The stage is set for the first Japan Festival at the Norris Theatre.

According to an ancient samurai maxim, one who has attained a mastery of an art reveals it in every action. On Sunday night, the way of the samurai, and other Japanese artists, will be revealed at the Norris Theatre in Rolling Hills Estates.

The occasion is the first Japan Festival, presented by the Friends of the Norris Theatre, Japanese Division.

The festival will feature classical Japanese music and dance, Western classical compositions performed by young South Bay Japanese-American artists and a sword demonstration by Toshishiro Obata, a master swordsman, instructor and actor who battled the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on screen and has starred in several other films.

The program begins at 1 p.m. Tickets are $10. All proceeds will be donated to the theater.

“The twofold purpose of the festival is to showcase Japanese culture and artists to the Norris Theatre’s audience and to bring together the area’s Japanese community in support of the theater,” said Kathy Fleming, the theater’s marketing director.

“We’ve been trying for a long time to get the Asian community involved with the theater,” Fleming said. “This is an important step in our growth.”

The first step was taken after Toshihiko Taenaka of Gardena took his granddaughter to see “The Nutcracker” at the Norris Theatre last December. He had never been to the theater before and was so impressed he asked to be put on its mailing list.

“I received their newsletter in May, and it listed all the volunteers and supporters of the theater,” Taenaka said, “but I couldn’t find any Japanese names.

So he and his friend, Shinyu Tawada, organized the Friends of the Norris Theatre, Japanese Division, to raise money for the theater and promote understanding of Japanese culture in the South Bay. The festival is the group’s first public event.

The program will be “fast moving with lots of variety,” Tawada said.

The first segment will feature the music of the Awaya Koto School. The koto is a zither-like Japanese instrument with a long, rectangular body and 13 strings.

The dance group Bando Mitsuhiro Kai will follow, along with an interpretation of a Japanese flower arrangement by Kogetsu Okamoto, who operates a Torrance floral arrangement school patterned after a 500-year-old school in Japan.

“Each flower has a meaning within the Japanese philosophy,” Tawada said. “Understanding their meaning can give you insight into the Japanese way of thinking.”

“East meets West” is the second segment of the program. Violinist Tamaki Kawakubo, 11, and pianists Jun Kurasako, 14, and Laurie Kono, 13, will play selections of Western classical music. Each has performed before audiences around the world and in major competitions, Tawada said.

“Some people are calling Tamaki Kawakubo ‘the second Midori,’ ” he said, referring to the acclaimed Japanese violin prodigy.

The final segment of the program will feature a flurry of dancing, drum playing and martial arts displays. Performers will include members of the Okinawan-style dance and drum troupes Tomoko Makishi Ryusei Kai and Miyagiryu Minoru Kai, the Matsuri Daiko Dance Group and the Nakaya Paranku School of Drum Dancers.

“Not many American people have seen this kind of dancing,” Tawada said. “If you see it, you will have an idea of what the Japanese people love.”

In addition, the Ota School will give a karate demonstration and Obata, the sword master, will demonstrate the art of swordsmanship as practiced by the Japanese samurai as long as 1,000 years ago.

Taenaka and Tawada said their group hopes to make this an annual event.

“So many artists wanted to help that we had to limit participation to professionals,” Tawada said. “But there are lots of Japanese-American children who are practicing the traditional arts and classical music. Maybe next year we can include them too.”

What: Japan Festival.

Where: Norris Theatre, 27570 Crossfield Drive, Rolling Hills Estates, (off Indian Peak Road).

When: Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.

Admission: Tickets are $10; parking is free.

Information: Call Norris Theatre, (310) 544-0403.