Type: Ballet
Name: Kaguyahimea (pron. KAH-goo-yah-hee-meh)
Year of this production: 2023
Ballet Company: The Tokyo Ballet
Soloist: Akira Akiyama
Location: Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, Tokyo, Japan
Created by: Jiro Matsumoto
Choreographer: Jo Kanamori
Composer: Maki Ishii
Inspired by: The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.
Year first Performed: 1988

A modern ballet, inspired by Japan’s 10th century folktale, the legend of Princess Kaguya is a tale of a mysterious and radiant woman, discovered inside a glowing stalk of bamboo. Kaguya grows into a woman of unearthly beauty, attracting noble suitors, and the emperor himself, but she cannot belong to Earth. As kingdoms fight for her love, her magical nature brings fascination but destruction. Eventually, the gods of the Moon descend to reclaim her, and Kaguya sorrowfully returns to the moon.