Week 4: Ghosts Become Visible and Introduction to Noh


4a: Ghost Become Visible

Make sure you look through the images of the Hell and Hungry Ghost scrolls (click here)

Reading [J Tales] *read carefully:
*"Introduction" to Japanese Tales
*"Very Kind of Him, No Doubt" (#28)
*"A Model Demon" (#97)
"Incorrigible" (#149)
"Be Good To Your Mother and Father" (#215)
*"Hell in Broad Day" (#216 pp. 313-314)
*[OL] The Taiheiki, "The Suicide of the Protector of Etchû"

Reading Questions (see also Discussion Questions)

    "Introduction"

      Royall Tyler's introduction to Japanese Tales gives you a sense of the worldview of late-Heian and medieval Japanese. Pay special attention to the sections on religion and the supernatural (pp. ixxx-lii); it is a good review. The tales mainly date from the 11th-13th centuries, and reflect the changing attitude towards ghosts in this period.

#28 "Very Kind of Him No Doubt"

      How does this story reflect older beliefs about goryô and ekijin? Again, what is new about it?

    #97 "A Model Demon"

      In this story, the same monk who had a vision of Michizane meets a demon who is really more like a hungry ghost. How did he become demonic? Why do you suppose he isn't pacified?

    #149 "Incorrigible"

    This story follows the "tour of hell" format. Why is it surprising that a poet should have this vision? Why does he end up in hell? How does he escape the first time? The second? What seems to be the moral of the story?

    #215 "Be Good to Your Mother and Your Father"

    Another tour of hell. Again, how is this different from earlier hell tours? According to this story what keeps you out of hell? What clues are there that this story was not developed in a Buddhist context?

    #216 "Hell in Broad Day"

      This is a somewhat transitional tale; what elements seem older? What is new?

    [OL] "The Suicide of the Protector of Etchû" (late 13th century)

      The Taiheiki dates from the 13th century, and so this story is relatively late compared to the others. What elements of this story are completely different from previous ghost stories?


    General Questions:

    1. Why do you suppose ghosts become visible to ordinary people during this period? Can you see any hints in the stories themselves?

4b: Introduction to Noh + Review (The take-home mid-term exam will be given out today. It is due back ...in class.)

Readings:
[OL] Aoi no Ue
Synopsis of Adachigahara (Kurozuka)
[JND] Royall Tyler, "General Introduction," pp. 1-19
[Trad J Thtr] Karen Brazell, "Japanese Theater: A Living Tradition" pp. 3-10
Review: Blacker, Catalpa Bow (pp. 19-20, 31, 38-39)
Optional: [J Trad Thtr] Brazell,  pp. 24-39; "The Noh and Kyogen Theater: Elements of Performance" pp. 115-125
 


Reading Questions

Royall Tyler, "General Introduction"

Read this to get a general sense of what Noh theater is, how it is structured, its religious influences.

1) [pp. 5-7] Who were Kannami and Zeami? How did they change Noh? How were Nobumitsu's Noh plays different from Zeami's?

2) [pp. 7-11] Be able to identify the main roles in Noh: Waki, waki-tsure, shite, shite-tsure, chorus, kokata, ai (kyôgen)

3) [pp. 11-12] Tyler points out that Noh plays often flip from first to third person, and that characters often speak for each other in a non-realistic way. He says the best solution is to simply accept it. But can you think of any reasons for why this phenomena might occur given Noh's roots in shamanism?

4) [p. 13] Be able to identify the five main categories of plays: 1) god plays (waki noh) 2) warrior plays (shura-mono) 3) woman plays (kasura-mono) 4) miscellaneous plays (yonbanme mono) 5) concluding or demon plays (kiri no). We will use these categories to discuss the various types of deities and ghosts who appear in Noh.

5) [pp. 15-16] According to Tyler, what is the main Buddhist issue in plays other than god plays? Why is this not relevant in god plays?

Brazell, Traditional Japanese Theater  pp. 3-10

This first section gives a general history of the development of Japanese theater.
Be able to identify the following terms and people (NOTE that there is a glossary at the back of the book as well):

shirabyôshi, kusemai (kinds of female performers)
Kannami (1333-1384), Zeami (1363-1443), Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358-1408)
biwa, shamisen (musical instruments)
Tale of Heike
renga (linked verse)
yugen ("mysterious beauty")

Consider the following questions:

    What role have female shamans (miko) played in the origin and development of Japanese theater?

    What role did female performers (shirabyôshi, kusemai dancers) play?

    What sort of material did Zeami use to create Noh plays?

    How does the structure of Noh plays reflect shamanistic and Buddhist beliefs?
     

[OL] Adachigahara (Kurozuka)

We'll be watching a video introduction to Noh (The Tradition of Performing Arts in Japan: The Heart of Kabuki, Noh and Bunraku : PN2924.5 K3 T733 1989) which uses this play. The main character is a demon rather than a ghost, but has some of the characteristics of ghosts in Noh.

[OL] Aoi no Ue

We'll come back to this play next week to talk about how it relates to the original version in Tale of Genji. This week, consider how it reveals Noh's origin in shamanism. What elements of a typical shamanistic exorcism do you see in the play?
 

OPTIONAL: Brazell,  pp. 24-39

Here Brazell attempts to make generalizations about Japanese theatrical forms.

    From reading Brazell, does Noh theater (and Japanese theater in general) seem "realistic" or "naturalistic" in terms of language, stage setting, use of time, movement, costumes, props, masks? Why or why not?

    What seems more important in Japanese theater -- realism or aesthetic attractiveness? Is continuity of time, place, character, and action important in Noh? What do Noh plays concentrate on instead?

    How is the art of allusion used in Noh? How do Kyôgen plays parody Noh?

    What do you think Earle Ernst meant when he said that Japanese theater is "presentational" rather than "representational"?
Brazell,  pp. 115-125

This section concentrates on the performance practices of Noh and Kyôgen theaters; it is more detailed than really needed, but should provide a good background for class discussion of images and videos.

    Try to get a sense of  how the actors, musicians and chorus are situated on the stage.

    What kind of instruments are used to accompany Noh?

    For what kind of roles are masks worn? Which actors never wear masks and why? When do Kyôgen actors wear masks?

    We'll review examples of costumes and masks in class; here pay particular attention to how costumes are used symbolically (p. 121).

    We'll also review examples of basic props (stage and hand). Are props used realistically in Noh and Kyôgen?