Japan’s oldest poetry collection The Manyoshu was created in an age when Japan was connected to Asia and culture had no borders. ACT.JT is putting on Manyoshu-themed performances in Seoul and Shanghai of the stage piece Manyogaku, which comprises recitation, song and masked dance intertwined with Shin-Gigaku, a restoration of Japan’s oldest performing art, the dance-drama Gigaku, which came to Japan via the Silk Road.
ACT.JT
Established in 2003, ACT.JT runs educational, regional development and overseas cultural exchange programs through the medium of Japanese classical and medieval performing arts. The organization offers performing arts such as Gigaku, Gagaku, Dengaku, Nohgaku, Hogaku (Japanese traditional music) and more in the form of performances, workshops, public participation, school classes etc. The group’s activities utilize encounters with performing arts to create an environment for men and women of all ages to enjoy the traditions, and to develop human resources in the sphere in order to impart the “Japanese spirit” to future generations going forward.
Chung-Ang University Art Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Center for Japanese Cultural Exchange at University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
