Interview

Roots about noh and kyogen is the same.

That’s right.

By the way, I want to hear the story of the professional.

OK, now let’s go to the interview!

Kamomen

It’s pleasure to meet you.Let’s move on to the questions now. How many times do you practice in a week?

Motoya Izumi

Well, basically I practice everyday but practicing schedule hasn’t been decided. However, it was decided that pupils who are come from outside practice first, and apprentices practice next, and our family practice last. My practice usually started in 9 or 10 O’clock when I was the upper grade elementary school student. Oh, I remember that my father told me many times “do good practice in short times”. Long practicing means many correcting points are there, and it’s difficult to concentrate long times, and there was a concern my consciousness will go how will I overcome practicing time. I practice two hours a day on average, but I haven’t decided. I can concentrate by thinking “to complete”. Two hours is just a result.

Kamomen

How do yo remember choreography?

Motoya Izumi

About kyogen, we tell pupils by “kuden”, imitate things that the person looked or heard, masters tell pupils directly. Born in the family which are doing kyogen, we start practicing sitting on our heels when we were 1 year-half times that absorb many things like standing or talking, and make them to imitate greeting and things that master says gradually. It ‘s too hard to tell the rule how to move their bodies by telling to small children, it’s the only way make them to imitate, and the best way too. And, it’s same thing for adults. If we take memos or take photos or record master’s teachings, we snuggle up to them by thinking it’s all right when we learn new things from our master. So, I treasure tensions that master is here and if I don’t receive seriously now, it’s hard to retain. After I learn from master like above, I remember by moving month many times to take root in my brain. It’s easier to remember than memorizing in brain only. However, if I practice only with saying in small voice, my brain freeze suddenly when I breathe deeply, so I memorize with my body from practicing as same as actual, and I make my mouth move by it self if my brain blanks.

Kamomen

Please tell me a happening that you were troubled.

Motoya Izumi

It’s difficult... Oh, maybe it’s different with happening, since I’m also human, my brain blanks while I’m practicing. So my father said “Do your practicing as same as actual. Do your actual as same as practicing.”. Aerial feeling is different between practicing and actual, if I thought I will do my best at actual, things that I didn’t do at practicing can’t come out. It’s very important if I can have same tension at actual too, and if I can do as usual on the contrary. Why I can stand on the stage is it might be my father gave me a tension that I never made a mistakes. And the other, since it’s live performance, it’s no wonder what happens. I sometimes stand with other family’s actors, there was mistakes that props was broken by wrong using. When it happens, my face grew pale. Many things will be food for us. I realized importance of accumulation of experience.

Kamomen

Where can we learn kyogen?

Motoya Izumi

Kyogen is the world of training, we learn after we enter basically. We can learn at the training room where the kyogen performers who were allowed by their master open. Recently, sometimes the class of traditional performing arts opens at culture center, we can learn at there. And it’s very rare, there’re some classes that schools hold, it’s better for the students to join them.

Kamomen

Please tell me the best thing about acting kyogen?

Motoya Izumi

My father(Motohide Izumi 19th master of Izumi style) was a very strict master, and he thought it’s natural to do as your 100 percent, you should do as your 120 percent, 150 percent. He always said “pupils should make their master’s heart move.” My first stage is when I was 4 years old and my father died when I was 21 years old, but I was praised by my father for few times that I can count my 5 fingers only. When I was praised, I was very happy that I was recognized by my father who is my master and my goal. And, I feel I’m glad to doing kyogen that I fulfill my role of kyogen player when I hear audiences laugh. Kyogen doesn’t have ad-libs and inherits things that no differences between old one, we can tell with my body, so when I heard audiences laugh, I was glad and realize that I was able to tell traditional kyogen to people living in now by my stages.

Kamomen

Please tell me the truth that different with people say.

Motoya Izumi

Well... This is difficult too. I want you to know kyogen is an only comedy of all of the Japanese traditional arts and enjoy laugh. It’s not so important for the people know about kyogen. The other, I succeeded to the head from my father when I was 21 years old, the thing that I wrote in the book which I write from 1 year is “Kyogen is like a Ultraman.”. It’s the same Ultraman we just look from outside, but suit actors who is act inside the suit changes. I think they are working hard for making a same Ultraman. Kyogen is same as it, one person can’t live through 600 years, many actors carry out the same role. We think that we want to do the perfect copy of the predecessor. It is not necessary to show our personality and to act that only we can do while we are pupils. Even now, “you resemble his father.” is the best compliment. And, to be like that, I have to inherit the invisible heart. For to do that, “first, we have to inherit “Kata” which we can see, we can’t inherit the invisible thing” is basis for following “Kata” strictly.

Kamomen

Please tell me your next goal.

Motoya Izumi

Izumi-ryu have 254 programs which called “Genko-kyoku”, the most high rank program of them is “Tanuki-no-hara-tuzumi”(raccoon dog’s stomach drum). This is “Issisouden” which is the program only the head acts on that each generations. The next rank to it is 3 programs which called “Sanrokyoku”, because all of them have old main characters, I acted “Bikusada” which is one of them when I was 42 years old, June. Forties is the actor has gotten into the swing of working by his experience and power cross just right . It’s a big barrier to act old character in that generation, but my role model master acted all of them in forties. So, I devote oneself to do so. And, “live a long life” is my big goal. Kyogen is the world that the actor who can move vigorously is an active kyogen player. I have a role to deliver many things I have for the following generation, I want to keep an eye on the all of the world of kyogen not only for my pupils and my children. Traditional performing arts have long history, back grounds of age and the world change while traditional performing arts were inherited. But, they have things we can change and we can not change. If we change it , it become not a traditional thing and something that waver by each age’s sense of value appear. In that time, if I have the belief that “It is not true! The right tradition is this.”, I can tell the right tradition for many following generations. I want to live a long life to keep an eye on it too.

Kamomen

At last, please tel me the massage for young people.

Motoya Izumi

I want you to challenge to many things. There’s many chances if you fail you can redo by cheering and scolding from teacher, father and mother while you are young. And, if you see or hear or touch something first time, please be obedient. When you are obedient, your heart will not stop growing. I think, see and experience many things with honest heart the impressions remain clearly. I want you to remain many stimulation deep color in the white heart, please challenge many things. But, there’s important thing when you challenge. You need base and measure which can judge you have to or you don’t have to. And when you make them, please make your own not only by your sense of value and thoughts, but also your homes’ rules. And, when you live in the world, the time that you think “What is my express individuality?”, “What is Japan’s express individuality?” has come surely. If you don’t have your own, when you come into contact with others and interact with each other, you can’t have “you” little by little. It is good to find “my own” after notice that... Anyway, it is very sad thing you don’t have “my own”. Well, where is “my own”, for example at school. In the world, people who have “their own” of their grade is only more than 100 students. When you think about other people don’t have, if you have a brother of sister, only for that people, if you are only child, it is “my own” only you have all around the world. So, if you are conscious of things only you have and things that only you can get from the environment, I think you can find your way that only you can do and judge that only you can do. When you worry about what I can do, you can go back to your “home”. I think it is the only pillar that very thick and other people don’t have.

If I put together the massages above, please keep looking at stimulation from out side and be conscious “my own”.

Thinking about “Japan’s own”, please remember this country has kyogen which continuing from 600 years ago and comedy do well at all over the world, and one of the traditional performing art which Japan is proud of, and please put kyogen in “Japan’s own”.

Kamomen

Thank you for your time. We hope your success.

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Profile of Motoya Izumi

Kyogen player, the 20th master of Izumi-ryu. 19th master Motohide Izumi’s son and heir. His grandfather is living national treasure, 9th Toukuro Miyake. He started his training from 1-year-half, and his first stage is when he was 4 years old. After that, he acted Taikyoku and Hikyoku, when he was 24 years old, he acted “tanuki-no-haratuzumi” which is Issisouden. He is trying to spread kyogen not only in Japan but also abroad. He did MC of Kouhaku-uta-gassen and appeared long drama “Tokimune Houjyo”, and CM of NESCAFE. He acted “Bikusada” which is the Saiou-hikyoku and broke new ground. He won the Best Actor Award of Berlin International Film Festival and the Best Film Award of Madrid International Film Festival for “Satsuma-okojyo”. This fall, the film “Ninsyou” shows.

Kamomen

Please tell me the massage for young people who are same generation as you.

Ayame Izumi

When my friend came to see my stage, they tell me their impression that “~ was very exciting!”, “I laughed at that scene!”. When I heard that, I think it’s very wonderful thing that you are able to enjoy traditional performing arts with friendly feeing naturally.

And, people say that kyogen is root of art of making people laugh! You can enjoy kyogen casually with no knowledges and it’s one of the big attraction, I want you to look many amusing programs.

Kamomen

Why do you start doing kyogen?

Ayame Izumi

Because, my house is doing kyogen. Nowadays, kyogen is the natural part of my live.

Doing kyogen, it’s hard that practicing, studying, compatibility with club activity, but it is my mission to protect Japanese culture that only I can do.

After the interview

Mr.Motoya izumi was wearing a kimono because he was participating an event before this interview, I was surprised about his hearty voice. We think it is a dignity he engage in kyogen which use his voice and doing well at actor. And, he answered the each questions very politely, we can feel his passion and thoughts he wants to tell massages. In those massages, there are many lessons that are well informed about way of thinking and life, it became very worth and precious interview. And, at the interview from Ms. Ayame Izumi, we were able to know the heart for kyogen with friendly feeling and viewpoint from same generation.

The massages from Mr. and Ms. Izumi have persuasiveness that they are concerned with kyogen deeply, and they did very important role at this web site that has concept “to tell the good points to young people.”. Thank you very much.