Hokkaido Official Tourism Site HOKKAIDO LOVE!

A historic Noh stage preserving traditional architecture and Noh cultural heritage. Visitors can appreciate its architectural beauty and history.

The Former Okazaki Family Noh Stage was built in 1926 in the inner garden of Otaru merchant Okazaki Ken's residence. Based on Shomei, an architectural manual passed down through the Hirauchi family, whose members served as master builders for the Tokugawa shogunate, the stage reflects traditional Noh architecture, including an irimoya-zukuri (hip-and-gable) roof and intricate wooden joinery. It was relocated to its present site in 1961 and designated an Otaru Historic Building in 1985.

The stage uses carefully selected timber, including cypress and Sado jindai-sugi in key structural elements. The wood's rich texture and the quiet atmosphere convey the enduring character of this historic structure.

A highlight is the kagami-ita backdrop depicting an old pine and young bamboo, painted by Kano Mochinobu, a 17th-generation Kano-school artist invited from Kyoto. Completed in about two months in 1927, it enhances the stage's beauty. The agemaku-itado wooden panels also feature karashishi, or Chinese guardian lions. Noh costumes donated by the Okazaki family are also on display, offering a closer look at traditional Noh culture.