Reading and Notebook Questions for Week 8 A. Benito Ortolani, The Japanese Theater, "The Modern Theatre: Shimpa" pp. 233-242 This is an introduction to Shimpa (or Shinpa) a new form of theater that developed out of Kabuki, and is usually seen as transitional between Kabuki and Shingeki. This short chapter gives you the basic background, along with important names. 1. What was the relationship of the political context of the 1880s and 1890s with the development of Shinpa? How did this change later? What is Shinpa mainly known for today? 2. What was the main problem facing the development of a new, more "modern" theater form in Japan? 3) Who were these people: Sudô Sadanori, Kawakami Otojirô, Kawakami Sadayako (see images) B. Izumi Kyôka, “The Demon Pond (Yashagaike),” Cody Poulton, trans., in Spirits of Another Sort pp. 119-157. (images) Japanese A number of Izumi Kyôka’s novels were adapted for the Shimpa stage, but The Demon Pond (Yashagaike) was the first full-length play Kyôka wrote. It was published in the March 1913 issue of the theater magazine Engei kurabu, but the first performance was not until July 1916. Ii Yôho played Akira and the female role specialist (onnagata) Kawai Takeo played Yuri. It as not performed again until the post-war period, and really only became popular after Shinoda's movie version of 1979. 1. As you read through this text, note allusions and thematic elements that seem to come from earlier performance traditions, particularly Noh, Kyogen, and Kabuki. What plays does Izumi appear to be drawing on in his creation of this story and how does he use them? (Plays that you might consider: Noh Kamo and Dôjôji, Kyôgen Kaminari, Kabuki Musume Dôjôji and Saint Narukami.) How might the structure of this play be like the structure of a Noh play? 2. The model for the character of Akira was supposed to be Kyôka’s friend, Yanagita Kunio (1875-1962). Yanagita is famous as the founder of Japanese folklore studies with his groundbreaking work of ethnography, Tôno monogatari (Tales of Tôno). Look for folkloric motifs and storytelling conventions in the play; how are they used to create characters and structure the storyline?DISCUSSION QUESTION ON DEMON POND: [See class outline week 8a-b for more information on politics] Note that in 1911 the Japanese "Thought Police" (Tokubetsu Kôtô Keibatsu or Tokkô for short) was formed to "investigate and control political groups and ideologies deemed to be a threat to public order." Its powers were expanded in 1918 and again in 1925, in order to suppress all dissident activists, artists, and intellectuals. By 1936 the Thought Police had arrested 59,013 people, of which about 5000 were brought to trial, and about half of those were imprisoned (Wikipedia). Demon Pond was written in the aftermath of the rise of right-wing nationalism in the 1890s with the successes of Japan against China (1894-95) and Russia (1904-05), just after the establishment of the Thought Police. DISCUSSION QUESTION 1) Is there a political message to Demon Pond? For example, can you see a political message in the standoff between the villagers on the one hand and Akira/Yuri/Gakuen on the other? How might it correlate with the historical situation in 1911 (rise of nationalism with the successful Sino-Japan and Russo-Japan wars, creation of the Thought Police to suppress radical intellectuals and artists). Provide concrete examples of dialogue to support your position. For example, consider the conflict between villagers and Akira/Yuri/Gakuen p. 154: Kôzô: “Friends, Friends! Let’s be sensible. Stop all
this tomfoolery. A woman’s a woman. How d’ye think she takes a bath? Bah, what
nonsense. Listen, like it or not, it’s the duty of any man worth his salt, if
it be for his country, to stick his wife* and go off to war. That, my friend, is
the spirit of our fatherland--Bushidô [Way of the Warrior], in other
words. You too would be willing to lay down your life for your fellow man to
save your village, ‘cuz it’s all for the state, our fatherland. Compared to
that, what’s so hard about letting the missus ride an ox for the night? I’ve
got an open mind, I’ll tolerate a sniveler or two, but someone with a quick
temper’d take you for traitors.”
*Movie translation: "kill your wife before going off to war so as to not be distracted"
2) We will be watching four-five different versions of this play produced in the last 40 years. Why do you think so many directors have felt that the story, first published in 1913, is relevant to contemporary issues?
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