Kurozuka: From Noh Theater to Manga and Anime

Classical theater is a timeless art form. Stories written centuries ago are continually retold for our enjoyment. But as years pass, the forms that these stories take sometimes change, with updated appearances and stylistic changes. Whether for artistic experimentation, or to meet the needs of modern viewers, these changes can sometimes be quite drastic.

Take for example the Noh play Adachi ga Hara, which is attributed to Zeami, one of the founders of Noh theater. It tells the story of a group of travelling priests who come across a house in the plains of Adachi. Living inside the house is an old woman, whom the priests appeal to for lodging for the night. The woman reluctantly lets them in on one condition: that they do not look inside her bedroom. The priests accept the terms and lay down for the night while the old woman goes to fetch more firewood. During her absence, one of the younger priests cannot contain his curiosity, and looks inside the bedroom to find piles of dead bodies. Just as the priests are about to run for their lives, the old woman returns as an angry ogre, enraged that the priests discovered her secret. She attempts to eat the priests, but they use their ascetic training and prayer to banish the monster and preserve their lives.

The lead priest Yukei fights off the ogre with prayer

While this play has been preserved in Noh theater for centuries, and has even been adopted into a kabuki version, stage theater is not the only form in which this story lives on. Manga artists Baku Yumemakura and Takashi Noguchi adapted this classic tale into a serialized manga entitled Kurozuka, which was later adapted into an anime by studio Madhouse. However, there are several noticeable differences, as well as similarities.

Promotional Image for Kurozuka

The traveling priests are actually warriors in disguise. One of them goes by the name Kuro, but is revealed to actually be the legendary general Yoshitsune of Minamoto (or at least a character based on this figure). Joined by the warrior monk Benkei, also a figure in Japanese folklore, they are on the run from the forces of Kuro’s brother Yoritomo, who was the founder of the Kamakura shogunate following the Genpei War. In this setting, monsters seem to be commonplace, much like in many Japanese folktales. The two runaways find a house in the mountains, but living inside is not an old woman, but rather a young beauty named Kuromitsu. She allows the travelers to stay, with the same condition as in the original play: they must not look into her bedroom. While Benkei goes to the village to buy supplies, Kuro and Kuromitsu find they are attracted to one another, but Kuromitsu says they can never be together. One night, Kuro senses intruders, and he goes to investigate. The sound he heard came from Kuromitsu’s bedroom, and ignoring her request, he looks inside-to find Kuromitsu drinking the blood of a dead man. Kuro is shocked at what he has found, but before he can react, a group of monstrous samurai attack them. Kuro fights them off, and during the battle Kuromitsu saves his life. Injured during the fight, Kuro appears to be on the brink of death when Kuromitsu asks him if he would like to accompany her to the end of time. Afterwards, the series continues with Kuro waking up centuries later in a post-apocalyptic Japan, filled with monsters that oppress the people, and Kuro is the hero that saves them.

The woman's secret is revealed

The tone of the series is unapologetically dark, filled with the hyper-violence that much anime is stereotypically known for. This is a far departure from the usual elegance and restraint of Noh theater. But as far from Noh as this version might be, it still pays homage to its roots. Masks are seen frequently throughout, and each episode is preceded by a short Noh performance. The traditional instruments are seen, and the movements are taken straight from real Noh plays. But this anime doesn’t just celebrate its Noh roots, but also other parts of pre-Sengoku era literature and folklore. Characters such as Minamoto Yoshitsune and Benkei, in comparison to historical figures like Yukimura Sanada or Nobunaga Oda, are not often represented in anime or manga. The Sengoku era or the Meiji Revolution seem to be adapted into anime much more frequently than this particular era of Japanese history. Kurozuka attempts to bring these parts of Japanese culture to the forefront, romanticizing and stylizing them in ways like never before.