One of the most interesting adaptations of the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba franchise has been its Noh / Kyogen interpretation, which mixes Koyoharu Gotouge’s historic battle manga story with the traditional Japanese arts. The adaptation has been so popular over the past two years that it continues to run throughout Noh Theaters across the country, including over the last week in the newly opened Sky Theater MBS in Osaka.
Shortly after the last show, the theater company announced that a new Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Noh / Kyogen performance will start in December until the title “Noh/Kyogen ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba’ – Tsugu -.“ Tsugu here can mean “continuation” or “connection,” both of which fit into the theme of “the continuing, unbroken, bonds of our hearts” that features on a brand new poster on a new poster by manga creator Koyoharu Gotouge of Rengoku in Noh-inspired dress.
Noh / Kyogen are some of the oldest theatrical arts still performed in the world, with the two forms originating in Japan in the 8th century under the name Sarugaku, and then becoming their own unique style in the 14th century. Noh is usually a dramatic performance piece characterized by the use of Noh masks, while Kyogen is a comedic performance in between Noh sets. The award-winning Kyogen actor Nomura Mansai II continues to direct and perform in the continuing adaptation.
Tsugu starts this Winter at Tokyo’s Ginza Six Noh theater for a limited 5-day run from December 25 to 29 before heading to Fukuoka, Osaka and Nagoya in 2025. The new play will be based on the Mugen Train and Entertainment District arcs.
Crunchyroll streams both the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba TV anime series and Mugen Train Arc movie in both sub and dub formats and is set to release the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle movie trilogy alongside Sony Pictures Entertainment globally excluding select Asian territories and Japan in the future.
Crunchyroll describes the series as such:
It is the Taisho Period in Japan. Tanjiro, a kindhearted boy who sells charcoal for a living, finds his family slaughtered by a demon. To make matters worse, his younger sister Nezuko, the sole survivor, has been transformed into a demon herself.Though devastated by this grim reality, Tanjiro resolves to become a “demon slayer” so that he can turn his sister back into a human, and kill the demon that massacred his family.
Source: Demon Slayer Noh Stage on X (formerly Twitter)
