The Actor Sings, The Actor Dances!
I DO seem to be quite partial to the East...
Kabuki is an evolutionary word in Japanese. Originally it meant "to deceive or to put on"; which actually is what actors do. However, it came to mean, after the development of the art, "sing, dance, skill" simply by changing the characters. My first experience in viewing kabuki theatre was in California in the eighties. It was a chapter of "The Tales of Genji". Genji was a "gem child" of the Emperor's. I was mesmerized by the grace of the male actors; I only knew of male ballerinas being that exact in art. The story was quite sad. I remember being left with the impression that this Art was the anti-anime. 'If only my friends could experience THIS on a regular basis!' I thought sadly, for too many of them had only Godzilla films and Japanime to gauge Nipponese culture. As I continued to watch poor Genji robbed of his rightful station, I, for some reason, thought of the history of Hagar and Ishmael...to this day I do not know how such a loose connection could be made between these tales.
The history of kabuki is as intricate as the development of the art itself...it was started by a woman and is now dominated by men. Her name was Okuni and she was a miko (a servant of the shinto shrine). The style was more 'suggestive' at that time as evidenced by the word being written with the characters for "singing dancing prostitute". Around the middle of the 17th century, the art became known as Yaro Kabuki (loosely translated as "men's kabuki"). Men who specialized in playing female roles were known as Onnagato and like most art forms that require discipline and commitment in Japan, families of Onnagato specialist became known.
There also emerged two styles of kabuki: aragoto (rough) and wagato (soft). Aragato is more avant-garde; with over-the-top gestures, costumes and make-up, as evidenced in the name of the style which is derived from the word for "the reckless warrior matter". Wagato has been compared to Western Operatic styles of theatre. Kabuki became more refined during the sixty or so years known as the Genroku period. The art even influenced Hanraku, a form of puppet theatre. Some believe that Hanraku also, in some costuming, influenced Kabuki after its inception.
Like a traditional painting, I could take in the colors the sounds the costumes the material and the expressions of kabuki EVERYday...alas, there are no kabuki theatres here in Cleveland...
If you are interested in seeing kabuki productions, my public library has been an excellent source of tapes and DVDs...try your local library; it's free! M.~
Kabuki is an evolutionary word in Japanese. Originally it meant "to deceive or to put on"; which actually is what actors do. However, it came to mean, after the development of the art, "sing, dance, skill" simply by changing the characters. My first experience in viewing kabuki theatre was in California in the eighties. It was a chapter of "The Tales of Genji". Genji was a "gem child" of the Emperor's. I was mesmerized by the grace of the male actors; I only knew of male ballerinas being that exact in art. The story was quite sad. I remember being left with the impression that this Art was the anti-anime. 'If only my friends could experience THIS on a regular basis!' I thought sadly, for too many of them had only Godzilla films and Japanime to gauge Nipponese culture. As I continued to watch poor Genji robbed of his rightful station, I, for some reason, thought of the history of Hagar and Ishmael...to this day I do not know how such a loose connection could be made between these tales.
The history of kabuki is as intricate as the development of the art itself...it was started by a woman and is now dominated by men. Her name was Okuni and she was a miko (a servant of the shinto shrine). The style was more 'suggestive' at that time as evidenced by the word being written with the characters for "singing dancing prostitute". Around the middle of the 17th century, the art became known as Yaro Kabuki (loosely translated as "men's kabuki"). Men who specialized in playing female roles were known as Onnagato and like most art forms that require discipline and commitment in Japan, families of Onnagato specialist became known.
There also emerged two styles of kabuki: aragoto (rough) and wagato (soft). Aragato is more avant-garde; with over-the-top gestures, costumes and make-up, as evidenced in the name of the style which is derived from the word for "the reckless warrior matter". Wagato has been compared to Western Operatic styles of theatre. Kabuki became more refined during the sixty or so years known as the Genroku period. The art even influenced Hanraku, a form of puppet theatre. Some believe that Hanraku also, in some costuming, influenced Kabuki after its inception.
Like a traditional painting, I could take in the colors the sounds the costumes the material and the expressions of kabuki EVERYday...alas, there are no kabuki theatres here in Cleveland...
If you are interested in seeing kabuki productions, my public library has been an excellent source of tapes and DVDs...try your local library; it's free! M.~
posted by ScreenGoddessComplex at 2:09 PM
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