Drama Appreciation: Blog Post 1

Japanese Traditions

In the world of Japanese theatre, there are many forms and traditions that are incorporated to make exciting plays and performances. There are three popular forms that make up the majority of the Japanese theatre: the Noh, Kyogen, and Kabuki. These forms differ in what elements are emphasized but many of them incorporate beautiful music, elaborate costumes, creative masks, as well as traditional dances.
(Felner)

The Noh theatre was supposedly established by a man named Kanami Kiyotsugu and his son Zeami Motokiyo. It is a very precise and stylized form, created by the incorporations of many ritual and traditional forms. Body language and movement was also a big part of the Noh theatre because sometimes there would be male actors playing a young girl in the play, so how the actor moved and used his body was important to convey the character. Another important element in the play are masks. Interestingly, the only time an actor would wear a mask is if he was playing an old person, a woman, a youth or a supernatural character. If the actor was playing an adult male, he would not wear the mask. Essentially, the Noh theatre is a very subtle and refined form of Japanese theatre.
(Paul Binnie)
Kyogen is another popular form of Japanese theatre. Due to the fact that Kyogen is a more comical form of theatre, it was usually featured in between the Noh plays so that they would complement each other. Few props are used in the play, so it is basically up to the performers to entertain the audience, based on their own skills. Compared to the Noh theatre, there is not as much of an exact point or purpose in the Kyogen performances because their main goal is to entertain.
(Unknown)

Kabuki theatre is basically the polar opposite of Noh theatre. It is very bold, outgoing and exciting. The actually name “Kabuki” is composed of three different Japanese words: ‘ka’ meaning ‘songs’, ‘bu’ meaning ‘dance’ and ‘ki’ meaning ‘skill’. So basically the name in itself gives an idea of what the typical Kabuki performance would involve. Props are used heavily in this theatrical form as well as the accompaniment drums, flutes and other stringed instruments. The video featured at the bottom of the page is a good example of the creative costumes used in Kabuki theatre as well as the incorporation of instruments in the background.
(Kabuki)

As we can see, there are some very interesting and exciting forms of Japanese theatre. From the traditional and solemn Noh theatre, all the way to the upbeat and elaborate Kabuki theatre, there is a wide variety of performances to choose from. After researching Japanese traditions in the theatrical world I would definitely be interested in seeing a performance myself!

Work Cited:

(2008). Kabuki. Retrieved from http://www.japan-zone.com/culture/kabuki.shtml

Felner, Mira, Claudia Orenstein. The World of Theatre. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. , 2006. Print.

Paul Binnie, . "Japanese Noh Theatre ." Artelino. July 2001. Artelino GmbH, Web. 26 Sep 2009. http://www.artelino.com/articles/noh_theater.asp.

Unknown (n.d.). Kyogen. Retrieved from http://www.bookmice.net/darkchilde/japan/jkyogen.html


Picture #1
Staud, Frantisek. Noh Theatre. 1998.
PhotoTravels . Web. 26 September 2009.

Picture # 2
Unkown. Le Nogaku. 2005. Japan Photo Encyclopedia.
UNESCO. Web. 26 September 2009.

Picture #3
Unknown. Kabuki. 2009.
Around the Sphere. Web. 26 September 2009.

Video Credit:
Anotherpg. “Kabuki/Noh Theatre”. 27 March 2007. Online Video Clip. You Tube. Accessed on 26 September 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoK3Pa9BK-U