Hakata-za

博多座Hakata, Fukuoka

Culture

What makes this place special?

At a Glance

Hakata-za is a large theatre in Shimokawabata, in Hakata Ward of Fukuoka, close to Nakasu-Kawabata Station. It occupies the second to sixth floors of the Hakata Riverain complex and seats up to 1,500, among the largest theatres in Kyushu. The programme changes month by month and covers kabuki, musicals and commercial plays.

The stage was designed with Super Kabuki in mind and can be fitted with a revolving stage, a hanamichi (the kabuki runway) and an orchestra pit. Its space is large enough for a full-scale helicopter, which was planned for the original staging of Miss Saigon. Each June, kabuki actors arrive by boat on the Hakata River beside the theatre in a ceremonial procession. Hakata-za opened in 1999 and is the second theatre in the city to carry the name; the first was opened in 1910 by Otojirō Kawakami and his troupe.