Hakataza

Hakataza Grand Kabuki: Matinee (June 2026)

A solo trip to Fukuoka for a father-and-son name succession at the Hakataza. Banners along the Kawabata arcade, the celebratory curtain seen from straight below, 12-year-old Kikunosuke's Umeomaru, and Kikugoro's Ibaraki Doji - a matinee on closing day.

Hakataza Grand Kabuki: Evening Show (June 2026)

My first visit to the Hakataza, for the naming-ceremony Evening Show of Kikugoro Onoe VIII and Kikunosuke Onoe VI. Wild over Hirohiko Araki's stage curtain, gasps from the house at Danjuro's otokodate, tears at the father-and-son Renjishi - a solo night full of serendipity.