“Her pacing has a natural rhythm that almost draws music out of me,” says progressive folk fiddler/composer Aidan O’Rourke, who is speaking about his love of the writing of Kathleen Jamie, the essayist and poet who was Scotland’s Makar (Poet Laureate) until 2024. “When I first read [her essay] On Rona, I was completely transported. Bringing that sense of the ancient alongside modern species decline felt deeply powerful. It felt ancient and now, all at once.”
On Rona, Jamie’s 2006 essay about her three-week stay on the island of North Rona for an archaeological study and ornithological survey of seabirds, will be the focus of a thrilling Japanese-Scottish collaboration at the Edinburgh International Book Festival where 600-year-old Noh theatre is paired with traditional Scottish music. Part Two: Song of Rona Island follows Part One: Nonomiya (Wildwood Shrine), a piece of Noh theatre which is based on the pioneering 11th Century novel The Tale of Genji.
Akiko Yanagisawa, the UK-based director of Mu:Arts (a UK-Japan arts initiative promoting cross-cultural projects) had been looking for inspiration for a unique project when O’Rourke approached her with Jamie’s essay. The setting – a windswept, uninhabited Scottish island in the North Atlantic, where Jamie writes about spotting orca from the clifftops – inspired a Scottish-Japanese collaboration combining Noh music and the Scottish fiddle, featuring a virtuoso Nohkan flute player. A Nohkan flute is shorter than a Western flute, made of bamboo, and traditionally played in solos during Noh dramas.
“I was immediately captivated by both the landscape, history and themes of the island,” remembers Yanagisawa, after reading On Rona. She began making plans, only to be scuppered by the Covid pandemic. She had secured Arts Council Tokyo funding, then the project was cancelled. Undeterred, Yanagisawa decided to expand the original musical collaboration into a proper Noh-style production, bringing onboard a highly sought after, veteran shite (pronounced she-teh and meaning principal) actor Kanji Shimizu. Shimizu is so revered for his craft, he is recognised as a holder of “Important Intangible Cultural Property” by the Japanese government.
Meanwhile, in Scotland, O’Rourke had invited his longtime collaborator, the Scottish smallpipes player Brìghde Chaimbeul, to join the project. After a three-day workshop in Tokyo, followed by a work-in-progress performance, where the Scottish smallpipes were played on the Noh stage probably for the first time in history, it was agreed they had found a stunning blend of traditional styles.
Yanagisawa continued to fine tune the performance, inviting dramaturg Gareth Mattey to write a script, which she then translated into Japanese, and Shimizu in turn wrote a script in Noh style.
After many online meetings, the world premiere of Song of Rona Island took place in November 2025 at Kings Place, London.
“Stepping into the Noh world in Tokyo was extraordinary,” recalls O’Rourke. “What struck me immediately was the ritual of it all – the deep respect for the tradition, for each person’s role, and the incredible attention to detail. The time taken to really dig deep into every gesture, action or note was a revelation.”
Noh theatre dates back to 14th Century Japan and the traditional art form is rarely performed outside of Japan. It is an intense, symbolic storytelling performance, where dance and music are often used alongside silk costumes and wooden masks. Unlike Western theatre, the performance relies less on words to carry the meaning, conveying themes and emotions through visual metaphors and subtle movements instead. Plots often include Buddhist themes and references to the spirit world.
“It showed me the weight that space, stillness and a single gesture can carry, completely reframing how I think about timing and tension. Playing in this setting is all about deep listening – reacting to breath, silence, and presence in real time,” says O’Rourke. “On top of that, you’re engaging with an ancient form of theatre that taps directly into inter-dimensional concepts – the afterlife, other realms and things beyond the visible world.”
On Rona opens with Jamie describing her reaction to a particularly bad sea crossing. Shimizu felt an instant connection to the story, as his father was a lighthouse keeper and he believes that his upbringing played a big part in shaping his artistic outlook. “I have many fond, nostalgic memories of living on an island and ships passing,” he explains. “The sea has been a familiar part of my life since childhood. In Kathleen Jamie’s story, I really enjoyed the descriptions of the birds, the stones, the storm. It made me want to visit the island, although unfortunately I suffer from seasickness,” he smiles.
“Of course Noh theatre draws on Japanese traditions of worshipping nature,” Shimizu continues.
“Nature worship is an art form in Japan – I’m sure you have heard of Japanese Zen gravel gardens, known as karesansui, where stones and patterns in the gravel represent things like mountains and oceans. In the story On Rona, there are descriptions of very beautiful nature and very harsh nature. Music plays an important part in conveying the atmosphere in our performance. I believe that Scotland and Japan share this deep love of nature. Our two cultures have that in common.”
Nonomiya/Song of Rona Island, Greyfriars Kirk, 24-25 Aug, 7pm
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