Kiyotaka Imai, 67, is a prominent noh performer from the Kongo School, which was established in the Kansai region during the 14th century, and headquartered in Kyoto. The son of the late Ikusaburo Imai, a Kongo noh master of the highest ranking (shokubun) and a designated Intangible Cultural Asset, Imai began to study noh while young under his father and the late Iwao Kongo II, the former head of the Kongo school, making his debut on the stage in 1950, at age 7.
No stranger to Tokyo, Imai has been in 11 productions at Tokyo's National Noh Theater, where on Oct. 30, he will be the shite (principal performer) in "Matsukaze," a play by Zeami (circa 1363-1443).
Imai went to Doshisha University in Kyoto and was a member of the university's noh club while he studied business, graduating in 1967. Having a repertory of over 200 noh plays, Imai has been active in the field for four decades, as both a professional performer and a teacher. He now is the director of the Kongo Association and serves Japan's Association of Noh Performers as a trustee.