Japan Society Will Present North American Premiere Of KANJINCHO By Kinoshita Kabuki

Japan Society will present the North American premiere of KANJINCHO, a modern reworking of the classical kabuki drama by creator and dramaturg Yuichi Kinoshita, directed by Sugio Kunihara and performed by Kinoshita Kabuki.

The production will be offered as part of Under the Radar and will run for four performances at Japan Society, with Japanese dialogue and English supertitles. The engagement will inaugurate a three-city U.S. tour produced and organized by Japan Society.

A recognized masterpiece of kabuki, KANJINCHO follows a tense encounter during the Genpei War as disguised fugitives attempt to cross a checkpoint under scrutiny from the inspector Togashi. Kinoshita Kabuki’s staging reframes the story through contemporary theatrical vocabulary, combining traditional choreography with colloquial reinterpretation, techno and hip-hop elements, and a visual palette rooted in present-day pop culture. Performers will work within a set loosely modeled on the hanamachi, illuminated by neon lighting and staged with modern objects that reflect the production’s focus on boundaries—geographic, social, and temporal.

Kinoshita Kabuki, founded in Kyoto in 2006, approaches classical works through inventive adaptation while maintaining a close relationship to the original source material. Creator Yuichi Kinoshita has established himself as a key voice in contemporary interpretations of traditional Japanese theater, while director Kunio Sugihara brings an extensive history of producing dynamic adaptations across Japan, Europe, and Asia. Their collaboration on KANJINCHO has been widely received abroad and now makes its North American debut.

Tickets may be purchased at https://japansociety.org/events/le-tambour-de-soie/ or by calling 212-715-1258. Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street.