Japanese Theater Week 2a-b, 3a outline Costumes, Masks, Movement in Noh drama PRESENTATIONAL VERSUS REPRESENTATIONAL THEATER Different ways of thinking about the actor-audience relationship. REPRESENTATIONAL THEATER: Realistic (mimetic). Pretends the audience is not there. Attempts to follow the three classical unities: 1) unity of action: one basic plot with a few characters followed straight through (no complicated subplots, multiple characters). Characters may develop in response to action, but are not multiple personas. 2) unity of time (no flashbacks, no dream visions, actions take place in "real time" -- dramatic present) 3) unity of space (play should exist in one single physical space, not compress geography or jump from one place to another) PRESENTATIONAL THEATER: Non-realistic (highly stylized, focus on beauty or interesting aesthetic effects over realism) Actor often breaks the "fourth wall" and addresses the audience directly Character can suddenly transform into another character, or have multiple personas No attempt to follow the three classical unities. Stage assistants are used openly to change scenery, adjust costume, etc. As we shall see, Noh is presentational rather than representational theater. Highly stylized, direct address to audience is common, characters are fluid, there are flashbacks and dream visions, physical space is often compressed or unstable.
General questions to think about in the next five classes: 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 emotion 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? Video: Intro to Stage I. Costumes (see also this pdf on Noh costumes) A. Relation to everyday clothing in medieval period 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: 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:
4) robe off the shoulder: image Kinuta (working, hitting the fulling block) image Atsumori (working, military) image Hanjo (with sasaki-bamboo branch, indication of madness because she has been abandoned by her lover)
II. Masks Link to mask-making video Link toThis is Noh segment on masks Link to The-Noh.Com on masks; list of masks in English; in Japanese A. Early masks 10th -15th c. images: woman mask 1, woman mask 2 1. Effect of stage on masks in pre-electric period: 2. Five basic types plus okina: old men (including male deities), younger men, women (old and young), vigorous male deities, onryo or evil spirits (male and female). 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, slightly demonic (includes Tengu, mountain goblins) points: Kamo Kurama Tengu image 1, image 2, 3-D model Kurama Tengu photostory (The Tengu of Kurama): Tengu teaches Ushiwaka-Maru (the young Minamoto Yoshitsune) the martial skills that will enable him to defeat the Heike 3. Shôjô: deity of? 4. Chûjô and Jurokuchûjô: ghost of a young Heike 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 Costuming Yamamba (Cornell JPARC site) [Best accessed via a browser other than Safari] Masks for Yamamba (Cornell JPARC site)[Best accessed via a browser other than Safari] 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?
C. Relationship
of Noh costume of female demon to ancient miko's dress
image: miko with triangles image: miko with red hakama D. Dojoji example longer video (jump at 49) 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: images 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 change under bell)
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 1) image on fan can have meaning (eg. setting sun on Heike warrior fans = the fall of the Heike family in the civil war) 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 tree: 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 priestess 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 (perhaps possessed by him) image: Kakitsubata shirabyoshi (popular medieval female dancers, who crossdressed in men's clothing) B. Medium and Large Props 1. Create setting 2. Produce dramatic entrances and exits. eg. clip from The Death Stone Sesshoseki (first ten seconds, but also note how the koken assistants are used here) excerpt from Sumidagawa (ghost of young boy returns to the tomb) 3. In each of the following, how is the main prop related to thematic imagery? a. Kinuta: the fulling block 1) first act, trying to communicate with her husband and vent her anger and grief: “Come beat upon his robe, of weave so thin! 2) second act, object that is torturing her in hell: "Yet love's lustful karma rules me still. Fires of longing smolder night and day. Now as before, I have no peace: this sin, a heart in pain, yields me its reward: assaults of hell-fiends, the Ahorasetsu, brandishing their rods and raining blows. Beat on, beat on they howl, as you deserve, the [fulling] block; for all my hate reaps me the fruit of wrongful clinging." (168)
3) climax of play: chanting of Lotus Sutra commissioned by her husband = sounds of fulling block = release from hell "See, how from the block she briefly beat,
b. Izutsu: the wooden well a. represents different stages of her life (happy childhood, difficult marriage, present-day temple well) video from This is Noh c. Kamo: altar with arrow 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. e. Miidera: the bell tower -- note the difference between this bell and the bell in Dôjôji f. Dôjôji: the bell tower -- a fairly late development -- prob. 16th century. VI. Dance movements (KATA) and meaning A. Basic body posture (kamae), center of gravity, use of legs, stamping (image1, image21. Walking (hakobi) using sliding step (suri-ashi) Description of kamae and hakobi Nomura Mansai demonstrating kyogen styles of suriashi and the kamae posture 2. Jo-ha-kyu rhythm (used to structure every aspect of Noh and all other traditional Japanese performing arts) 3. Ma: pause, silence, empty space
B. Dance patterns (kata) video: Kata movement forms video: dance from second act from Kurama Tengu performed in recital video: video comparing movement costumed and non-costumed from Kurama Tengu 1. Ground patterns (abstract): 30-40 patterns make up 90% of the movements. a. Although they have no inherent meaning, when juxtaposed with words, take on meaning. For example, zig zag movement could be climbing mountain, sweeping point with fan could be pointing out a village below. 2. Design patterns (two kinds): a. mimetic (highly stylized); used in numerous plays to indicate specific actions, for example crying, or fan used as shield in battle (p. 142 TJT). video of mimetic patterns 1) Shiori (crying) image: Ama 2) Setting shield image Kiyotsune (Diego Pellecchia as shite)
b. narrative (tend to be unique to a particular play, associated with specific phrase) 1) image: Yamamba "Sacred peaks soaring
suggest ascent to enlightenment; [11.30 turns and looks up left] C. Functions of dance movements: 1. Mimesis (eg. indicating crying, fan as shield blocking in battle, fan used as a sword to strike) 2. Circling stage creates temporal fluidity: “We are now on our way to Zenkoji in Shinano Province....We have traveled quickly and already reached Boundary River between Etchû and Echigo Provinces.” TJT p. 210-11. 3. Combined with words, creates setting and directs the audience’s attention (Yamamba head tilted up pointing with fan indicates looking up at the moon or soaring peaks symbolizing enlightenmen; Yamamba with mask tilted down, pointing back towards bridge = looking down to a village below; Atsumori looking out across the ocean to the ships with his clan that have left him behind) 4. enacting metaphors: “At other times where weaver girls work looms, she enters the window, [and helps them weave like] a warbler in willows winding threads” Yamamba steps through the window and sweeps fan to indicate warblers flying 5. kinetic illusion: Yamamba claps her arms together (uchi awase) and stamps (ashi byoshi) at two different moments in the play. a. “a warbler bursts into song, flaps its wings” (219) to mime flapping wings b. “When weary beaters pause to rest, a thousand, ten thousand, voices burst from the fulling block” (223) to create visual and aural equivalent of the sound of a fulling block. Repetition creates connection betweenYamamba helping women working at looms and and women beating fulling blocks C. Timing of action to words. 1. slightly before: primes for what will be said 2) same time 3) slightly afterwards: reinforces what has been said E. EXAMPLES 1. Example of ground kata combined with design kata: Yamamba video (Kuse A' 16:58/5:30) Kuse A' scene in Yamamba (JPARC site at Cornell) Yamanba(part 3: Kuse A') Shimai versions Yamanba(shimai of kuse)
Then, too she sports with people (series of stamps)
with the moon comes out the mountain (rises and looks up) At other times where weaving girls (circles around) or she places herself in spinning sheds (spreads arms open to indicate self)
Yamanba(part 4: Kuse C')
TJT p. 223: This sad world, an empty husk or battered cloak (spreads arms open) When weary beaters pause to rest, (forward point, draws back) Yamanba (shimai of noriji p. 224 starting with "I must take my leave and return to the mountains")
EXAMPLE OF BATTLE SCENE FROM ATSUMORI Atsumori dance segment (final battle from about 1.25) Japanese subtitles
SHITE: [J: saru hodo ni]
EXAMPLE OF DOJOJI FOR PERFORMANCE This is Noh Dojoji (includes overdubbing in English) Dojoji: Kanze Kiyokazu (b. 1959) performing the ran no mai dance and exit from the bell. No Japanese subtitles. NHK special about a young Kita School actor (Shiotsu Keisuke) doing Dojoji for the first time. Subtitles in Japanese. Performance starts about 31:30. Original Dojoji story told at the temple starts about 5:00 (in Japanese).
If we finish here early on Week 3a, go on to intro Week 3b |
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