🗺️ Nanza

The theater primarily featuring Kabuki, which originated in Kyoto. It is said that Kabuki began with a woman named "Izumo no Okuni," who performed "Kabuki" dances in Kyoto; Minami-za also made its debut during the early Edo period, a time when it attracted much public attention. It has been showcasing Kabuki for over 400 years and is said to be the oldest theater in Japan. Among the various types of entertainment performances held at Minami-za, the Kabuki performance "Kichirei Kamenosei Kōgyō," held every December, is a winter tradition in Kyoto. During the Edo period, theaters and actors signed contracts annually, and Kamenosei was a performance that introduced the actors who would take the stage the following year to the audience, thus regarded as a major annual event, still attracting many spectators from afar. Minami-za, which embodies the Momoyama style of traditional architecture, was completed in Showa 4 (1929). In 1996, it was designated as a nationally registered tangible cultural property; later, it was also designated as a historical architectural structure of Kyoto City. In 2018, after updating the internal facilities while preserving the essence of the building, it was newly reopened. For many years, it has safeguarded history and tradition, becoming a beloved cultural landmark in Kyoto.

A theater with history and tradition that began in the Edo period. It features performances of Kabuki and traditional arts as well as dramas. It is designated as a nationally registered tangible cultural property and a historical architectural structure of Kyoto City.