Location
国立能楽堂 National Noh Theatre (Kokuritsu Nohgakudō), Tokyo, Japan
Date
Monday, October 12, 2026
Duration
16:05 – 16:30
Theme: “Yūgen, Emotion, and the Energy of Nothingness: Can AI Perform Without an Intention?”
Using Noh’s aesthetic of Yūgen—the subtle, unquantifiable presence that arises from physical performance—as an entry point, this interdisciplinary panel explores expression, emotion, and creativity in the age of artificial intelligence.
“What is not done is where the interest lies.”
Zeami Motokiyo (c. 1363–1443) also known as Kanze Motokiyo, was a preeminent Japanese aesthetician, actor, and playwright who is credited with perfecting and codifying Noh theater into its classical form.
This quote stayed with EEPMON through the whole panel while he sat with distinguished speakers to talk about yūgen in the age of AI.:
∙ Matthew J. Wilson, J.D. – President and Dean, Temple University Japan Campus
∙ Hideaki Koizumi, Ph.D. – Fellow, Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Tokyo
∙ Ikuo Honma, Ph.D. – Professor Emeritus, Showa University School of Medicine
∙ Soraya Umewaka – Creative Entrepreneur and Moderator
Honma spoke of breath and stillness. In Noh, the heart is never shown outwardly. It comes through only when the body stops.
Koizumi spoke of time. AI runs on electrons at near light speed. The human nervous system runs at 100 metres per second. The gap is 2.5 million times. Humans will never catch up on speed, and that is exactly why humans can do what AI cannot.
Wilson spoke of judgment. AI hands out information regardless of truth. Schools must teach what is true, what crosses cultures, and what you learn by doing.
And EEPMON spoke of the cut. Digital is infinite. What EEPMON longs for is the tangible. EEPMON found Gutai during studies in Canada: the artist does not disturb matter, but imparts life into it. EEPMON’s piece was made to respect Noh and its essence. In Noh, every movement is precise and nothing is wasted. The simplest thing is the hardest to do. And where it gets interesting, in EEPMON’s medium and in Noh, is when you cut. When you stop. That is intuition, and only the human spirit defines it. Restraint around the tools is how humans stay human.
Special Performance:
A performance of Shimai Kasuga Ryujin (Noh Dance) by Yuha Umewaka.
