Japanese Theater (Winter 2013) Week 2a-b outline

Costumes, Masks, Movement in Noh drama

General questions to think about:

1. What use does Noh make of costumes? How do they function?

2. What about masks? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using masks?

3. How are character and emotions conveyed in Noh theater?

4. How are visual elements such as costumes, masks and props used to reinforce themes and images in the poetry of the plays?

5. How does gesture and dance reinforce thematic imagery?

I. Costumes (see also this pdf on Noh costumes)

A. Relation to everyday clothing

B. Stylization/Simplification: Why?

1. Dance movement:

a. bulk, weight and texture:.

1) feminine versus masculine movements

            a) robe worn straight (image):

            b) split pants (hakama) (image, image):

2. Symbolic:

a. cut, draping, kind of garments:

b. effect of layering, added bulk:

image: (Kamo thundergod)

Link to Kamo

image: (Hagoromo, Heavenly maiden)

c. patterns and colors:

1) red:

2) darker colors:

image of woman in first half of Dojoji

3) bold designs:

image: Kamo thundergod

 

4) robe off the shoulder:

image Kinuta (working)

image Atsumori (working)

image Hanjo (with sasaki-bamboo branch, indication of madness)

II. Masks

Link to mask-making video

A. Early masks 10th -15th c.

images: woman mask 1, woman mask 2

1. Affect of stage in pre-electric period:

2. Four basic types: old men, young women, gods, and demons.

B. Mask types with examples in costume (images)

1. Okina: the sacred old man

points:

2. Beshimi and Ôtobide: masks for a vigorous male god

points:

 3. Shôjô: deity of?

4. Chûjô and Jurokuchûjô: ghost of a young captain

image of Atsumori in the second half

points:  

5. Yase otoko (emaciated man):

image: Captain Fukakusa in Kayoi Komachi (Komachi and the 100 nights).

points:  

6. Ko-omote: a very young woman (the maeshite in Kamo, Teruhi in Aoi no Ue)

points:

7. Zô-onna: slightly older, aristocratic woman who possesses extraordinary elegance and refinement.

8. Fukai: a slightly older, aristocratic woman (Kinuta, Izutsu, Sumidagawa) who is grieving

image: Kinuta

points:

9. Rôjô and Rôjô Komachi: A very old woman (Sekidera Komachi and Sotoba Komachi)

points:

10. Deigan: a woman who is in anguish and will become a demon in the second half of the play

(Dôjôji, Aoi no Ue)

images:  Aoi no Ue           

points:

11. Hannya and Shinja: female demon of the second half of Adachigahara, Aoi no Ue and Dôjôji

images: Dôjôji

points:

12. Yamamba: the mountain crone

images: Y amamba

photostory

points:

a. masks

b. choice of wigs

c. colors of costume

d. split pants or robe worn straight

 

III. Costuming a warrior (Atsumori)

 

IV. Costuming a demon (Dôjôji, Adachigahara, Aoi no Ue)

A. What elements in the costume and mask identify the character as demonic?

B. How do changes in the costume indicate changes in the level of demonic fury?

image: miko with triangles

image: miko with red hakama

D. Dojoji example

image two versions of shirabyoshi dancer from first half of the play

1. backstory: young girl or middle-aged widow

2. Interpretive choice for actor related to choice of costume in second half:

image of serpent-woman emerging from bell

a. which backstory gives rise to a stronger demon in second half?

b. pragmatic performative reasons for costume choice (difficulty of costume)

V. PROPS (see also this pdf on Noh props)

A. Why are they so simplified and abstract?

B. Handheld props (torimono)

1. fans:

a. in dance: used to extend arm and express or intensify motion 

b. in dramatic action: used as a tool or object

image: Wife hitting fulling block in Kinuta

image: pouring water from Matsukaze

2. Hand props that indicate something about the character

a. sakaki: sacred tree, used in Shinto Purification ceremonies.

image: sakaki branches used in shinto purifications ceremonies.

eg. Rokujo in first half of Nonomiya

b. paper gohei: Shinto streamer used in purification ceremonies

image: miko

image: Kamo

 

c. Bamboo (sasaki): carried by traveling women indicates the shite is crazy(Sumidagawa, Hanjo, Miidera)

image: Hanjo

image: Sumidagawa

d. Demon stick:

image: Dôjôji

e. Aristocratic hat and sword: when worn by a woman indicates the woman has taken on her lover’s persona

image 1, image 2: Izutsu

image: Kakitsubata

shirabyoshi (popular medieval female dancers, who crossdressed in men's clothing)

B. Big Props

1. Create setting

2. Produce dramatic entrances and exits.

3. In each of the following, how is the main large prop related to thematic imagery?

a. Kinuta: the fulling block

images

1). trying to communicate with her husband and vent her anger and grief

2) second half, object that is torturing her in hell

3) chanting of Lotus Sutra = sounds of fulling block = release from hell

b. Izutsu: the wooden well

images

a. represents different stages of her life

c. Kamo: altar with arrow

images

d. Funa Benkei (Benkei in a Boat): Boat Prop

Minamoto Yoshitsune of the Genji clan is fleeing persecution by his brother. He is accompanied by his faithful follower, the mountain priest Benkei. While crossing the inland sea in a boat, one of the ghosts of the Heike warriors vanquished by the Genji during a recent civil war rises out of the sea to attack the boat. Benkei is able to exorcise the spirit with his Buddhist incantations.

image 1,2

e. Miidera: the bell tower -- note the difference between this bell and the bell in Dôjôji

image 1

f. Dôjôji: the bell tower -- a fairly late development -- prob. 16th century.

images

VI. Dance movements (KATA) and meaning

A. Body posture, center of gravity, use of legs, stamping (image1, image2

1. Jo-ha-kyu rhythm (used to structure every aspect of Noh)

2. Ma: pause, silence, empty space

B. Dance patterns (kata)

1. Ground patterns (abstract): 30-40 patterns make up 90% of the movements.

2. Design patterns:

a. mimetic or dramatic:

1) Shiori (crying)

image: Ama

b. narrative

1) image: Yamamba

"Sacred peaks soaring suggest ascent to enlightenment; [turns and looks up]

lightless valleys deep betoken grace descending to mankind [turns right and stamps]

even to the center of the earth." [Swings arm so her fan points down, looks down and stamps]

C. Timing of action to words.

1. slightly before:

2) same time

3) slightly afterwards:

D. Functions of dance movements:

1. mimesis:

2. creates setting, directs the audience’s attention:

3. creates temporal fluidity: “we have traveled quickly and already reached Boundary River between Etchû and Echigo Provinces”

4. kinetic illusion: Yamamba claps her arms together and stamps: “a warbler bursts into song, flaps its wings” 219 and again “When weary beaters pause to rest, a thousand, ten thousand, voices burst from the fulling block” (223)

5. enacting metaphors: “At other times where weaver girls work looms, she enters the window, a warbler in willows winding threads”

 

EXAMPLE OF DOJOJI FOR PERFORMANCE