Saburōta Kanze

Saburota Kanze (born in 1999 in Tokyo) is the eldest son of Kiyokazu Kanze, the 26th Grand Master of the Kanze School, and a Noh performer of the Kanze School specialising in shite (principal) roles. He began training under his father at an early age and made his stage debut at the age of five. At ten, he performed his first leading role, and in 2015, at the age of 16, he wore a Noh mask on stage for the first time. Since then, he has appeared in numerous classical works and has been active both in Japan and abroad as one of the leading Noh performers of the next generation.

In 2016, he appeared with his father at the Lincoln Center Festival in New York, where their performances were highly acclaimed. In 2019, he performed Noh as a representative of Japan’s traditional performing arts at a banquet hosted by the Prime Minister of Japan to celebrate the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito. He performed again before heads of state and government leaders during the 2023 G7 Hiroshima Summit. Furthermore, he participated in a special Noh performance at the Imperial Palace in 2021.

Saburota Kanze currently serves as Vice President of the Kanze Foundation.