Kongo Hisanori (金剛永謹)
Hisanori KONGO (June 24, 1951 -) is a shite-kata (a main actor) of the Kongo school of Noh. He is the twenty sixth head of the Kongo school. He is the present head of the Kongo family. He lives in Kyoto.
He was born in Kyoto City as the eldest son of Iwao KONGO (the second). He studied under his father. He made his debut as a dancer of Shimai (No dance in plain clothes) in the play "Shojo" in 1956 and played a main role for the first time in "Shojo" in 1958. In 1991, he was designated as the (general) Important Intangible Cultural Property. In 1998, he succeeded to the twenty-sixth head of the Kongo school.
Currently, he serves as the administrative director of the Kongo Nohgakudo Foundation, the managing director of the Association for Japanese Noh Plays, and the honorary chairperson of the Kongo-kai (party). As a leader, he visited many countries, such as America, Italy, Spain, and France, to give overseas performances.