Japanese Theater

Four main types of traditional theater

in Japan
1.Noh
2.Kyogen
3.Kabuki
4.Buraku

Noh theater, also called

nogaku, is a form of
musical drama. The
Japanese started
performing Noh in the
fourteenth century. Most
of the characters in these
plays are concealed by
masks, and men play both
the male and female
roles.

The subject matter consists of a few

historical stories. Lady Aoi, based
upon events recounted in the
eleventh century's famous Tale of
Gengi novel, is Noh theater's most
often-performed play. It is common
for the performances to last an entire
day.
Five
plays
are
usually
performed during each showing.

Noh masks, calledomote(lit.,

"face") are very important props that
are symbolic of Noh as a masked
drama. In documents surviving from
the Momoyama period, about 60
types of masks are listed, and these
account for most of the masks in use
even today.

Most but not allshiteroles require

the use of a mask, but in principle
the roles ofkokata(child actors) and
actual living men are performed
without a mask. This performance
style is calledhita-men(lit., "direct
face"), and the actor performs
without expression, as though his
face has become his mask.

Within established limits, there are

specific masks used for each type of
character. The actor performing
theshiterole chooses the most
appropriate mask based upon his
idea of the subject matter and his
plan for the performance.

In the world of Noh, costumes (isho) are

known as shozoku. The costumes of Noh
express in a visual way the spirit and
substance of a Noh play. Styled after the
sumptuous robes given to actors by
noblemen and samurai in the Muromachi
period, they developed as costumes for
performances in the Edo (Tokugawa)
period, after Noh had become an official
form of entertainment.

Woven mainly of silk, many costumes are

made of very thick material, and they are
made in many determined patterns and
colors, often having various designsall
of which combine to create a type of
elegant, luxurious beauty. The costumes
are thus very closely related to the
interpretation, acting, and producing of a
role. Thus, the costumes in Noh are
second only to the masks in importance.

Outer robes
(Broad-sleeved):noshi;
kariginu; happi;
sobatsugi; choken; maiginu; mizu-goromo;
hitatare; suo;etc.
(Small-sleeved):karaori;
atsuita;etc. (These are
also used as inner
robes.)

Main robes (inner

robes):nuihaku;
surihaku; noshime;
shironeri;
shiroaya;etc.
Trousers
(hakama):okuchi;
hangire; sashi-nuki;
naga-bakama;etc.

Wigs:katsura; jogami, kuro-gashira;

aka-gashira; shirogashira; kuro-tare;
shiro-tare;etc.
Other:eri(neck
piece);kazura obi;
koshi obi; shirotabi(white socks)

Large props known astsukuri-monoare made

for each performance, and then taken apart
when it is over. The skeleton of the prop is
usually made of bamboo, which is wound with
strips of white cloth, thus creating a very
simple, symbolic form. It is often an intimate
part of the play and is closely used by the
actors, such as the torii gate that evokes the
mood of the theme inThe Shrine in the Field,
or the bell tower whose bell is struck by a
frenzied mother searching for her lost child
inThe Meeting at Miidera.

The most important of all

the small props are the fan
and the wig box.
All actors who enter the
stage carry a fan. There are
two types of fans:shizumeogi, which are like ordinary
fans; andchukei, which are
made so that the outer tip is
partly open, even when the
fan is closed.

In general, achukeiis carried by theshite

andwakiactors, and ashizume-ogiby the
chorus members, stage assistant(s),
musicians, andai-kyogen. There are
various decorations painted upon the
fans, and there are some general rules
based upon the type of character being
portrayedfor example, achukeihaving
much red color (iroiri) is used for a young
woman shite in a Third-group woman Noh.

A wig box (rather round, and looking

like a black lacquer bucket with a lid)
is most often used as a seat in Noh;
whereas in Kyogen, it can be used as
a wine keg, and its cover can be used
as a drinking cup; it can even be
used to represent a tree climbed by a
character.

The earliest scripts for

Kyogen theater date back
to the fourth century.
Noh plays were only put
on to entertain people in
the upper classes. During
that time, Kyogen was
performed to give Noh
theater an intermission
between acts.

It would link the Noh play's

theme with what was going on
in the world at the time by
using slapstick and farce. One
difference between Noh and
Kyogen performances is that the
Kyogen performers do not wear
masks and the Noh performers
do.

The costumes of Kyogen are patterned

after the clothing of the ordinary people
of medieval times; they are simple, yet
incorporate many unconventional shapes
and designs. Compared with the
sumptuous weave of the elegant Noh
costumes, the costumes in Kyogen are
mostly dyed in light, attractive patterns.
Costuming is determined based upon the
type of character to be portrayed. Typical
Kyogen costumes are those shown below.

Kyogen costumes (Coll. National Noh

Theatre, etc.)
Outer robes (over robes):Kyogen
kataginu,jutoku, naga-goromo, kaki-baori
Main robes (inner robes):Shima-noshime
Trousers (hakama):Kyogen-bakama, nagakami-shimo, monpa
Other: various types ofzukin,binan-boshi

Kabuki is a form of Japanese

theater that combines drama,
dance, and music and is the
most well-known to people
around the world. Okunis
performed the Kabuki plays.
Kabuki theater is very lively.
Swordfights and wild
costumes are the norm in the
stage productions. Until
about 1680, the plays used
real swords.

The art of Kabuki was actually

created in opposition to the Noh
theater. The idea was to tell more
timely and lively stories to shock the
audiences. The first Kabuki show
was performed in 1603. Eventually,
it grew into a stylized art form that
still remains popular today.

Kanadahon
Chushingura is
one of the mostbeloved Kabuki
plays. It tells a
story of fortyseven ronin
(samurai without a
leader) avenging
their lord's death.

People who want to see real Kabuki

should attend a showing of Tokyo
theater troop's Gekidan Shinkansen.
One of the conventions of kabuki
theater is that people in the audience
will make kakagoe (shouts) at certain
times when the drama is highest.
Often, these people are seated in
cheap seats and are called omukoSan (great distance ones).

 Mawaributai(revolving stage)
Serirefers to the stage
"traps
Chnori(riding in midair)
Hiki Dgu, orsmall
wagon stage.

Make up
In the kabuki theatre,
a character's makeup
is a direct indication
of his or her position
in society.

For commoners, the face is usually

done in natural browns, while
females, handsome young lovers and
upper class characters are done up in
white, the idea being that aristocrats
don't work in the fields and are
therefore not exposed to the sun.
Soldiers and crooks are often painted
with shades of red.

Thekumadori, literally
"shadow painting,"
which is associated
witharagoto, or the
rough style of acting. It
deliberately enhances
the facial muscles and
thus the expressiveness
of the face.

The kumadori patterns, which come

in a wide variety, may extend to
arms and legs. Traditionally, red
kumadori is associated with virtue
and strength, vigor, righteousness,
and passion. Blue, on the other hand,
is for villains, as it's associated with
fear and evil.

Costume
Like makeup, kabuki costume is also
a strong indicator of a character's
societal role. Throughout the long
history of kabuki, costumes have
become standardized for specific
roles.

Costumes,
especially for heroic
characters, are
extremely heavy
(sometimes up to
sixty pounds!),
extraordinarily
complicated and
highly exaggerated.

They consist of multiple parts and are often

changed on stage in an instantaneous action
known as thehiki-nukior "pulling off." This is a
visual way of expressing a character's sudden
emotional or situational change: the various
pieces of the costume are put together in such a
way that at the appropriate moment, a stage
assistant (who is on stage and accepted as a
convention of kabuki theatre) can pull on a string
and cause the top layers to almost literally melt
away. The hiki-nuki is a crowd pleaser and often
the highlight of a kabuki performance.

Wigs are also a very important part of an

actor's costume: every kabuki performer
uses a wig. Wigs are extremely ornate
and can weigh up to seven pounds! They
are yet another indicator of a character's
status, and wig changes are common
indicators of those changes, as well. For
example, if a kabuki play features a
priest whose wig is combed back neatly,
he might change into a wig with its hair
standing on end when he realizes he has
been betrayed.

Sound and Music

The sonic world of kabuki is unlike
anything in Western culture. Some
scholars categorize it as a form of
opera, except the actors don't
reallysing, per se. There are drums
beating, stringed instruments being
plucked, and singers wailing in falsetto.
These musical sounds are continuous
throughout the performance, and might
come from various parts of the stage.

At the beginning and end of a performance,

the sounds, made mostly by drums and
wooden clappers, have a ceremonial
function. Wooden clappers are struck
together to produce a clear, dry "clack."
When the curtain is drawn aside, a stage
assistant, who is generally visible off to the
side of the stage, strikes the clappers with
increasing speed. Once the curtain is fully
opened, a final "clack" signals the actors to
begin. Other wooden clappers are used to
emphasize actions on stage, such as running,
fighting, or themie.

Other special sound effects are made by

musicians who are either onstage or
concealed from the audience in a small
room with a window, called ageza. This
group uses a variety of instruments:
drums, bells, gongs, flutes, shamisen
(which is a three-stringed lute-like
instrument) all to create a wide range of
moods and sounds.

Bunraku is Japanese theater

that uses puppets. The puppets
used are usually about three to
four feet tall and are controlled
by puppeteers who dress
completely in black and can be
seen by the audience. In
contrast, the omozukai (head
puppeteer) wears colorful
clothing. Chants and music are
popular in bunraku theater. The
leader of the plays also plays
the shamisen, a Japanese
stringed instrument.

'Chushingura: The Treasury of

Loyal Retainers' is the most wellknown bunraku play.
Unfortunately, the art of bunraku
has been losing popularity since
the second half of the eighteenth
century. Even with government
funding, the art form looks like it
has a bleak future. The craftsmen
of the intricate puppets are dying,
and people are not very interested
in taking the time necessary to
learn how to replace them.

Conventions of Theater
Bunrakupuppets are not operated the strings.
With his left arm and hand
theomozukai(principal operator) supports the
puppet and manipulates the mechanisms that
contra the movable eyelids, eyeballs, eyebrows,
and mouth; with his right hand he operates the
puppet's right arm. Thehidarizakai(first
assistant) functions solely to operate the
puppet's left arm, and theashizakai(second
assistant) operates the puppet's legs.

Most female puppets do not have legs, for

Japanese women generally wore flowing
robes of ankle length or longer which
concealed the lower body. The movements of
a female puppet's legs are simulated through
manipulating and shaping the lower part of
thekimono. In the playSonezaki
shinju(1703; trThe Love Suicides at
Sonezaki1961), however, a turn in the plot
hinges on the hero's caressing the heroine's
foot, which the audience must see. In this
instance, a reproduction of a foot is held so as
to protrude from the hem of herkimono.

The puppeteers are usually dressed in black

robes; the assistants wear black hoods over
their heads to become "invisible"in the
audience's eyes. Although theomozukaimay
be similarly hooded-usually in scenes that
require the utmost delicacy in the expression
of emotions-he is most often seen full face
by the audience, for he is a celebrity in the
theatrical world. At times bedecked in a robe
of lustrous white silk and ceremonial vest of
brilliant hue, he becomes an important part
of the total visual spectacle.

A singletayuspeaks on behalf of all

puppets on the stage men, women, and
children-and so his voice must cover an
extremely broad range, from a raspy bass
to a silky falsetto. Severaltayumay
perform simultaneously, as in the
spectacular opening scene of the best
known of allbunrakuplays,Kanadehon
chushingura(1748; trChushingura The
Treasury of Loyal Retainers, 1971).

A distinguishing aural feature ofbunrakuis

the melodious, deep-toned thrumming of the
soloshamisen, which contrasts with the lively,
high-pitched tone of the tenorshamisenof
thekabukitheater. Inkabuki, an ensemble of
10 or moreshamisenmay play in unison or
heterophonically in extravaganzas.
Inbunraku, the exceptional use of a shamisen
ensemble may occur when akabukispectacle
is adapted for performance in the puppet
theater.

Inbunraku, the puppets' movements must

be synchronized with thetayu'schanting
and theshamisenaccompaniment. Seldom
is there visual contact between the
puppeteers onstage and
thetayuandshamisenplayer, who face the
audience from theyuka, an elevated
platform projecting from the stage.
Theshamisenplayer, by his strumming,
normally dictates the pace of the narrative
and the timing of the action.

Shingeki (New Theater)

New theater; leading movement in
the modern period
Rejected traditional Japanese theater
Appealed to the audiences intellect
Spoken drama thus replaced music
and dance