Japanese Theater

Week 1a Outline

Ichikawa Ebizo Montage of Kabuki (Narukami, Yoshitsune senbon zakura)

I. Introduction to the class website

A. navigating website CANVAS/index)

B. Requirements

C. Images, Reading and Discussion Questions

II. Intro to Japanese history materials

A. General Timeline, Edo Period Timeline

B. WWW links

III Video: Tradition of Performing Arts in Japan: Noh (Adachigahara/Kurozuka)

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Introduction to Japanese Religions and Noh

WHY LOOK AT SHAMANISM?

Noh originated as theatricalizations of rituals of exorcism and pacification performed at Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines.

WHY LOOK AT BUDDHISM?

In medieval Japan the basic assumptions of Buddhism underlie all literary forms, including especially theater.

The primary patrons of Noh when it was just beginning were Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Noh theatricalizations of exoricism and pacification rituals proved the efficacy of shamanic rituals used at temples and shrines.

Temples and shrines continued to be important patrons, even after the warrior and courtier elite began to patronize Noh troupes. With changes in patronage, new, non-religious plots were developed, and the shamanic rituals became hidden, less easy to discern, but they can still be seen underlying the structure of the plays.

I. Intro to Shamanism

A. What is shamanism? Who or what is a shaman?
1. A shaman conjures spirits into or out of human beings (and may themselves be spirit-possessed)
a. cf. modern day "channelling" and exorcisms

B. Shamanic World View

1. Familiar human (material) world

2. Spiritual World
.
C. What can shamans do?
.

1. Act as bridge or mediator

2. Speak with deities and spirits

3. Call down deities or spirits to take possession of the shaman and speak through them

D. How do they do it?

1. Achieve a trance state by:

a. rhythmical sounds (strumming a catalpa bow; Noh drums and flute)

b. dance

c. torimono

Image: Japanese female shaman (miko) with torimono

Image: Shinto priests with sakaki branches for purification

E. Two forms of trance

1. Dream vision travel (out of body experience)

2. Possession

a. In a state of possession they speak for deities or spirits to express their wishes

 

F. Although originally shamans in Japan appear to have been mainly female, after the introduction of Buddhism to Japan, male Buddhist ascetics took over the job of exorcising angry spirits.

1. Ascetics performing exorcisms in Noh plays: often Yamabushi "mountain ascetics" or Esoteric Buddhist priests who have gained power through spiritual practices (meditation and ascetic discipline of the body) as in Adachigahara

Images: modern Japanese yamabushi

.

II. Native Deities

A. What are kami and what do they look like?

1.  Began as any numinous manifestation (hierophany) of the sacred, mainly in natural phenomena (similar to nature deities throughout Asia)

a. Therefore can take on a wide variety of forms and characteristics (Catalpa Bow, p. 35)

2. What all forms of Kami share:

a. Move between this (material) world and the spiritual world

b. Why do they appear in this world?

1) Give benefits

2) Cause natural disasters

 

B. When do they take on human-like form?

    1. First statues and images from around 9th century.

    a. QUOTE: "The belief that the kami have any permanent or true form which they can manifest to human senses is late, and derivative from Buddhist iconography." (Catalpa Bow, p. 38)

C. Visible Forms (some of these "kami" have merged with Buddhist deities)
 

1. Aristocratic men/women

IMAGE of Hachiman and female attendants
2. Sacred old man, okina

.IMAGE of okina in Noh

IMAGE of Sumiyoshi deity (patron deity of poetry) appearing to the poet Fujiwara Teika　in a dream as okina

3. Serpents, snakes, dragons ("native" deities of India/China/Japan, some now defend Buddhism)

IMAGE of a Naga Dragon King 龍王(the five or eight Naga Dragon Kings are often called upon in Noh plays to defeat demons)

(Click here and here for more info in English on serpents and dragons in Asia and Japan)

 

4. Demons and ferocious native deities

Some converted to Buddhism: eg. the Five Guardian (Mantra/ Knowledge/Enlightenment) Kings (Myo-o 明王)

Some didn't convert: eg. demon of Adachigahara　

.

IMAGE of Guardian Kings (often called upon in Noh plays to defeat demons)

(Click here for more info in English on Myo-o)

(Click here for more info on Fudo Myo-o, the central deity of the five)

5. Lightening/Thunder and Wind Deities (raijin雷神/kaminari雷; fujin 風神)
IMAGES of thunder/lightening and wind deities
IMAGES in Noh play Kamo

(Click here for more information on thunder and wind deities)

III. Spirits

A. Tama ("soul": modern Japanese tamashii)

1.  "An entity which resides in some host, to which it imparts life and vitality..." (Catalpa Bow, p. 43)

a. Ikiryô (living spirit)

b. Shiryô (dead spirit)

B. What should happen to tama after they leave the body for good?

 


Buddhist thinking: be reincarnated in a Buddhist heaven or one of the other realms (human, animal, hell etc.)

BUT sometimes tama get trapped in this world without being reincarnated and become ghosts. Then they need help of a religious specialist to get free and move on.

IV Introduction to Buddhism: Created by Gautama Buddha (personal name Siddhartha) around 500 B.C.E.

A. Basic Premises shared with Hinduism

1. Perception of this world as SAMSARA (constant flow, movement, change)

2. Belief in reincarnation

3. Belief in karma (the law of causality, that our actions, good and bad, cause effects)

IMAGE: cartoon about Karma and reincarnation

 

B. Four Noble Truths developed by Buddha after meditating 40 days in wilderness

1. We cling and crave but because of SAMSARA we are never able to satisfy those feelings. This causes suffering.

2. Clinging to people and things (our attachments) cause karma; these attachments in the form of karma cause reincarnation. So the suffering continues endlessly.

3. If we can stop the attachments, we can stop karma and so stop the cycle of reincarnation. Ceasing the cycle of reincarnation is NIRVANA.

4. Buddha has outlined the Noble Eight-Fold Path to break the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Goal of Buddhism

1. To break cycle of death and rebirth (achieve Nirvana) using the Eight-Fold Path.

 

C. Why isn't reincarnation/rebirth seen as good?

1. Multiple lives

2. Where might you end up?

D. Problem of Passionate Attachments

1. They cause karma and therefore rebirth

2. You can end up as a hungry ghost or in hell

3. In Noh, ghosts return to this world because of lingering attachments to traumatic events that occured in the past. They hope to get help from Buddhist priests in resolving those attachments and getting release so they can reincarnate appropriately. Sometimes even demonic ghosts and spirits are seeking help, although they do so by attacking the priest rather than asking him for help.

E. Mahayana (Great Vehicle) Buddhism -- Main form of Buddhism in East Asia

1. Historical Buddha (5th c. BCE) argued for a 8-Fold Path to enlightenment, self-dependence on that path

2. Mahayana Buddhism (1st c. CE) argues for dependence on help of deities: Amida Buddha, Kannon, Jizo. Just calling on the name of Amida Buddha (NAMU AMIDA BUTSU) can help you achieve rebirth in a Buddhist heaven where it is much easier to achieve enlightenment.

3. The Lotus Sutra: main sutra of Mahayana Buddhism, was itself seen as a vehicle for salvation when recited.

Images: Amida Buddha, Kannon and Jizo bodhisattvas

(Click these links for more on Buddhas and Bodhisattvas)

F. Shamanic Buddhism in Adachigahara/Kurozuka (images video, photostory)

1. Structured overtly as a shamanic exorcism ritual by Buddhist priests. Here the main character is not a ghost but a female demonic spirit of some sort (not clear).

 

What aspects can you see that seem to reflect a shamanic origin for Noh theater?

a. Who does the exorcising? (image)

b. What do they use? Who do they call on?

synopsis

c. Physical objects? Gestures?

d. Any other indications? image image

e. Costuming?

f. Dance and music?

g. In the end the priests are successful at banishing the demon (but better if they'd been able to get her to convert)

Looking ahead: Discussion Questions on Noh plays (for FRIDAY)

Link to reading/discussion questions