Japanese Theatre and Dance
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Japanese Theatre and Dance
• Classical Forms
– Gagaku
– Noh
– Kyogen
– Bunraku
– Kabuki
• Contemporary Performances
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Noh
• Noh preserves what all other contemporary
theatre has lost,: its origin in ritual, reflecting an
essentially Buddhist view of existence. The
performance looks and sounds more like solemn
observance than life.The actors play the role of
intermediaries between the worlds of gods and
men. In strict rhythms, out of music voice and
movement rather than the artifice of stagecraft,
time and space are created and destroyed.
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Noh
• Noh combines elements of dance, drama, music
and poetry into one highly aesthetic stage art.
• An art form in which so few elements say so
much. Trims off unnecessary details. The
‘moment’ is important, not the plot.
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Noh History
• Noh developed into its present form during the
14th and 15th centuries under the leadership of
the distinguished performer -playwrights
Kannami and his son Zeami. Zeami, in particular,
wrote numerous plays which are still performed
in today's classical repertory of some 250 plays.
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Noh History
• Zeami also wrote a number of secret works
which explain the aesthetic principles governing
Noh and give details on how the art should be
composed, acted, directed, taught, and
produced.
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Noh History
• Noh flourished during Zeami's time under the
patronage of the military shogun Ashikaga
Yoshimitsu. Later during the Edo period (16031868), Noh became the official performance art
of the military government. Feudal military lords
throughout the country supported their own
troupes and many studied and performed the art
themselves.
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Noh History
• With the societal reforms of the Meiji period
(1868-1912), Noh lost its governmental
patronage and was left to fend for itself.
• Although it nearly died out, enough performers
regrouped, found private sponsors, and began
teaching the art to amateurs so that it slowly
began to flourish again.
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Noh Now
• Today, like many classical performance forms
throughout the world, Noh cannot be described
as a popular art among the Japanese people as
a whole.
• Yet supporters are enthusiastic, and professional
performers are highly trained and extremely busy
performing and teaching throughout the country.
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Noh Now
• Approximately 1,500 professional performers
make their living largely through performing and
teaching Noh.
• There is also a wide following of both male and
female amateurs who practice and perform its
chant, dance, and instruments.
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Noh
• Largely based in the cities of Tokyo, Osaka, and
Kyoto, it is performed throughout the country by
professional artists, mainly men, who have
passed down the art among family members for
numerous generations.
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Elements of Noh
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Elements of Noh
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Elements of Noh
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Elements of Noh
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Elements of Noh
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Elements of Noh
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Elements of Noh
• What really makes Noh ‘Noh’ is what the actor
does with his voice or body
• Also important to the creation of the ‘moment’ are
the instruments you choose to accompany the
texts, the rhythm of the speech: how does it
support the structure and flow of the story?
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Elements of Noh
• Body and Movement (kata)
– Walking (suriashi)
– Alignment (Kamae), presence, economy
– Jo Ha Kyu (begin, develop, finish)
• Dance-mvt. patterns (Shimae)
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Elements of Noh
• Music
– Chant (Utaibon) 6-8 singers (Jiutai)
• narrate the background and the story itself. It also
sometimes describes the character's thoughts and
emotions or even sings lines for the characters.
– 3 different drums Taiko, Kotsozumi, Otsozumi,
– Drum ‘calls’ (Kakegoe) These are syllables
spoken by drummers - “yo-ho-ho’-yoi-i-ya”
– Flute (Nohkan)
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Elements of Noh
• Plays
–
–
–
–
–
Gods (Shinto)
Warriors
Women
Miscellaneous
Demons
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Elements of Noh
• Order of Plays
– One from each category with Kyogen in between
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Kyogen
• Comic theater which balances the more serious
Noh.
• Noh emphasizes music, Kyogen emphasizes
dialogue.
• The two are traditionally performed alternately on
the same program and they share a common
heritage.
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Kabuki
• A magnificent blend of playacting, dance and
music, kabuki today offers an extraordinary
spectacle combining form, colour and sound, and
is recognized as one of the world’s great
theatrical traditions.
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Kabuki
• Often incorporates the prevailing moral notions of
Tokugawa society as a mechanism upon which
plots turn. For example infa oho, (law of
retributive justice), a Buddhist notion, may result
in the destruction of an evildoer, or the bestowal
of prosperity and happiness upon a longsuffering woman. The notion of mujo
(impermanence of all things), may be illustarted
by the demise of a proud family or the fall of a
powerful military leader.
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Kabuki
• Certain ethical notions based on Confucian
traditions, such as duty, obligation, and filial [iety,
may come into direct conflict with personal
desires and passions, leading to a series of
dramatic situations.
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Kabuki
• Legend/history of founding by woman performer,
‘Okuni’a female attendant at the Izumo shrine in
Kyoto who led her company of mostly women in
light theatrical performances featuring dancing
and comic sketches, gaining nationwide
recognition. (early 17th century)
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Kabuki
• Okuni’s dramas and later the genre itself became
identified as ‘kabuki’ - at erm connoting its ‘out of
the ordinary’ and ‘shocking’ character.
• The attraction of women’s (onna) kabuki was
inclusion of sensual dances and erotic scenes.
Fights often broke out among spectators over
these entertainers, who practised prostitution, so
women were banned from performing in 1629
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Kabuki
• Then wakushu (young men’s) kabuki was
extremely successful but had exactly the same
problems (public disturbances, prostitution)
• In 1652 this was also forbidden, shogunate
required basic reforms, had to be based on
kyogen, performed by men (yaro).
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Kabuki
• After a period of waning popularity due to the rise
of Bunraku (puppet theatre) (early 18th century)
Kabuki began to adapt Bunraku scripts to live
performers - actors even imitated the movements
of the puppets.
• Under meiji restoration attempts made to
odernize kabuki - not popular - and in the arly
1900s actors urged a return to tradition
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
Kabuki
• Now traditional style plays are performed - often
excerpted, just favorite acts and scenes
presented together with a dance (buyo) piece.
The national theatre in Tokyo continues to
present full length plays.
• The average length of a Kabuki performance is 5
hours including intermissions.
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle
LINKS
• NOH
– http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/noh/en/
– http://www.theatrenohgaku.org/noh/index.h
tml
• Kabuki
– http://www.fix.co.jp/kabuki/kabuki.html
• Contemporary
– http://www.jpan.org/cont_e.html
May 2005 Lisa Doolittle