Profile

Yukichi Matsumoto | Director

Born in Kumamoto in 1946. Ishinha leader.
Majored in studies of fine art at the Osaka Kyoiku University. In 1970 he formed the ‘Nihon Ishinha’, which was later known only as ‘Ishinha’, where he has been responsible for the scenarios and the direction of all the works since 1974. With the staging of the outdoor piece “Shonen-gai” (“Boys town”) in a container yard in Shiodome, he established his original style called the “Jan-Jan opera”. Having a preference for outdoor performances, he has organized performances where he takes the audience “drifting”. He is mainly staging his performances in the Muroji Temple in Nara, and on the isolated islands of Okayama – like Inujima. In 2002 he participated in the Adelaide Festival in Australia, in 2001 he went on a tour in Europe, in 2005 to South America, and in 2009 he has been invited to Oceania.


Awards

1999: “Mizumachi” receives the Osaka Prefectural Government Performing Arts Award
2002: “Kankara” receives the Asahi Performing Arts Award
2005: “Ki-ton” receives the Yomiuri Theater Grand Prix Award for most outstanding director award
2008: “Kokyu kikai” receives the Asahi Performing Arts Award

Ishinha

Since its formation in Osaka in 1970, Ishinha activities continuously go beyond the conventional borders of theatre. Matsumoto presents performances that are comprehensive works of avant-garde art, with every element under his direction, including an outdoor theater the troupe built with their own hands. Making use of the Kansai dialect intonation Ishinha are known for their development of what they call “Jan-Jan Opera”, which sounds a little similar to Balinese Kecak music. In the recent years, Matsumoto has produced the “Hyoryu series,” in which the audience travels around with the troupe. Their performances at locations such as the Murouji Temple in Nara, and on outlying islands have attracted attention. Ishinha received the Asahi Performing Arts Award for Kankara, an outdoor drama performed at the site of a former copper refinery on the island of Inujima.