Reading and Discussion Questions for Week 4a-b

Week 4a (Tuesday January 29): Kyôgen Elements of Performance (costumes, props, movement, voice)

a. Review Brazell, “Elements of Performance” TJT (115-125, for the parts on Kyogen)
b. The Delicious Poison (Busu), TJT pp. 235-44, Japanese
c. The Snail (Kagyu) TJT pp. 255-68
d. Narihira and the Rice Cakes(Narihira Mochi) Japanese, English synopsis
e. Two Daimyo (Futari Daimyo) [TJT 226-234]

READING QUESTIONS

Review Brazell, “Elements of Performance”for the sections on Kyogen and comparisons between Kyogen and Noh:

1. How is the use of masks different in Noh and Kyogen? What kind of characters wear masks in Kyogen?

2. What are the general categories of Kyogen plays?

The Plays: Two Daimyo, Delicious Poison, The Snail, Narihira and the Rice Cakes:

1. What category does each of these plays fit into?

2. From just reading the plays, what is humorous about them? Who or what are they making fun of?

3. In each of these plays, how are social roles reversed? Who wins in the end?

4. In Two Daimyo, how are the daimyo lords portrayed? Why do you suppose it was okay to make fun of these samurai?

5. In Kagyu (The Snail), how is the Yamabushi mountain priest (called a warrior priest in The Snail) different from the ones we've seen in Adachigahara and Dôjôji? Is he as powerful? In The Snail what effect does the singing and dancing seem to have on Tarô Kaja?

6. In Narihira and the Rice Cakes (Narihira mochi) what aspects of Ariwara no Narihira's character are being made fun of (compare the Narihira we've seen in Izutsu and the legends about Ono no Komachi in Kayoi Komachi)?

Week 4b (Thursday January 31): Kyôgen as Parody

a. Carolyn Haynes: "Parody in Kyôgen: Makura monogurui and Tako"
b. Kaminari (Thunderbolt) TJT pp. 61-67, Japanese
c. Owls (Fukuro Yamabushi)

Discussion questions due THURSDAY Jan 31st:

First read the plays Makura monogurui (Pillow Mania) and Tako (The Octopus), Kaminari (Thunderbolt) and Fukurô Yamabushi (The Owls) and answer questions #1 and #2 below for each. (Note: Makura monogorui and Tako are at the end of the Haynes article.) Then read Carolyn Haynes, "Parody in Kyôgen" and answer the third question.

1. These plays are meant to be parodies of Noh. What kind of plays do you think each of them are parodying?

2. For Tako, Thunderbolt (Kaminari), and Owls (Fukurô Yamabushi): What seems to be the attitude of these plays towards religion and religious figures?

After reading Carolyn Haynes, "Parody in Kyôgen":

3. For Thunderbolt (Kaminari) and Owls (Fukurô Yamabushi), list all the ways you can see that they parody Noh. Use specific examples from the plays. Consider as much of the following as you can: the plot structure; allusions to poetry/Noh; word play/poetic techniques; dance and movement; costume/masks/props; use of music/song. What do you think makes these plays comic?