VISIT KANAZAWA, JAPAN - Official Travel Guide

 During the Edo period, Noh became the shogunate's "official music" (shiki-gaku), and various domains hired Noh actors, with the feudal lords themselves practicing Noh. In the Kaga domain, the successive lords greaty appreciated Noh, particularly the Hōshō school of Noh.The fifth lord of the Kaga domain, MAEDA Tsunanori, practiced the Hōshō school of Noh, influenced by TOKUGAWA Tsunayoshi, who was a patron of the Hōshō school. 

 In the Kaga domain, Noh was also encouraged among the townspeople. The townspeople were allowed to perform in the castle’s Noh performances as "town actors," and they were given privileges such as tax exemptions and the right to use surnames. As a result, Kanazawa became a vibrant hub for Noh, particularly the Hōshō school, and came to be known as "Kaga Hōshō." 

 It is said that because the gardeners hummed noh songs while working, it became known as "Kanazawa is the city where the noh songs falling from the sky."

 Ishikawa Prefectural Noh Theater opened in 1972 as Japan’s first independent public noh theater to serve as the base for preserving, handing down, and promoting noh in general. The theater’s noh stage was built in 1932 originally as the main stage of Kanazawa Noh Theater and was relocated. With the passage of time, the stage is now filled with a charming vintage feel.