차준환 Junhwan Cha (KOR)

[2025.03.06] Hochi special interview for Notte Stellata - Nomura Mansai

The encounter that "SEIMEI" gave birth to: From "Profession: Nomura Mansai" to "Profession: Yuzuru Hanyu": Interview Part 1

Kyogen performer Mansai Nomura (58), who will be appearing as a special guest in the ice show "Yuzuru Hanyu Notete Stellata 2025" (7th to 9th) featuring professional figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu, gave an interview to Sports Hochi on the 5th. The article was published on two consecutive days, and in the first part he talked about "SEIMEI", which led to the two meeting, and "Profession: Yuzuru Hanyu".

Mansai and Hanyu first met in 2015. In the 2015-16 season, Hanyu performed his free program "SEIMEI," which used a song from the movie "Onmyoji," starring Mansai. Mansai, who is someone Hanyu looks up to, vividly remembers their conversation at the time.

　"Hanyu was a young man of 20 at the time, but I remember that he reacted very strongly to what I was saying. I put into words the things that he had been thinking, wondering about, and feeling on a daily basis but found difficult to put into words. When I said, 'It's like this, isn't it?' I remember him nodding deeply."

　During the conversation, he gave advice such as, "Be aware of all directions - heaven, earth, and man - and surround yourself with sound," and, "Use your body after swinging it in the opposite direction of the direction you want to move."

　"It's about using space and time. Controlling the venue. I remember when he came to see my performance, the first thing he said to me was, 'You have incredible control over the venue.' How do you control the venue? It's the same on the ice, as on our Noh stage, and on our cypress stage. I think it's about how you manipulate the space and time to give the audience a good experience."

　Hanyu performed "SEIMEI" at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, winning his second consecutive gold medal. Immediately afterwards, Mansai sent him an email to congratulate him.

　"He was injured at the PyeongChang Olympics. I remember sending him a message saying, 'You gave it your all and won the fierce battle.'"

This first joint performance was made possible after an offer from Hanyu himself. They met for the first time in nine years in October last year to discuss plans for the show.

　"He became a professional skater. He was very good at putting his ideas into words and communicating to others how he wanted to do things. He's had a varied career. He seemed to me to be not only an athlete, but also an artist."

　Immediately after Hanyu turned professional in July 2022, he gave him the name "Occupation, Hanyu Yuzuru" on his radio talk show "Occupation, Nomura Mansai" (an audio distribution service) and sent him his encouragement.

　“I remember hearing that Hanyu was worried about his title. I remember him saying something like, ‘Profession: Hanyu Yuzuru.’ I think he’s going to walk the path of that from now on. It’s not just being an athlete, it’s something that only he can do, like contributing to the community, and it’s his own artistic view of the universe, and things like that.”

　As Mansai continued to take on new challenges, he came to be known as "Profession: Nomura Mansai."

　"I myself have been doing various directing and trying various genres, and there was a time when I thought there was no one else like me, and I wondered what to do. I took "Profession, Nomura Mansai" from the name of Shuji Terayama, who calls himself "Profession, Terayama Shuji." I wanted Hanyu to achieve a world that only he could achieve, so I asked him, "Profession, Hanyu Yuzuru?" (Continued in the second part)

◆Nomura Mansai Born April 5, 1966. 58 years old. Originally from Tokyo. Studied under his grandfather, the late Nomura Manzo VI, and his father, Nomura Mansaku. Debuted on stage at the age of three. Active as an actor in films such as "Onmyoji" (2001), "Seven Conferences" (2019), and the drama "Promise with Death" (2021). Head of Kyogen Gozaru Noza. Designated as an Important Intangible Cultural Property.

Mansai Nomura and Yuzuru Hanyu "share the same DNA" - Today marks their first joint ice show interview (Part 2)

This is the second part of a two-day interview with Kyogen performer Mansai Nomura (58), who will be appearing as a special guest at the ice show "Yuzuru Hanyu Notete Stellata 2025" (7-9, Sekisui Heim Super Arena, Miyagi) by professional figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu (30). The two, who have both mastered their own paths, talk about the DNA they share as performers.

In order to perfect his profession, 'Mansai Nomura', he makes an uncompromising effort every day. He continues to fascinate audiences with his diverse expressions that go beyond the boundaries of Kyogen.

　"Of course, one's own specialty is the core of one's work, but at the same time, one must have a broader perspective. Human life and death. The venue for Notte Stellata (Grande 21) is also a place of great significance [Note 1]. In that sense, Hanyu himself is contemplating the issue of human life and death, and giving great thought to what he can do in the midst of this."

He also touched on Hanyu's "determination."

　"I think he has gone beyond the framework of a mere individual or an athlete. He has something to carry on his shoulders. This may be a little self-serving, but I would like to use Kyogen as my core, and while carrying the weight of Kyogen, I would also like to carry Japanese culture somewhere. Hanyu is also someone who takes on such a broader perspective, challenging himself to do things that include broad genres, and I believe he is someone who is able to do so."

　"Profession: Nomura Mansai" and "Profession: Yuzuru Hanyu." As fellow artists, how does he view Hanyu?

　"He himself is a fan of my work 'Onmyoji', so he included 'SEIMEI' in his performance. I think it's about how you express something like a view of the universe. I think he would think that the skating rink is also a universe. I spoke at length about it in our interview (in 2015), including the idea of controlling heaven, earth and man. It seemed to really resonate with him. In that sense too, I get the impression that we share the same DNA."

　I asked Mansai about what "expression" means to him. He said that it involves sharing "life" with the audience.

　"From the performer's perspective, I think it's a pursuit of a certain beauty, but ultimately it only exists because of the audience. When the audience sees living people performing, they feel glad to be alive, and the performers are glad to be alive too. After all, it is live performing arts. What's wonderful is what happens on the spot - 'live' and 'alive'. It's like 'I'm glad I went to see it', and on top of sharing that time and space, and the emotions, it makes you feel 'I'm glad to be alive'. I think that's what it means."

　This show will be performed in a different space than usual. Before rehearsing at the skating rink, the group first practiced in a gymnasium to get a feel for the spaciousness.

　"I realized it was very big (laughs). I was a little surprised. It was a distance you could cover while wearing skates, but if I were to walk, it would be a considerable distance in a straight line, so I was a little taken aback. But I was prepared for it from the training stage onwards."

　In addition to performing in the collaborative performance, he also serves as the director.

　"I have my own thoughts about the disaster. I would like to share those thoughts with Hanyu and create a worldview together."

　The collaboration between these two top-class performers transcends genres to create new chemical reactions.

　"We have exchanged emails since our conversation in 2015. I sent him a congratulatory message on his second consecutive Olympic victory, and in return he sent me flowers at my performance in Sendai. So we have a connection, and this time we have a direct collaboration, you could say. We are able to combine the art of skating with the art of Kyogen. I am happy that we can concretely express ourselves together this time."

　[Note 1] The place where many victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 were laid to rest.

Source: https://hochi.news/articles/20250305-OHT1T51268.html?page=1https://hochi.news/articles/20250306-OHT1T51206.html?page=1

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