I have photographed Reino's Noh performances several times, and at each performance I felt that Noh was not a physical reality, but something that invites one into another world through the dance.
The image of that other world gradually grew within me, and I wanted to express it.
A heavenly maiden dancing in a dimly lit valley... I have tried to express the divinity, serenity, and graceful splendor of this dreamlike scene.
I would like to express my gratitude to the Noh performers, the head of the Kanze school of Noh, Umewaka Rokuro family, Umewaka Sousetu, Umewaka Chozaemon, and Reino Yoko, who all worked tirelessly to make this work possible.

Kenji Wakasugi

Whether the photographer intended it or not, many traces are contained in the subject captured in the photograph. Whether it was a few seconds or a few minutes, the time when the shutter was pressed solidifies like a fossil. Time is imbued in the many afterimages like sedimentary geology. Photographers are archaeologists who discover the various layers of the stratum. Wakasugi's ability to photograph people is sharp. A photographer who searches for traces, it seems like a fitting sign for him.

Keiko Aono

Mr. Wakasugi, who has been photographing Umewaka-kai Noh performances for many years, is now set to exhibit his work.
This piece combines various materials based on Noh, and invites you into the mysterious world of Noh in a three-dimensional way.
It is a wonderful piece that uses new techniques to interpret classical Noh.

Umewaka Chozaemon
(Executive Director of the Public Interest Foundation, Intangible Cultural Property Holder)


Mr. Wakasugi has been photographing Noh performances for over 10 years and is always quiet and humble, but he has a pure and innocent, strong spirit of inquiry inside him. I am extremely honored to have had the opportunity to participate as a subject in his long-awaited work.

Yoko Reino
(Studied under Master Umewaka Rokuro 56 (now Master Umewaka Sosetsu) and is a shite-kata Kanze-style Noh actor)