Friendly Reminders 1)No Class Meeting on Wednesday (2 April 2014) 2)Test # 2 to be announced later this week (Friday)
Japanese Theater Kabuki – Traditional Theater (popular) Exs. Kabuki – YouTube (a good introduction) Centre Stage: Kabuki – YouTube (overview)Kabuki – YouTubeCentre Stage: Kabuki – YouTube Bunraku – Puppet Theater Ex. YouTube - Bunraku theater in OsakaYouTube - Bunraku theater in Osaka Noh – Traditional Theater (elitist) Ex. Noh Theatre - YouTubeNoh Theatre - YouTube
National Bunraku Theater (Osaka)
Bunraku Oldest theater tradition (roots in Heian period) Originates in late 17 th century (joins 2 traditions) - traveling story-tellers w/ Biwa accompaniment - traveling puppeteers 1 st Bunraku theater – 1684 in Osaka Plays about “ordinary” people - stories of merchant class (Osaka - merchant city) - stories of Shinju (“love suicides”, often factual) Audience – traditionally middle-class Life-like puppets and “realistic” stories
Bunraku Music (“Chobo”) Visible at side of stage Narrator (“Tayu”) - “speaker” in pitched tones Shamisen
Bunraku (Japanese Puppet Theater)
Bunraku Puppets
Bunraku Stage (w/ puppets & puppeters)
Bunraku (w/ multiple puppets and puppeteers)
Bunraku Puppet (w/ puppeteers in traditional black)
Bunraku (w/ master puppeteers [Omozukai] visible)
Bunraku Puppeteers
Bunraku on YouTube YouTube - Bunraku - Classical Japanese puppet art - Screener YouTube - Bunraku Demonstration Male Head YouTube - Bunraku Gion Corner YouTube - Japanese Bunraku puppets YouTube - Bunraku theater in Osaka YouTube - Bunraku at the Gion Corner
Noh Most elite and stylized Japanese theater Associated primarily w/ Warrior class (samuri) Developed c (Kamakura period) Formalized c. 1300s (Kannami Kiyotsugu) - intended to make popular forms more serious Strong Buddhist element - denial of self ends suffering (transcendence) - ritual focuses attention
Noh (2) Minimalist aesthetic (less is more) Very stylized acting technique - not naturalistic - small motions signify major events Use of masks (course web site for examples) Music – Hayashi (fixed Noh ensemble) - 3 drums - flute
Kotsuzumi
Otsuzumi
Noh Drum (Taiko)
Nohkan
Noh Theater on YouTube Noh - YouTube YouTube - Noh Theatre YouTube - Noh Play - Osaka, Japan - July 2006YouTube - Noh Play - Osaka, Japan - July 2006 YouTube - Noh Play "Tamura“ Atsumori-the dance.mp4 - YouTube