The upcoming "Sakurama Kinki no Kai" is the 19th noh event in a series of performances by Sakurama Kinki of the Komparu School. Of the five noh schools still active today, the Komparu School is the most traditional, though it has, interestingly, taken the progressive step of accepting women. The school evolved in the Yamato region (present-day Nara) during the 14th century, and Kinki is one of its most eminent performers.
For this event, there are two shows "Yugyo Yanagi" ("Itinerant Priest and the Willow Tree"), a 1 hour, 40-minute performance featuring Kinki, and "Midare" ("Disorderly"), an hour-long version of a dance called "Shojo" ("Orangutan"), performed by two of Kinki's proteges to the lively beat of a taiko drum.
"Yugyo Yanagi" was written in 1514 by Kanze Nobumitzu, the son of On'ami, the famous playwright Zeami's nephew. Nobumitsu's plays are often showy and include "Momijigari" ("Maple-viewing"), "Funa Benkei" ("Benkei on a Boat") and "Ataka" ("The Barrier at Ataka"), which were later adapted for the Kabuki stage.