Japan is a mysterious and distinctive country, which is very difficult for Europeans to understand the essence and traditions of. This is largely due to the fact that until the middle of the XVII century the country was closed to the world. And now, in order to penetrate the spirit of Japan, to know its essence, you need to turn to art. It, as nowhere else, expresses the culture and worldview of the people. One of the oldest and almost unchanged forms of art that has come down to us is the Japanese theater.
History of Japanese Theater
The roots of Japanese theater go back in time. About one and a half thousand years ago, dances and music entered Japan from China, Korea and India, and Buddhism came from the mainland - this moment is considered the beginning of the theatrical art. Since then, the theater has existed on the continuity and preservation of traditions. Scientists suggest that the Japanese theater even contains parts of ancient drama. This could be facilitated by the country's ties with the Hellenistic states of Western Asia, as well as India and China.
Each theatrical genre that came from the depths of centuries has retained its original laws and personality. So, the plays of playwrights of the distant past and today are staged according to the same principles that many centuries ago. The merit in this belongs to the actors themselves, who keep and transmit the ancient traditions to their students (usually their children), forming acting dynasties.
Theater birth
The birth of the theater in Japan is associated with the appearance in the 7th century of the pantomime Gigaku, which means “acting”, and the Bugaku dance is “the art of dance”. A different fate befell these genres. Gigaku until the 10th century occupied the stage of theaters, but could not stand the competition with more complex pantomime genres and was supplanted by them. But Bugaku are fulfilled today. First, these performances were integrated into temple festivals and courtyard ceremonies, then they began to be performed separately, and after the restoration of power, this genre of the Japanese theater survived and gained even greater popularity.
The following types of Japanese theater are traditionally distinguished: but, or nogaku, intended for the aristocracy; kabuki, a theater for ordinary people, and bunraku - a puppet theater.
Traditional Japanese Theater Today
In modern times, European arts, and therefore modern theater, came to Japan. Mass performances began to appear on the Western model, opera, ballet. But the traditional Japanese theater managed to defend its place and not lose popularity. Do not think that he is timelessly rare. Actors and spectators are living people. Gradually change their interests, tastes, perceptions. Inevitably, the penetration of modern trends into the theatrical form that has been established and taking shape over the centuries. So, the time of presentation was reduced, the pace of action itself accelerated, because today the viewer does not have as much time for contemplation as there was, for example, in the Middle Ages. Life dictates its own laws, and the theater gradually adapts to them.
Aristocracy theater but
The theater was born in the XIV century and gained great popularity among the aristocracy and samurai. Initially, it was intended exclusively for the upper class of Japan.
Developing over many centuries, the theater has turned into a national tradition, embodying a deep philosophical and spiritual meaning. Its scenery is simple, the main emphasis is on masks, the importance of which is emphasized by kimono. Kimonos and masks are passed on in every school from generation to generation.
The performance is as follows. Shite (the protagonist), to the sounds of flutes, drums and a choir, tells stories about peaceful life and battles, victories and defeats, killers and monks, whose heroes will be spirits and mortals, demons and gods. The narrative is certainly conducted in archaic language. But - the most mysterious genre of Japanese traditional theater. This is explained by the deep philosophical significance not only of the masks themselves, but also of all the details of the performance, which carry a secret meaning, which is accessible only to a sophisticated viewer.
The theatrical performance lasts from three and a half to five hours and contains several plays that alternate with dances and miniatures from the lives of ordinary people.
Masks but
But - the Japanese theater of masks. Masks are not tied to any particular role, they serve to convey emotions. In combination with the symbolic actions of the actors and the music, the masks create the unique atmosphere of the Tokugawa theater. Although, at first glance, it is difficult to believe that masks really serve to convey emotions. Feelings of sadness and joy, anger and humility are created through the play of light, the smallest tilts of the actor’s head, compositions of the speech choir and musical accompaniment.
It is interesting that different schools use different kimonos and masks on the same performances. There are masks that are used for some roles. Today, there are about two hundred masks that have survived to this day and made from Japanese cypress.
Views but
The theater is alien to realism and is, rather, built on the imagination of the audience. On stage, sometimes without any scenery, the actors perform a minimum of actions. The character takes only a couple of steps, but his speeches, gestures and choral accompaniment show that he has come a long way. Two heroes, standing next to each other, may not notice each other until they are face to face.
But the main thing for the theater is gestures. Gestures combine both those that have a certain meaning, and those that are used because of beauty and do not carry any meaning. The special intensity of passions in this theater is conveyed by complete silence and lack of movement. Inexperienced viewers are very difficult to understand at such times what is happening on stage.
Kyogen theater
The Japanese kyogen theater appeared almost simultaneously with the theater, but, however, differs greatly from it in its theme and style. But - a theater of drama, emotions and passions. Kyogen is a farce, a comedy filled with uncomplicated jokes, steamies, and empty fuss. Kyogen is accessible to everyone, the meaning of the play and the actions of the actors do not need to be deciphered. Traditionally, kyogen performances serve as an interlude in theatrical performances no.
The repertoire of the kyogen theater includes plays of the 15th-16th centuries. These are approximately two hundred and sixty works, the authors of which are mostly unknown. Until the very end of the 16th century, plays were passed from mouth to mouth from teacher to student and were not written on paper. Only towards the end of the 17th century did written media begin to appear.
There is a clear classification of plays in kyogen:
- about the gods;
- about the feudal lords;
- about women;
- about evil spirits, etc.
There are performances in which minor family troubles are highlighted. They play on the inconstancy of men and the insidiousness of women. Most of the plays are dedicated to a servant named Tarot.
Kyogen characters are ordinary people, in whose life nothing particularly significant happens. At the beginning of the play, the audience is presented with all the characters. The actors of the theater are divided into groups: the main ones are shite, the secondary ones are ado, the third ones are coado, the fourth by value is chure and the fifth by value is tomo. The largest kyogen acting schools are Izumi and Okura. Despite the fact that kyogen is also related, the actors for these theaters are prepared separately.
The genre of the Japanese kyogen theater provides three types of costumes:
All costumes are made in the fashion of the XVI and beginning of the XVII century. Sometimes masks can be used in theatrical performances. But these are not masks but expressing emotions - these are masks that determine the character's role: old woman, old man, woman, demon, god, animals and insects.
After the end of World War II, the kyogen theater was updated, and the plays began to be performed independently, not only within the framework of the theater’s performances, but.
Kabuki - temple dancer theater
Kabuki performances were originally designed for everyone. The kabuki theater appeared at the beginning of the Tokugawa era and is associated with the name of the temple dancer and daughter of the blacksmith Izumo no Okuni.
The girl in the XVII century moved to Kyoto, where she began to perform ritual dances on the banks of the river and in the center of the capital. Gradually, the repertoire began to include romantic and erotic dances, and musicians joined the show. Over time, the popularity of her performance increased. Perch quickly managed to combine dancing, ballads, and poems in a single whole, creating the Japanese Kabuki Theater. Literally, the name of the theater is translated as "the art of singing and dancing." At this moment, only the girls participated in the performances.
The popularity of the theater grew, often high-ranking residents of the capital began to fall in love with the beautiful dancers of the troupe. The government did not like this state of affairs, especially since for the love of actresses they began to arrange fights. This, as well as overly frank dances and scenes led to the fact that a decree was soon issued banning women from participating in performances. So, onna kabuki, the female theater, ceased to exist. And on the stage there was a Japanese male theater - wakashu kabuki. This prohibition applied to all theatrical performances.
In the middle of the XIX century, the decree was officially repealed. However, the tradition of performing all roles in performances by men has been preserved to this day. Thus, the canonical Japanese theater is the male Japanese theater.
Kabuki today
Today, the Japanese Kabuki Theater is the most popular of the traditional dramatic arts. Theater actors are known in the country and are often invited to television and film making. Female roles in many troupes again began to be performed by women. Moreover, completely female theatrical groups appeared.
The essence of theatrical performances of kabuki
The Kabuki Theater embodies the values ​​of the Tokugawa era, and they are the basis of the plots. This, for example, is the law of justice, which embodies the Buddhist idea of ​​the reward of a suffering person and the indispensable punishment of the villain. Also the Buddhist idea of ​​fleeting earthly when high-ranking families or powerful leaders fail. Conflictism, such as duties, duty, respect for parents, and personal aspirations, can often be at the heart of a conflict.
Makeup and costumes are most consistent with the roles performed by the actors. Most often, costumes correspond to the fashion of the times of Tokugawa, graceful and maximally stylized. Masks are not used in performances, they are replaced by a complex makeup that reflects the content of the role. Also in the performances use wigs, which are classified by social status, age and occupation of the characters.
Bunraku Theater
Bunraku is a Japanese puppet theater. Sometimes it is also mistakenly called jeruri. Dzeruri - the name of the bunraku theater performance and at the same time the name of one of the dolls, the unfortunate princess. It was with ballads about this heroine that the theater began. Initially, he was not a puppet, and wandering monks sang songs. Gradually, the musicians joined the show, the audience began to show pictures on which the characters were depicted. And later, these pictures turned into dolls.
The most important thing in the theater is a guidiyu - a reader, on whose mastery the success of the whole performance depends. The reader not only performs monologues and dialogues, his task is to make the necessary sounds, noises, creaks.
By the middle of the XVII century, the main canons of musical performance and recitation in the bunrak were formed, but the dolls themselves continued to change for a long time. Over time, a technique emerged for controlling one doll with three people. The Japanese Bunraku Theater has an ancient tradition of making dolls. They do not have a body; it is replaced by a wooden rectangular frame, interwoven with threads to control the head, arms and legs. Moreover, only male puppets can have legs, and that is not always the case. Many layers of clothing are worn on the frame, which gives volume and similarity to the human figure. The head, arms and, if necessary, legs are removable and put on the frame if necessary. The arms and legs are extremely mobile and made so that the doll can even move a finger.
The doll control technique has remained the same, although improved - three actors are needed to manipulate one doll, whose height is two-thirds of a person’s height. The actors are not hiding from the public, but are right there on the stage, they are dressed in black masks and bathrobes. The backstage, stage backdrop, curtain and stage for musicians also have black color. Against such a backdrop, sets and dolls stand out in colorful dresses and with hands and faces painted white.
The main theme of the Bunraku theater is the image of the clash of feelings and duty, “kettle bells” and “ninjas”. At the center of the story is a man endowed with feelings, aspirations, the desire to enjoy life. However, he is hindered by public opinion, duty, social and moral standards. He has to do what he does not want. As a result, the conflict between duty and personal aspiration leads to tragedy.
Theatrical shadows
The shadow theater has its roots in antiquity. Its place of origin is considered to be Asia, and it reached its greatest prosperity in China. It was from there that the Japanese shadow theater came.
Initially, the figures used figures cut from paper or leather. The stage was a wooden frame covered with white cloth, which hid the actors who controlled the figures and sang. With the help of the directional light, the figures were reflected on the screen.
The shadow theater in different areas had its own types of figures and a repertoire of songs performed.
Yose Theater
Yose is a traditional Japanese comic theater. It originated in the 17th century, and the first performances were held in the open. But with the popularity of the theater, special houses began to appear for such performances - the yoseba.
The plays of the theater belong to the genre of rakugo - satirical or comic stories, invariably with an unexpected ending, filled with puns and witticisms. These stories developed from the jokes created by the rakuqok - professional storytellers.
A performer dressed in a kimono sits in the middle of the stage on a pillow, usually holding a towel and a fan in his hands. The characters of the story were people of different classes, the theme of the stories was not limited to anything. The only thing that was unchanged was that the stories were funny, connected with political, everyday, topical and historical situations.
Most of the stories were created during the Edo and Meiji period; therefore, the modern audience is little familiar and alien to the described traditions, life and problems. In this regard, many actors of rakugo write satirical novels on topical issues themselves.
Another yose genre is considered to be manzai. This is a comic dialogue, its roots go back to the traditional New Year's performances, which were accompanied by songs, dances and playing comedy scenes. Gradually, elements of farce, musicals and other genres entered the manzai, which made it even more popular and allowed to get on television.
The Yose Theater is represented by the genres of Nanivabushi (a kind of ballad) and Kodan (literary reading). Kodan is a story based on the performance of wandering artists. The original theme of stories (battles of past times) expanded, and it included family conflicts, court cases of legendary judges, political events, unusual cases in the lives of ordinary citizens. However, not all topics were encouraged by the authorities. Often performances were even forbidden.
Synopsis
The traditional Japanese theater is a multicolored and complex world, the elements of which are actors, musicians, masks, sets, costumes, makeup, dolls, dances. All this forms a unique and inimitable mysterious world of Japanese theater art.