The world of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba will be adapted into a traditional Noh / Kyogen theatrical performance this summer in Tokyo with the tale of humans turning into demons, and demons into humans, at the forefront of the story. Today, the first visual for the performance was released showing Tanjiro in a customary Noh get-up drawn by manga creator Koyoharu Gotouge.

 

 

【「能 狂言『鬼滅の刃』ポスター解禁】

メインビジュアルの炭治郎は能 狂言の世界観に合わせて本公演の為に吾峠呼世晴先生に特別に描きおろして頂きました！またキャッチコピーの「人も鬼、鬼も人」の部分は演出の野村萬斎さんが考えられ(続く) pic.twitter.com/KU35Ofn27S

— 【公式】「能 狂言『鬼滅の刃』」 (@kimetsu_nohkyo) April 3, 2022

 

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 the 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 is directing and performing in the shows.

The shows start this summer at Tokyo’s Ginza Six Noh theater for a limited 6-day run from July 26 to July 31 before heading over to Osaka in winter from December 9 to 11. Nomura Mansai II released an English-subbed video back in December to celebrate the announcement talking about how he thinks the story of Demon Slayer lends itself to Noh.

The Entertainment District Arc is the latest arc and began airing on Japanese TV on December 5 and streamed on Crunchyroll weekly shortly after its TV broadcast. The rest of the Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba anime franchise, including the Mugen Train film and arc, is also available to watch on Crunchyroll.

The staff at ufotable return for the Swordsmith Village Arc along with the cast reprising their roles. No date for the Swordsmith Village Arc has been confirmed.

Source: Demon Slayer Noh on Twitter

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Daryl Harding is a Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs a YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza, and posts photos of his travels on Instagram.