P6+Theater

Japanese Theater

Joe N. and Alex E.

In Japan Theater is an important part of entertainment and society. Noh is one of the three theaters, which is the oldest of the three. Noh has rules that are tricky to understand and the stage is hard to understand as well. Bunraku is almost the same as Kabuki but only this one has puppets instead people, this is usually performed for adults to be a musical. Kabuki Theater was created by a woman named Okuni during the Tokugawa time period, her troupe performed music and dance. A kabuki play is a social occasion to the audience; people in the audience can voice their opinion during the play.

Noh started in the Ashikaga time period. Noh was one of the three of the main theatres in Japan the other two are Kabuki and Bunraku. Noh is the oldest of the three. Noh received recognition of the national form of drama. Some of Noh plays are famous ones and are based on legends and folktales from Japan. Many characters are masked and wear spectacular costumes. Men play male and female roles. There is mostly two main characters, the main characters might change its mask Noh in the middle of the play from its emotions. This art is represented in front of the highest classes like the Daimyos, Samurai, Shogun or maybe even the Emperor. Noh is an art which takes skillful art to dance also to do the position the characters have to be in.

Noh has rules that are tricky to understand and the stage is hard to understand as well.The traditional stage consists of a pavilion, with no props and scenery, the is polished to enable the actors to move gliding fashion. Noh has extreme rigid rules, some of them are the form of the dance are walk, to learn the basics, singing the songs on stage and the difficult one of all is the walking or position of the character if the head is down it might mean it is sad or if it is up it might mean it is very happy. By tradition, Noh actors and musicians only rehears together once, a few days before the performance.

Bunraku the traditional puppet theater in Japan, is almost the same as Kabuki but only this one has puppets instead people, this is usually performed for adults to be a musical. The puppets are almost real size people from 2½ to 4 feet tall. The heads and hands of traditional puppets are carved by specialists while the bodies and costumes are often constructed by puppeteers. Heads may have eyes that move up and down, side to side or close, and noses, mouth and eyebrows that move. The puppets are controlled by puppeteers, who perform in plain sight of the audience. The puppet requires 3 puppeteers, all puppeteers wear black over their so they won’t get noticed. One that controls the head and the right arm, the second controls both of the feet and the third one controls the left hand of the puppet. The puppeteers don’t talk for the puppets the Tayu which is the Narrator talks for the puppet and a Samisen which plays a string instrument like a guitar. The skill to this this is very high, if you mess up the head position it might cange the characters emotion. Bunraku is particularly noted for lovers’ suicide plays.

Kabuki Theater was created by a woman named Okuni during the Tokugawa time period, her troupe performed music and dance. They acted comedic and dramatic which caused woman’s Kabuki to become quite popular. In 1629, the Tokugawa Shogunate banned all women from Kabuki acting because they were all prostitutes so men and adolescent boys had to act all the roles in Kabuki plays. And In 1652 the government banned young men and adolescent boys from performing because they also worked as prostitutes. Now only adult males could play any type of rolls, they became the only type of kabuki actors. The Shogunate selected adult male actors who legitimately claim to be serious actors.

A kabuki play is a social occasion to the audience; people in the audience can voice their opinion during the play. They usually bring their food to the show and eat it while they are enjoying the performance. In the late 17th century, Kabuki Theater revolved around three different types of performances; historical plays, contemporary plays, and dance dramas. Kabuki Theater is presented for people in lower social status. Samurai are not allowed to attend Kabuki plays. I would imagine that Okuni is very proud of what her creation of the Kabuki Theater has become.

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Citations:

Deal, William E. __Handbook to Life In Medieval And Early Modern Japan__ New York: Facts On File, Inc. 2006.

Japanese theatre. United states: Institute for Advanced studies in the Arts Press in association with Florida keys Educational Foundation, inc, 1994.

John D. Mitchell & Mikyoko Watanabe /IASTA. //Noh and Kabuki Staging// Kalman, Bobbie. __Japan the Culture__ New York Crabtree Publishing Company, 1989 Odijk, Pamela. __The Japanese.__ Englewood cliffs, NJ: Silver Burdett Press,1989.