Young Japanese holds deep affection for Peking Opera

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Takanori Kobayashi, 23, has had a deep connection with Peking Opera that reaches back to his childhood. His fascination with Chinese history began early, as he was drawn to manga about Chinese tales, especially works like Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin by Japanese manga artist Mitsuteru Yokoyama. This passion for Chinese history and culture inspired him to look for related videos online.

When he was 14, he came across a video of the historical opera The Battle of Red Cliffs. Although he couldn't understand the language, he was captivated by the elaborate costumes, expressive makeup, and unique music of Peking Opera.

At 17, he discovered a website for the Shincyo Theater, a Tokyo-based Peking Opera troupe founded by Zhang Chunxiang, a Peking Opera artist born in Beijing and the third generation in his family dedicated to the art.

Zhang graduated from Beijing Vocational College of Opera and Arts, later joining the Jingju Theatre Company of Beijing, and moved to Japan in the 1980s. He went on to establish the Shincyo Theater and later founded the Japan Association for the Promotion of Peking Opera.

Kobayashi reached out to the theater via email, sharing with Zhang his childhood passion for Chinese historical manga, his admiration for the elaborate costumes and music of Peking Opera, and his desire to join the troupe.

Zhang remembered, "What impressed me most about Kobayashi was his maturity and composure, qualities that are quite rare for someone who is 17. His genuine interest in traditional Chinese culture and Peking Opera also intrigued me."

At the time, Kobayashi was living in Gunma Prefecture. At 18, he moved to Tokyo to attend Chuo University, where he majored in Chinese language and culture. "I chose to study Chinese language and culture in college specifically to learn Peking Opera," he said. He began attending Zhang's Peking Opera classes held every Saturday.

"I had no prior knowledge of Chinese," Kobayashi said, "so I started from scratch in college. When I began learning Peking Opera, my teacher guided me through the pronunciation, note by note. Gradually, I started to pick up some Chinese in this immersive environment."

Kobayashi is especially drawn to the singing style of laosheng, which represents dignified, upright male characters, typically middle-aged or older. He dreams of performing roles like Zhuge Liang, the brilliant statesman and military strategist of the Three Kingdoms period (220-280), or Yang Yanhui, a former Song Dynasty (960-1279) general who endures great hardships to visit his mother.