By NORIYASU NUKUI/ Staff Writer
May 23, 2022 at 18:52 JST
Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo XI performed his famed "nirami" glare on a stage specially created atop Tokyo Skytree in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward on May 22, the 10th anniversary of the opening of the popular landmark.
Nirami is a signature technique of the Naritaya, one of the Kabuki’s acting guilds of which Ebizo is a member.
Nirami is performed by moving each eye in different directions. The act depicts Acala, the Buddhist deity with the power to ward off evil and bad luck.
There is a belief that people can spend the next year illness-free if the glare falls on them.
Ichikawa Danjuro I founded Naritaya.
The event, called “Ichikawa Ebizo--Nirami at the sky,” was held on a 70-centimeter-high stage that was set up at the top of the tower, 634 meters above ground.
Ebizo appeared in traditional Kabuki attire.
He removed part of the outer attire covering his right shoulder after delivering a prologue. Then, with a "sanpo" wooden stand used to put food offerings in his left hand, he glared into the wide areas of the Kanto region seen from the tower.
Naritaya was named after the Naritasan Shinshoji temple dedicated to Acala in Chiba Prefecture.
Ichikawa Danjuro I started using the name Naritaya after he had a son, Ichikawa Danjuro II, following his visit to, and praying at, the temple.
The top of Tokyo Skytree opened to the public for this event for the first time. It is a flat, dodecagon shape with a diameter of about 15 meters.
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Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo XI performs his famous "nirami" glare on the top of the Tokyo Skytree in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward on May 22 to mark its 10th anniversary. (Noriyasu Nukui)
