The Misonoza theater, long a fixture in Naka Ward, Nagoya, will be closed down at the end of March. Highly regarded as a symbol of the art world in Nagoya, its basement houses the only library for live theater in the Chubu region.
The library contains a wealth of material on classical theater such as kabuki and bunraku.
However, it will be closed along with the main hall despite its popularity with theater aficionados, and experts are worried that the materials will be scattered and ultimately lost as a result.