In 1991, Noriyuki Sawa met the legendary Czech puppet theatre director prof. Josef Krofta during the workshop produced by IIM (Institut International de la Marionnette), Charleville-Mezieres, France. After meeting him Noriyuki decided to quit his job as scenography teacher, moved from Japan and started his professional career as a puppeteer in Europe, selected by The Cultural Ministry of the Japanese Government. Since then he has lived in Czech Republic and performed in different countries and often traveled between Japan and Prague. Noriyuki Sawa travels during the entire year, every year he is a guest on different festivals in Europe and Asia, where he presents himself as a director, actor, scenographer and as workshop or seminar leader.
Fisherman Taro
Once upon a time, on a tiny island somewhere in Japan there lived a fisherman called Taro Urashima. One day, when he was walking along the coast, he saw a group of village children who were torturing a turtle. He saved her. A few days later when he was fishing as usual, the saved tortoise visited him and spoke to him, "My Sovereign, Princess Oto-hime, would like to thank you for saving my life. She asked me to take you to Dragon Palace." Taro did not hesitate – he sat on the turtle’s back and they plunged deep towards the bottom of the sea...
