The is a complex consisting of three halls in two buildings in Hayabusa-chō, a neighborhood in Chiyoda, Tokyo

Chiyoda, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards in central Tokyo, Japan. In English, it is called Chiyoda ward. As of October 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 45,543 and a population density of 3,912 people per km², making it by far the least populated of the special wards...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. The Japan Arts Council, an Independent Administrative Institution

Independent Administrative Institution

An Incorporated Administrative Agency or in lay terms an Independent Administrative Corporation or Independent Administrative Institution is a newly designed type of legal body for Japanese governmental organizations regulated by the Basic Law on Reforming Government Ministries of 1998...

 of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan)

The , also known as MEXT or Monkashō, is one of the ministries of the Japanese government.The Meiji government created the first Ministry of Education in 1871....

, operates the National Theatre. It primarily stages performances of traditional Japanese performing arts.

Outline

The main building has two halls. The Large Theatre hosts performances of kabuki

Kabuki

is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...

 and Buyō

Buyo

or is a traditional Japanese performing art, a mixture of dance and pantomime.- Japanese classical dance :******-Video:* * Japanese Dance * *...

as well as stage plays. The Small Hall specializes in bunraku

Bunraku

, also known as Ningyō jōruri , is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka in 1684.Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance:* Ningyōtsukai or Ningyōzukai—puppeteers* Tayū—the chanters* Shamisen players...

, Japanese music, smaller buyō productions, gagaku

Gagaku

Gagaku is a type of Japanese classical music that has been performed at the Imperial Court in Kyoto for several centuries. It consists of three primary repertoires:#Native Shinto religious music and folk songs and dance, called kuniburi no utamai...

, shōmyō

Shomyo

Shōmyō is a style of Japanese Buddhist chant, used mainly in the Tendai and Shingon sects. There are two styles: ryokyoku and rikkyoku, described as difficult and easy to remember, respectively....

, and folk theatre. In a separate building, the Engei Hall stages rakugo

Rakugo

is a Japanese verbal entertainment. The lone sits on the stage, called the . Using only a paper fan and a small cloth as props, and without standing up from the seiza sitting position, the rakugo artist depicts a long and complicated comical story...

and manzai

Manzai

is a traditional style of stand-up comedy in Japanese culture, which usually involves two performers —a straight man and a funny man —trading jokes at great speed...

performances.

Each year in April, the awards ceremony for the Japan Prize

Japan Prize

is awarded to people from all parts of the world whose "original and outstanding achievements in science and technology are recognized as having advanced the frontiers of knowledge and served the cause of peace and prosperity for mankind."- Explanation :...

 takes place in the National Theatre. Attendees include the Emperor and Empress, the Prime Minister, the President of the House of Councillors, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Performances

In 2010, they performed a double bill of Yukio Mishima

Yukio Mishima

was the pen name of , a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor and film director, also remembered for his ritual suicide by seppuku after a failed coup d'état...

's "Iwashi Uri Koi Hikiami

Iwashi Uri Koi Hikiami

Iwashi Uri Koi Hikiami is a 1954 comedic Kabuki play by Yukio Mishima . It was first performed in November 1954 at the Kabukiza theatre in Tokyo, and was praised for its "refreshing originality"-Plot:...

" and "Roben Sugi no Yurai"