Hibiya Live Performance Award Announces Winner: Four-Armed Performer ON Takes Grand Prix

Tokyo Midtown Management Co., Ltd., which operates Tokyo Midtown Hibiya in Yurakucho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, held the Hibiya Live Performance Award on May 10, 2026. The award aims to discover young artists, support their activities, and communicate the appeal of live performance. The award featured a diverse panel of five judges, including director Amon Miyamoto as head judge, entertainer Yu Shirota, shoji of the dance performance group s**t kingz, violinist Emiri Miyamoto, and the music unit Peropins. Opening with a performance by Peropins, the event took place on a special stage at Tokyo Midtown Hibiya as a public judging session. Nine finalist groups performed live in front of the audience and judges. After a rigorous review, ON, a performer in the genre of “four arms,” was selected as the Grand Prix winner. The winner will receive various support programs, including stage experiences in Japan and overseas, a special conversation with Yu Shirota, and a collaboration with Peropins. [Grand Prix Awarded to ON, Performer in the Four-Armed Genre] Following strict judging, ON was selected as the Grand Prix winner for an original stage performance. Using the unprecedented expressive form of “four arms,” ON created a production with four arms that seemed to expand the possibilities of human physicality, immediately drawing the audience and judges into a distinctive world. The judges praised the overwhelming originality and high level of completion, as well as the performance’s combination of humor and impact, which suggested further growth and new possibilities for expression. ON is an artist who works with “four arms.” ON began clowning as a student and was exposed to juggling, pantomime, and related techniques. Around the same time, ON joined theater and contemporary dance groups, while also creating works using objects based on juggling techniques. As the culmination of these experiences, ON discovered a form of performance using four arms that function as both body and object, and continues to explore techniques and expression beyond genre boundaries. [Comment from Head Judge Amon Miyamoto] Amon Miyamoto said that the judges watched performances by more than 200 people, including video screenings, and that everyone had talent, making the Grand Prix decision extremely difficult. He said ON’s performance conveyed how deeply the artist had considered an expression that no one had done before, and that it made him feel the fascinating possibilities of human beings. He expressed his hope that all of the performers who appeared that day would go on to flourish. [Special Conversation with Yu Shirota] As one of the benefits for the Grand Prix winner, ON was given the opportunity to hold a special conversation with judge Yu Shirota. They exchanged views on the possibilities of entertainment for the global stage and on what it means to be an artist. In the conversation, ON discussed the strategy behind the performance. After recognizing the high technical skill of the other contestants, ON decided not to compete on technique and chose a simple structure with pared-down staging. Rather than matching movement to sound, ON built the expression improvisationally by sensing the atmosphere of the moment and the reactions of the audience and judges, pursuing a performance centered on the feeling of being live. Shirota agreed that it is important to think about how viewers will feel, and highly praised ON’s ability to incorporate the space itself as the essence of live performance. Regarding future activities, ON said that precisely because the performance does not rely on language, the artist hopes to bring it to many different places around the world, showing a strong desire for global expansion. ON also described exploring expression while objectively observing the body, leaving a strong impression of artistic curiosity. Shirota expressed great expectations for ON’s extraordinary talent, saying he hopes the performance will go from Hibiya to the world and be presented globally. He also said he hopes ON will one day return to the award as a special judge. Shirota, who is currently focusing on directing and producing behind the scenes, shared his ambition to create original entertainment from Japan and deliver it to the world. He encouraged ON to stay true to personal beliefs and passions and fully express individuality. Having had many people help him realize his own dreams, Shirota said he now wants to help nurture new talent and support the dreams of others. [Future Outlook] Building on its track record of supporting young artists through the “NEXT Artist” initiative, this award has evolved into a new stage focused on live performance as an expression that can only be born in the moment. Going forward, it aims to further develop as a platform that evaluates the energy and creativity unique to live experiences shared with audiences, while drawing on Hibiya’s character as a district where diverse arts and cultures intersect. The organizers hope that artists selected through the award will expand their activities in Japan and abroad and grow into leaders of next-generation live entertainment. Tokyo Midtown Hibiya will continue to support each artist’s challenges, create opportunities to encounter new talent, and widely communicate the appeal of arts, culture, and live performance. The defining feature of the Hibiya Live Performance Award is that finalists perform on the main stage of HIBIYA LIVE FESTIVAL, an entertainment festival that attracts more than 500,000 visitors each year, in front of judges and general audiences. The judging emphasizes not only the completion level of the work, but also expression born in the moment, the atmosphere that involves the audience, and the live quality that can only emerge on a real stage, selecting Japanese talent ready to spread its wings to the world.