OSAKA — On May 24, during the Osaka Expo, an innovative Kabuki show featured actor Nakamura Shido alongside virtual singer Hatsune Miku. The event also included a special virtual participation from a performing arts troupe based in Taiwan.
The “Cho Kabuki” (literally, “super Kabuki”) performance utilized Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp. (NTT)’s next-generation communication technology IOWN. Short for Innovative Optical and Wireless Network, IOWN can provide high-speed and low-latency transmission of large volumes of data. NTT launched its first international IOWN network in August 2024 between Japan and Taiwan.
Cho Kabuki gained popularity after its debut in 2016 through collaborations involving Shochiku Co. and leveraging NTT technologies. In the most recent performance, an exclusive rendition of the inaugural work titled “Hanakurabe Senbonzakura” took place at Expo Hall Shining Hat located within Osaka’s Konohana Ward. This spectacle illustrates a conflict between good and evil by merging elements from the traditional Kabuki drama “Yoshitsune Senbonzakura” with Vocaloid character Hatsune Miku’s iconic song “Senbonzakura.”
Tolong support kita ya,
Cukup klik ini aja: https://indonesiacrowd.com/support-bonus/
Members of Taiwan’s Chio-Tian Folk Drums & Art Troupe made an appearance via video as “deities across the ocean,” participating in a traditional performance art show commonly showcased at Taiwanese festivals.
Video footage of artists performing at the Expo site on Yumeshima Island and counterparts at a theater in Taiwan were exchanged bidirectionally. This allowed them to appear jointly on their respective stages, blending the line between physical and digital realms via the intersection of conventional Japanese and Taiwanese art forms with advanced technology.
(Japanese original by Yusuke Seki from the Osaka Cultural News Department)
