Former Okazaki Family Noh Stage The "Former Okazaki Family Noh Stage (Otaru City Noh Theater)" was built by Ken Okazaki, a wealthy merchant from Sado, in his residence in Otaru. Sado, where Okazaki spent over 10 years of his childhood, was a prosperous port for Kitamame-sen (merchant ships sailing between the Sea of Japan and the Pacific Ocean) due to its large population of people involved in the shipping industry, such as Kitamame-sen shipowners and shipwrights. Furthermore, it had a gold mine, a direct enterprise of the Edo period shogunate, and officials were dispatched from the capital from time to time. The fact that the first Sado governor came from a family of Sarugaku (Noh was called Sarugaku until the Edo period) masters led to the area becoming a place where Noh flourished. Okazaki, who had been familiar with Noh music and dance in Sado since childhood, studied Noh under the Hōshō school while attending Tokyo Commercial School (now Hitotsubashi University). After returning to his hometown, he devoted himself to Noh to such an extent that he built a Noh stage in his house. The Noh stage, completed in 1926, was built using specially selected materials such as Sado-grown ancient cedar, Kyushu-grown cypress, and Hokkaido-grown pine, and the pine on the mirror board and the bamboo painting on the doorway were painted by Kanō Motonobu, the 17th generation of the Kanō school, giving it the highest standard of elegance established in the Edo period. After its completion, he invited Noh performers from Tokyo to perform on the stage, dedicating himself to spreading Noh culture not only in Otaru but also in Hokkaido. After his death, in accordance with his wishes, it was donated to and moved to Otaru City in 1954, where it remains to this day. Otaru Noh Theatre, Japanese Tea Ceremony Bowl Wazambon sugar, once transported from Sanuki (Kagawa Prefecture) and Awa (Tokushima Prefecture) by the Kitamade-bune (a type of ship), is characterized by its soft texture and refined sweetness. "Uchi-mono" (dried sweets), which allow you to enjoy the taste of the Wazambon sugar itself, are traditional Japanese sweets made by hand using wooden molds. The "Otaru Noh Theatre Wagashi-bon" expresses the Noh culture that the Kitamaejin (North Sea ships) brought to Otaru through these "uchi-mono" (struck confectionery). In addition to boat shapes representing the Kitamaejin and female Noh masks, auspicious patterns such as pine, bamboo, and plum blossoms are used, and they are handcrafted by Otaru's wagashi (Japanese confectionery) artisans. Please enjoy the four different flavored wasanbon (refined sugar) sweets. Otaru Noh Theatre, Japanese Tea Ceremony Bowl
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