The four-year "Culture Olympiad" begins!

On October 7th, four organizations—the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Arts Council Tokyo (Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture), and Mitsui Fudosan—held the event "Curtain Rise Nihonbashi ~ Tokyo 2020 Cultural Olympiad Kickoff" at Fukutoku no Mori in Nihonbashi, Tokyo.

The Cultural Olympiad is a program of cultural and artistic performances, exhibitions, stage productions, and other events held in the host country of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It takes place over the four years between the conclusion of the previous Games and the host country's own Games.

The Tokyo 2020 Cultural Olympiad aims to "implement programs accessible to all people across every prefecture, revitalizing local communities" and "promote participation in culture and the arts among many young people through the Olympiad, fostering creativity." It will implement various programs going forward.

■ Kickoff Ceremony

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike stated, "The Olympic and Paralympic Games are not only a festival of sports but also a cultural festival where many people express their creativity. As we prepare for the Games, we want to showcase Tokyo's culture and appeal to the world. This fiscal year, the city plans over 140 projects across various genres, including tradition, culture, music, and art. We want to collaborate with people nationwide and build excitement for the Tokyo Games as a whole Japan effort."

Organizing Committee Chairman Yoshiro Mori stated, "Japan has a splendid cultural history. Over the next four years, we will diligently implement cultural activities to spread the Olympic and Paralympic Movement worldwide," and introduced the mark that can be used for related programs.

Mitsui Fudosan President Masanobu Komoda stated, "We hope the movement toward 2020 will spread from Nihonbashi, which has been a commercial hub and cultural center since the Edo period. As a city development partner for the Games, we want to contribute not only to the sports field but also to the Cultural Olympiad."

 

■ Kickoff Performance

Following the ceremony, a performance themed around tradition and innovation was held on a special stage to commemorate the kickoff.

Mr. Fujima Kanjuro, the eighth head of the Fujima School of Noh, performed the dance "Sanbaso." Performed to pray for national peace and abundant harvests, it is danced as a celebratory opening. Stamping the ground and sowing seeds, the dance expressed hopes for a bountiful harvest in 2020, four years hence.

Umewaka Gensho, a Noh master of the Kanze school specializing in shite roles and a holder of Important Intangible Cultural Property, performed the ceremonial dance piece "Yoshino Tenjin" with full costume and accompaniment. This splendid piece depicts celestial maidens appearing before urban visitors at a famous cherry blossom spot to display their beautiful dance. It was performed to convey the image of people from around the world gathering at the grand trunk of the Tokyo Games, blossoming into diverse flowers of sport and culture.

Both performances featured a special stage version blending traditional performing arts with cutting-edge technology, utilizing CG visuals, a surround sound system, and special effects, drawing thunderous applause from the audience.