Kabuki Theatre: Japan’s National Treasure

Aliya Crochetiere Mrs. crass field of operation History April 11, 2011 Kabuki Theatre Japans case c be for Kabuki Theater has captu fierce the he blinds and minds of the Nipp mavense interview from its beginnings over four centuries ago to the present day. In Kabuki nutty spectacles of song and dance transpire, antithetical from anything familiar to the Western observer. Its color, gambol, and richness of costumes and regions contrast wildly with the simplicity and functionality of which the Japanese multitude live their lives.Kabuki Theater seen today has been shaped by historical tensions about women, religious influences in Japanese parliamentary procedure, and is considered to be the peoples theater filled with unique styles and ideas. In order to understand this wild spectacle and its unique techniques of staging and characters, one must look behind the square up and understand the dramas widespread roots deeply intertwined in Japans popular culture. The word kabuki , as shown in the annals of name, is a type of playing based on the finesses of tattle and dancing (Miyake 11).How constantly, mixed in this display is a variety of incomprehensible aspects such as make-up, costumes, and special effects that make a Kabuki capital punishment unlike any other. Kabuki is a very complicated, highly refined art involving stylized movement to the sounds of instruments such as the Tsuke that takes piece of musicy years to noble (National Theater of Japan). strange Noh Theater it does not use masks, but incorporates a vast variety of styles and effects, from the realistic to the grandiosely extravagant with cosmetics (Leiter 18-22). The colourize used have signic meanings.For example, blue usually indicates evil and red is used to express strength or virtue. Wigs are utilized to pronounce the auditory sense about the characters age, occupation, and social status and are worn by all characters in Kabuki (The British Museum). In the theater, each character has a defining moment, called a Mie. The Mie displays the characters personality. The promoter assumes a position significant to his character and experiences his climatic moment (Binnie and Wanczura). It usually involves a movement of the head, a mark of eyes in a powerful glare, and shaking.In this artistic spectacle there are two main styles of acting involved, Aragoto and Wagoto. Aragoto, the rough style, contains heroes who are physically strong, impulsive, fierce, and martial (Brandon). This is reflected in the pseudos spectacular, stylized make-up and costumes, and in their exaggerated poses. In contrary, Wagoto features softer, young playboys in more friendly stories. The main manner of Wagoto acting is tender, romantic, or humorous (Encyclop? dia Britannica). Although the styles differ, Kabuki will al government activity agencys be a hit of theater that requires a mastery of technique, especially when playing a woman.Unlike Western Theater, Kabuki in the pr esent day features no females on the stage. cardinal feature that sets Kabuki a start out from other theater is the Onnagata, a male actor who plays the parts of women. Kabuki was founded in 1603 by Izumo no Okuni, a Japanese princess, with her parade consisting of most(prenominal)ly females (Spencer). The women entertainers, many of whom were prostitutes, performed exotic dances and risque skits causing an instant angiotensin-converting enzyme in Japan with the common people (The British Museum).The idea of women exploiting themselves period creating public messages was preposterous and as its popularity grew, the government was quick to take manage of the emplacement (Lombard, Allen, and Unwin). The prostitution within the theater was believed to be contaminating society and from the 1620s onward, the government attempted to bring them under control. In 1692, women performers were banned from the stage. It presently became necessary for males to take the part of the femal es and the art of the Onnagata was formed. The Onnagata does not aim to result the behavior of a real woman.Rather, he becomes an artificial and idealized symbol of female characteristics as seen from a mans interpretation (Binnie and Wanczura). Those who have mastered the art of the Onnagata have the ability to transform a potentially grotesque situation into an emotionally moving truth. The Onnagata does not rely on facial beaut but the talent and skill to make a room adequate of people believe the authenticity of a teenage girl contend by a 70 year-old man. Today, as a result of issues of women corrupting society and the upper split up, females have yet to re-appear on the stage.However, because Kabuki is directed at the common people of Japan, it is believed that women will once again grace the stages of Kabuki (Matsuda). though Kabuki today is generally more accepted as a National Theater of Japan, it originated from the middle class, the common people of Japan, as a char ge to express their suppressed feelings under restrictive social conditions (Lombard, Allen, and Unwin). At the succession when Kabuki was developed, distinction between the commoners and the upper class was more rigid than ever before, so Kabuki acted as a safe means of protest against dramatic and social conventions.Multiple times it was banned from the inner cities because it threatened with sedate thought and popular freedom (Lombard, Allen, and Unwin). Kabuki was charged with undermining the morals of the warrior class, yet the government was unable to outlaw the theater completely. It had made its way into the social lives of the Japanese people as it developed eclectically from other art forms. As the peoples theater, Kabuki has a very unique relationship between the actors and the earreach. The most celebrated feature of the Kabuki stage is the hanamichi, a long extension from the underpin of the hearing to the stage (Scott 18).This symbolizes the close companionships that the actors have with the viewers. A continuous interplay of shouts from the audience and reactions from the actors take place in the Kabuki Theater. The show is often interrupted for an actor to address the crowd, which is responded to with praise and encouragement (Encyclop? dia Britannica). The audience hollers the name of their favorite actor, covering a much closer connection to the actors than the directors (Matsuda). For the first time, the actor is in a position of control of his own actions and originality.Because Kabuki programs run from dusk gutter dawn, in the theater one can find restaurants, lunchboxes, and snack shops. The audience will eat, drink, and talk all during the performance, treating it much more like a social gathering than a trip to the theater (Miyake 25). Unlike occidental theater a trip to Kabuki is supposed to a social gathering. The audience enjoys the whole days event, not just the individual performances. This is in sharp contrast to Noh Thea ter, a much more serious and ball theater of Japan that incorporates slow, meditational movements under extremely rigid rules (Matsuda).The Noh performance is in slow motion and is much more popular with the military class than the common people of Japan (Mitchell and Watanabe 1-5). Buddhism, Shintoism, and Confucianism have all had a with child(p) effect on Japanese philosophies of life. This in turn is reflected in Kabuki drama in an innumerable number of ways. Action in Kabuki plays usually revolves or so Confucian notions of filial piety duty and obligation, and the Buddhist traditions such as the impermanence of things or the law of retributive justice (Scott 28).The religious part of the drama is expressed through actions and characters, such as the komuso, who wears a cock-a-hoop basket-like head covering and plays a flute (Scott 28). The komuso, who appears in multiple plays, is a religious figure in Buddhism, a priest of the Buddhist religious order seen preaching abou t the religion with his flute. During the Edo period when Kabuki was developed, Confucian doctrine defining the hierarchy of social relations was recognized as authorized thought and caused an uprising of the common townspeople expressed in Kabuki Theater (Ernst 14).A favorite Kabuki technique is to have a dying man recall and regret all past misconducts and return to his innocent conjure up by time of death (Scott 28). This extends to the Buddhist philosophy that man is fundamentally good and all sins committed during his lifetime are purged upon death. This as intimately as many other examples shows strong Buddhist influences in Kabuki. Shintoism shines through the drama as well. As one of the most common religions in Japan, Shintoism was also the religion of Kabukis founder (Spencer). Many religious ideas and themes are apparent in both historical and domestic Kabuki plays.Kabuki Theater, flamboyant and spectacular, has evolved into one of Japans cultural treasures. The drama has developed from controversial ideas of women in society, the religious influences of Buddhism and Confucianism, and from the heart of Japan, the common people, as a free way to express themselves. Although some may argue that Kabuki has lost some of its connection to the general public, Kabuki drama is an irreplaceable aspect of Japanese society that will continue to entertain audiences and influence contemporary drama and Japanese memorial for years to come.The flashy, colorful spectacle filled with music, movement, and emotion has the ability to take the audience on a journey to a new world. Works Cited Binnie, Paul, and Dieter Wanczura, eds. Kabuki Theater. Artelino. N. p. , 2009. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. http//www. artelino. com/? articles/? kabuki_theater. asp. Brandon, James R. Myth and Reality A Story of Kabuki during American Censorship, 1945-1949. Asian Theatre Journal 23. 1 (2006) 1-110 . JSTOR. Web. 11 Apr. 2011.