bugaku "Ranryo-o" will be performed as related programs, introducing the charm of Gagaku more three-dimensionally along with its historical background.

The Kan'ei Gyoko had a significant impact on later Japanese culture and the world of Gagaku. As we commemorate its 400th anniversary this year, we kindly request your presence at the venue.

Gagaku Seminar Details

[Organizer] Tennoji Gakuso Garyokukai (General Incorporated Association Garyokukai)

[Co-organizer] Asahi Shimbun Company Temple Cultural Property Future Center

[Date & Time] Friday, July 3, Reiwa 8 (2026), 18:00 start (scheduled to end around 20:45)

[Venue] Yamamoto Noh Theater
〒540-0025 1-3-6 Tokui-cho, Chuo-ku, Osaka City

Part 1: Lecture and Dialogue
Speakers: Kanako Hamasaki (Associate Professor at Kyoto Prefectural University, Producer of the Kan'ei Gyoko 400th Anniversary Festival)
Shinryu Ono (Chairman of Tennoji Gakuso Garyokukai, Visiting Professor at Kansai University)

Part 2: Performance
Performers: Tennoji Gakuso Garyokukai
Programs: Bugaku Manzairaku (duet dance), Ranryo-o

Course Requirements

[Cooperation Fee] 3,000 yen *Please pay in cash at the venue reception on the day. *Students below graduate school level are free.

[Capacity] 150 people (first-come, first-served basis for applications)

[Application] Email application: Applications accepted from Thursday, May 21 (must arrive by Wednesday, July 1)
Please include your name, contact information, and phone number and send to zemi@tennojigakuso.org.
*Students, please indicate that you are a student when applying. Please also present your student ID at the reception on the day.
*Students requiring guardian accompaniment will only have the student themselves admitted for free.

[Inquiries] Garyokukai Office Phone: 06-6641-0084, info@tennojigaso.org

Reiwa 7 Gagaku Training Institute Presentation

Tennoji Gakuso Garyokukai has established a Gagaku Training Institute and is working on nurturing successors to pass on the tradition of "Bugaku of Shoryo-e," cultivated over a long history, to the next generation. As the culmination of one year of learning, a presentation by students of the training institute will be held at Shitennoji Gochi Koin.

At this presentation, a total of 8 pieces will be performed, including 4 Kangenkyoku pieces such as "Heicho Etenraku," 3 Bugaku pieces such as "Todenraku" and "Jowaraku," and the Taisoku Onjo "Chogeishi."

We sincerely hope you will enjoy the performance by the students who are dedicated to inheriting the tradition of "Bugaku of Shoryo-e."

Gagaku Training Institute Presentation Details

[Organizer] Tennoji Gakuso Garyokukai

[Sponsor] Shitennoji Temple, Tennoji Bugaku Association

[Date & Time] Saturday, July 11, Reiwa 8 (2026), 17:30 doors open, 18:00 performance starts

[Venue] Shitennoji Gochi Koin
〒543-0051 1-11-18 Shitennoji, Tennoji-ku, Osaka

[Capacity] 100 people (first-come, first-served basis for applications)

[Admission Fee] Free

[Application] From Monday, June 1, Reiwa 8 (2026), please apply via the QR code below.