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A CHIVALROUS MAN IN /I SHIBARAKU," ONE OF "THE EIGHTEEN BEST PLAYS /I

Reproduction of th r> coror print by Toyokuni Utagml.-'u the first (1769- 1"825), owned by the Theatrical Arts Museum at Waseda University

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KABUKI DRAMA BY

- - SHUTARO MIYAKE

JAPAN TRAVEL BUREAU TOKYO

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D ecember, 1948 j February, 1952;

Febru ary, 1953

Prinfed by IlOSOKAWA PIUNTING CO .. Tokyo, Japan

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~ ( 12 L/-. S- f<3 ms- f,1\ft= It ~ r

tblTORIAL NOit

The purpose of the Tourist Library Series is to give to the pass ing tourists and other foreigners interested in Japan a basic knowledge of various phases of Japanese culture. When completed, the Series is expected to in· elude a hundred volumes or so, and will give a complete picture of J ap anese culture, old and new.

The Library was started in 1934 by the Board of Tourist Industry and was transferred to the Japan Travel Bureau in 1943, when 40 volumes had been completed.

From the beginning the Library attained a high rep- ut a tion as a concise but reliable interpreter of Japanese culture, and the demand for the volumes steadily increas- ed both in Japan and abroad . Unfortunately, however, the old volumes are all out of print. The Japan Travel Bureau, therefore, has begun a new series,-revising and reprinting some of the old volumes, and issuing others on entirely new and equally interesting subjects.

Each volume in the Library is the work of a recogniz- ed authority on the subject, and it is hoped that by perusing these studies of Japanese life the reader will gain some insight into the unique culture that has developed in thi s country throughout the ages.

The present volume, " Kabuki Drama," is the work of Mr. Shlltaro Miyake, who is an acknowledged au- thority on the Bunraku Puppet Playas well as the Kabuki Drama. He is also well known as the regular

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drama crItIc of' the Mainichi Newspaper and a membel: of the specjal council of the Cultural Proper ties' P ro - tection Commission .

h ~~iS four~h ed ition , p ubli shed only half a year after t / t Ird rev.lsed edition went to press, is an evidence ;h t?e ever-mcreasing interest sh own by foreign en-

f UJsIasts, both here and abroad, in thi s grand old art

o apan.

The new edition has an added fea ture in the fine grade o~ art paper that is use d for most of the photo- graphs Il1 the text. This, toaether with th " d

. . b. " e up-to- ate reVISIOns and colored photoaraph s add I" . , d b'l ' b, S great y to ItS lea a I Ily. "

December, 1952 THE EDITOR

CONTENTS

Pa ge

1. How to Appreciate Kabuki. . . . . . . . . . . . 11 An Analysis of the Kabuki-A Land of Dreams-" Daikon"-Its Powe r of Exp ression.

II. Characteristics of the Kabuki. . . . . . . . . . . 16 Female Roles-Their No ted Playe rs-High- born Dau ghters-Courtesans.

JII. :Machinery Peculiar to the Kabuki Stage.. 33 Curtains - " Hanami chi" - The Revolving Stage - " Ki " - "Chobo " - Geza"-"Deba-

h," "1r " yas 1 - \..uro go

IV. Principal Kabuki Plays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 The Eighteen Best Plays- "Ara goto " -Clas- sical P Ia ys-"Sew amono " - "Kizew amono"

V. Technique Peculiar to the Kabuki. . . . . . . 52 , The Pantomime Show-"Koroshi"-"Michi-

k '" " T h' ." " M ." I yu 1 - ac Imawan - 1 onogatan - n- spection of the Head - Revue Element- "S ." d "T ""S I" awan an surane - eppu cu

VI. Symbolism and Impressionism in the Kabuki ............... . ... ..... . 69

The Black Curtain-" Yabudatami"-"Nami- ita"-The Story of Rice.

"VII. The Story Value of the Kabuki. . . . . . . . . 72 "S ukeroku"-"Kuma gai's Camp"-"Kampei"

"VIII. Practical Guide to the P resent-day Kabuki. 78 Appendix (Notes on Some of the Famous

Kabuki Plays)............... . . . .. 85 Index ................ .... ... .... " 121

Ancie nt Sketches of Kabuki Al'fO~

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ILLUSTRATIONS

A Chivalrous Man in "Shibaraku" (Color Print)' . . . . . . . Frontispiece

Page

The Fa~ade of the Kabukiza Theater. . . . . . . . . . . 13 The Interior of the Kabukiza Theater. . . . . . . . . . . 14 Players on the Passage to the Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Utaemon Nakamura as a Woman-servant-from

"K . J' h'" agaml I S 1 ....................••..• 17 A Lion's Dance-from "Kagami Jishi"

(In Colors) ......................... 18, 19 Children Actors and Tokiz6 Nakamura as a Wet

Nurse ............................... . 20 Baik6 Onoe, as Princess Yaegaki-hime ......... . 21 A Female Impersonator Preparing for the Stage 22, 23 Wig-dressers in the Dressing Room ........... . A Scene from "Sukeroku" .................. . A S f "II h- N" - h'k-" cene rom onc 0 IJUS 1 0 ........•••• "Kumado'ri," Special Make-up Used in Kabuki .. Varieties of "Kumadori" (In Colors) ......... . The Authentic Curtain Used on Kabuki Stages ... . Actors on the H anamichi . . . ................ . A Samurai Rises onto the H anamichi by the Trap-

lift ... . , .. . .......................... .

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27 27

31 33 35

35 A Part of the Revolving Stage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 36 Chobo Musicians. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 39 Kiyomoto Musicians. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 39 A Kurogo , Black Hooded Attendant. . . . . . . . . .. 40 From the Eighteen Best Plays. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43, 44 "Chiishingura" and "Sugawara Denju Tenarai-

) kagami" .............................. 47

A scene from "Koibikyaku Y amato Orai". . . . . .. 48 A Scene from "Shinju-Ten-no- Amijima" . . . . . . .. 51 A Scene from "Sannin Kichisa" ............ " 51 'A Pantomime ·Show. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 52 A "M,ichiyuki" . (Travel of Two Lovers) . . . . . . .. 55 A SW,ord . Fight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Inspe9ting a Severed Head. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 56 Tales of Princess Usuyuki. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 56 "Kumagai Monogatari" by Kichiemon Nakamura

(In Colors) ............................ 59 A Scene from "1\1usume D6j6ji" ............ " 63 A Chorus Dance. . . . . . . . . 64 A Scene from "Kirare Yos~;" . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 67

The Harakiri Scene from "Chij~hi'n~~~~;': : : : : :: 67 A Scene from "Sukeroku" 73 The ".Michiyuki" Scene fr~l~' ;'Chij~hi'n'g~~~;' : : : : 75 A Scene from "Ichinotani Futabagunki". . . . . . .. 76 Poses of Well-known Kabuki Actors. . . . . . . . . 81-84. At the Kabukiza Theater ................... 107,108 Scenes from the Popular Kabuki Plays (8 photos)

...... ...... ...... . ............. " 109-112

A Scene from "Kamakura Sandaiki". . . . . . .. 109 The Sushi Shop Scene from "Yoshitsune Sem- .

bonzakura" ........................ " 109 The "Kinkakuji" Scene from "Cion Sairei

Shik6ki" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 110 The Amagasaki Scene from "Ehon Taik6ki". .. 110 The Mustering Scene from "Benten Koz6". . .. 111 A Scene from "K6chiyama to Naozamurai". . .. 111 "Fujimusume," the Dance of a Wistaria Maiden 112

. The Katsuragi Mountain Scene from "Tsuchi- gumo" .............................. 112

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i. HOW TO APPRECIATE KABUKI

f3hat is Kabuki? An answer for the uninitiated may be supplied by

the study of the etymology of the word itself, which shows that (!abuki" is a type of acting based on the arts of singing and dancing. It will thus be seen that Kabuki is not acting, pure and simple; it is fundamen- tally different from Western dramiJ

fln the Kabuki play, singing and dancing occurs dur- ingThe course of the development of a story characteriz- ed by dramatic elements, and the whole performance is executed as a highly refined art. To be exact the Kabuki may be described as a play more like a revue than a drama, in the European sense-a play in which a clas- sical story is enlivened with spectacular scenes .

m.e Kabuki is a classical play for the masses and is rich in artistic qualities. It naturally follows that the Kabuki is presented in large theaters, and not, as with modern plays of the West, in a small theater intended to serve the sale purpose of art for its own sake':] --i\1oreover, the Kabuki is a very complicated dramatic

form . A Kabuki play contains material not in accordance with reason, and its classic style is but a feeble excuse. Foreigners seeing a Kabuki play for the first time in- variably think it is "wonderful." And "wonderful" is a fitting epithet for the irrational element in KabukU So a theater built with the principles of modern stage science

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In m~nd is far from approprIate for the presentadon of a Kabuki play. (!or a f ull appreciation of the Kabuki, therefore, one must prepare oneself, before entering the play-house, for a tfip to a land of dreams-to a land of poetic vision. One's mind should be prepared to receive the poetic and the beautif~

:Modern common sense, scientific analysis, logical reasoning, and rational examination-all should be for - gotten for the nonce by a spectator of a Kabuki play. One might as well climb a tree in quest of fish as to expect l ogic and rationality in a Kabuki play.

To the critic of modern drama, there is much non- sense in the Kabuki, but this very nonsense is a quality that must be place d on the credit side.

Viewing the performance with an eye for logic is not the proper attitude for the enjoyment of a Kabuki play. It is to be und ersto od as an art intended to appeal to the senses and the perception, an art to feast the pe rather than to satisfy the intellect. In this sense the {Kabuki is decidedly not tobe classed with modern drama which is entirely based on the story structure, but with music, dancing, painting, and scul pture of the classical typ e. The life of the present-day Japanese is only scantily represented in a Kabuki play. - Being a classical aft, the Kabuki play cannot be said to have a direct app eal to the modern mind. Though its appeal is indirect , it is capable of giving es thetic pleas- ure; thou gh it is non sense , it is capable of giving conso- l ation to the people-so it is a play rich in elements of recrea tion which are enjoyed by the general public. In its

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The fa<;:ade of the Kabukiza Theater.

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A view of the interior of the Kabukiza Theater.

Players on the pas~age to the stage.

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combining of general app eal with a considerable amou.nt of artistic merit, it may not inaptly be compared to the plays of Shakespeare. The Kabuk i play is so compli- cated in its nature that it is a difficult task to define it in a few words. Kabuki plays are also known as "kyugeki," or plays of the old school.

[The Kabuki is then an artistic play. It is a play expected to be rendered with skill. Here artistic expres- sion reigns supreme. In no other form of drama is the actor so ashamed of his immature execution and inferior caliber. In Kabuki circles, a poor actor is called "dai- kon" and a Kahuki actor feels most humiliated when he is called a "daikon." To attain perfect expression in his performance is hi s supreme ideal. He aims at making a strong appeal to the audience by bringing to esthetic perfection the histrionic art so peculiar to the Kabuki.

From the foregoing it will be seen that to appreciate a Kabuki play emphasis must be placed not on the story and the contents, but on the ability of the actors to make the characters live in the' classical manner.

This appreciation is not easy to attain; it requires preparatory knowledge. The beginner must be ready for a trip to fairyland, for such is the atmosphere of a Kabuki play. If so prepared, a Kabuki play, which is a spectacle, highly colorful in presentation and mystic in form, yet at the same time a dance and a story, will leave il pleasant impression in the mind of the Western playgoer.

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