The relevance of this work is expressed by the fact that the interest to Japan is increasing today. Many people, who are interested in modern Japan, are also interested in its history and culture. Consequently, the interest to theaters is also increasing, including the theater of Kabuki, which captivates the audience with its colorfulness and accessibility. The aim of this work is to fully consider the birth of Kabuki theater and study its origins, the specificity and role in Japanese culture. On the basis of the work’s purpose I have set the following objectives:
- Consider the occurrence of kabuki theater
- Examine the Kabuki theater in the Tokugawa and Meiji eras;
- Explore all the elements that make up the Kabuki theater.
Kabuki - one of kinds of traditional Japanese theater, which represents the synthesis of singing, music, dance and drama; the performers use elaborate makeup and costumes with a great symbolic load. Word of Kabuki in the XVI century signified any extravagance in manners, clothes, behavior; it also applied to the buffoons, wandering folk actors. The origins of Kabuki art go back to the representations of comedians - performers of small scenes, farces, which included dancing and singing. The culture of XVII - XIX centuries is characterized by an intensive expansion of the area: its centers are becoming, in addition to Kyoto and Nara, new capital of Edo (present-day Tokyo), Osaka port city of Sakai, Nagasaki and others. The heyday of specific urban culture has become the main feature of the final stage of the Japanese mature Middle Ages. Naturally, the forms of art and its role in society have changed. The third estate, which has gradually developed their own standards of ethics and aesthetics, came out to the forefront of the artistic life as the protagonist and the heir to the cultural traditions of the past. There appear performances from the life of the urban citizens with their daily problems, the life of "neighborhoods entertainment" and so on. Kabuki theater is becoming a model of the grand baroque style, preserving its peculiarities until the beginning of XX century, when with the advent of the Meiji occurs dominance of realistic art, to requirements of which Kabuki actors will be forced to obey. The emergence of Kabuki theater is connected with the name of a Buddhist temple servants O-Kuni in Kyoto (1603), who became the founder of a new popular spectacle of domestic nature - she sang songs, danced and played minor plays. Her social origin is unknown, but it is believed that she was the daughter of a blacksmith. Okuni performed in Kyoto with praying dance, common to the temple dancer. It is possible that in reality Okuni had no relation to the temple and simply chose the religious submission form, as at that time to collect money in the interests of the church was easier and more reliable. Encouraged by success, Okuni started to gradually expand the program of her performances. To famous praying dance nembutsu-odori, which she performed solo, have been added dance scenes, imitating the performances of Noh theater. Okuni often appeared on the scene in a man's suit with two samurai swords at her belt and showed a passion for the courtesan. This was the birth of the theatrical genre of Kabuki. Performances of the group of Okuni attracted both spectators and supporters of a new genre, who wanted to join her troupe. These ideas also attracted the interest of writers and comic interludes - Kyogen, who sought more freedom in creativity than it was allowed by the canons and patrons of Noh theater. Gradually, new spectacles acquired dramatic foundation. The themes for the performances were events of modern life, the well-known historical events or scenes from the repertoire of storytellers. As a music accompaniment there have been used the drums and flutes, borrowed from Noh theater. Since the members of the upper classes were not allowed to attend the gatherings together with ordinary people on both sides of the scene were constructed special closed by grates lodges for visiting dignitaries. This architectural addition was the first step towards the construction of a closed stationary theatrical space, where the actors and the audience were under the roof. Okuni died approximately in 1610, but the exact date of her death is unknown, as the other dancers called themselves by her name, using her popularity.
Some rough and even violent atmosphere of Kabuki theater performances attracted the attention of the Tokugawa shogunate, and in 1629, in order to preserve public morality, women were forbidden to appear on stage. Some historians believe that the government was also concerned about the popularity of performances, covering the lives of ordinary people, not the heroes of antiquity, and scandals associated with the kabuki, in which some government officials were involved. Due to high popularity of Kabuki, the place of women performers of roles occupied young men. At the same time the nature of performances has changed - increased emphasis on drama rather than dance. However, this had little impact on the moral side of the performances, furthermore, male actors were equally accessible to the public than their predecessors. This gave rise to widespread homosexuality as beautiful boys quickly found their patrons, but the government again intervened and Kabuki performances were banned. In the end, troupes began to be formed only adult males. Thus, from 1653, in the Kabuki theater began "male" period. The center of gravity in the art of Kabuki was moved from sensuality and physical attractiveness of the performers on the acting skills. Meiji Revolution dramatically changed the course of the historical development of the country. Japan embarked on the path of capitalist development, started a broad band of borrowing the experience of European countries, restructuring and renovation of all areas of life in Japanese society. After the Meiji Restoration, Japanese society was full of new ideas. New theatrical art threatened to destroy the art of Kabuki, and perhaps so it would have been, but thanks to the efforts of prominent actors and theatrical figures Kabuki was able to survive and achieve new successes in the new era. (Adolphe Clarence Scott 34-45)
Dramaturgy of Kabuki Theater appears in the second half of the XVII century, when in the performances of Kabuki theater, which consisted of dance scenes, the text is included. According to the plot, the planned scenario, leading actors wrote the text for themselves, which often changed in the course of improvisation. At the end of the XVII century emerged professional playwrights, who wrote plays with many acts. In the performances of Kabuki Theatre were usually embodied moral values, prevailing in the Tokugawa era. They are the basis, on which stories are constructed. It is, for example, Inga Ojo (the law of punitive justice) - Buddhist idea of an imminent collapse of the villain or the prosperity and happiness for a long time suffered woman. The idea mudjo (impermanence of all that exists), also of Buddhist origin, is illustrated by the fall of a powerful military leader or the decline of arrogant family. Then enough common is displaying of some direct conflict ideological norms from arsenal of Confucian traditions (duty, obligation, filial piety) with personal desires and passions, resulting in various kinds of dramatic situations. Typically, in the theater worked several playwrights, who have written plays specifically for theater actors. There was a certain classification of playwrights. New writers had to perform various auxiliary works in the theater, so that thoroughly examine the entire theater system. Then they were allowed to help during performances. Later, they were given the right to help senior playwrights to write plays and guide the work on the scene. The order of plays’ creation was this: the leading actor and manager of the theater gave the chief playwright of the theater a plan of the new play. The playwright developed the storyline and wrote the main scenes, the rest was finished by younger playwrights of the theater. The author of the play was considered a major playwright. The relationship between playwriting of Kabuki theater and playwriting of puppet theater jōruri was very profound. The plays jōruri gradually turned into plays for Kabuki Theater, their text was reconsidered and processed.
The plays of Kabuki reflect different aspects of life, attitude and aspirations of people of different social groups of medieval Japan. The main theme of most of the plays is the conflict between the human senses and cruel regulations of the feudal system, governing relations in the family and in society, a conflict with the feudal morality. There are three types of Kabuki plays: historical, household and dance. The repertoire of the theater is respectively divided, within each group there are small subgroups. The Kabuki performance usually includes a play or act from the playwriting of each of these three types. For the themes of historical plays typically serve most prominent and significant events in the history of Japan, the heroes of such plays have become feudal lords, generals and soldiers. Several varieties are distinguished in the group of historical plays. The first of them - historical plays from the life of the court aristocracy and the clergy, dating back to the XII century. In the second type of historical plays the protagonists are the soldiers of XIII - the middle of XIX century. Often they are the stories of loyalty and revenge. Many of them - the grim tragedy, a little bit animated by comedy short strokes. The third kind of historical plays are the plays about the life of the large feudal homes, in which often appears a problem of inheritance. The fourth kind of historical plays are new historical plays, which appeared after the Meiji Revolution and featured by the greatest realistic and credible image of historical events. The second major part of the Kabuki repertoire makes up household plays. The central theme of these plays - dramatic events of the little person's life, affecting a narrow circle of people. There are varieties of such plays: sevamono - plays from the life of the citizens, the protagonists of which are the merchants and courtesans; kidzevamono - plays from the life of thieves and crooks, and dzangirimono - new household plays. On the stage of Kabuki appears quite a lot of new plays, written by contemporary playwrights, but they are usually short-lived and mostly in the repertoire of the theater are not included. All new plays are created on historical subjects, often based on literary works. Playwriting of Kabuki is diverse in its directions. Usually its plot is about known historical events or scenes from everyday life. This once again underlines the fact that the Kabuki theater was created for ordinary people. (Adolphe Clarence Scott 199-236)
For deeper understanding of Kabuki theater, it is also important to discuss and analyze the elements of this theater. Kabuki performances took place in large, specially equipped theater buildings, on a wide but shallow stage. During the Edo period in Japan, there was no electricity. For this reason, Kabuki performances took place during the day from dawn to dusk, using sunlight as the main lighting system. During twilight in order to illuminate the scene were used the candles. Through the development of a modern lighting system Kabuki was able to create spectacular colorful lighting system, which has never existed in the world of theater performances. For example, the shadows had completely disappeared from the scene. This kind of technology is unique for Kabuki. Moreover, the light system of Kabuki creates special lighting to highlight the beauty of the actor in night scenes. In order to surprise the viewers, Kabuki lighting system brings life and piquancy in an artificial scene. One of the most important elements of the Kabuki scene is the scenery. For the actors to be seemed larger, home and the situation on the scene were made less than usual. The conventionality of Kabuki art is expressed in the presence on the stage of dressed in black stage workers. Also a lot of attention is paid to requisites - kodogu. It is divided into degogu - home utensils, ornaments and other objects and motidoku - hats, weapons, umbrellas, etc. The art of acting in Kabuki and production of requisites was handed down from father to son. The costume of Kabuki is known for its colorfulness and brightness. Costumes with the added extensive embroidery on silk fabrics are created for a variety of roles. Extravagant costumes are sometimes very severe and can sometimes look natural and ordinary for the townspeople. Continuous checks to make sure that the costumes are created exactly on the basis of the information, left for a long time, have been carried out. Makeup in Kabuki distinguished depending on the performance. For the image of good-looking young man or a young girl is used white base makeup, but for other roles are used different colors such as brown, which are added to the white base to show the different age of the character. For the image of force on the face they depicted with different colors using only one finger along the veins. For the representatives of justice they uses a red color, but for the ghosts - blue. White began to be used as the main with the development of lighting technology. At a time when there was a special lighting, the scene was illuminated by sunlight or candlelight, and there was no need for such an intense white makeup.
Music in the Kabuki theater is one of most important components of the genre. It accompanies the performance with the opening of the curtain, and continues throughout the play. It pauses only when the pause helps to create a strong impression. Music pervades the whole performance of Kabuki. The play is framed by sonorous knock, the pattering creates a special atmosphere of theatricality in Kabuki. Musicians, being on stage or hidden by louvered screen behind the scenes on the left side of the scene, reinforce the emotional tension of the game of actors and implement sound effects. Scenic speech in Kabuki has a specific rhythmic and melodic basis - this is the result of the influence of the theater jōruri. In Kabuki are used only Japanese national musical instruments. These include flutes and drums of different sizes, shamisen, and sometimes in the Kabuki theater orchestra are added koto, an ancient zither - stringed national musical instrument, similar to a bandura of elongated shape. The last important detail of the application of music in Kabuki theater is the sphere of sound illustration. Illustration tasks are performed by the orchestra, which is placed behind a lattice screen from the left wing. All this makes the Kabuki a type of musical theater, music guides and determines all of the actions. (Paul Kuritz 110-116)
Kabuki - a leading genre of Japanese traditional art, which absorbed all the best from the rich treasury of long theatrical culture. It should be remembered that the Kabuki theater was created by the people and for the people, therefore, it reflects the truth. A Japanese Kabuki theater was associated with mass urban culture. Kabuki was the favorite spectacle of city dwellers of all layers and levels of affluence and responded to the tastes of the audience. The occurrence of the Kabuki theater refers to the beginning of the seventeenth century and is connected with the name Okuni, the well-known performer of ritual dances. Because of the great popularity of Kabuki, the place of female performers was occupied by young men. At the same time changed the nature of performances - increased emphasis on playwriting arts rather than dance. In Kabuki theater almost all is strongly influenced by jōruri theater. From this theater in large part appeared the actor's technique, this applies to the field of movement and gesture, facial expressions and makeup. Concluding, we can say that if there were not the obstacles, faced by the Kabuki theater in the era of feudal Japan, we would not have seen it just as it is today.
Works Cited
Adolphe Clarence Scott. "The Kabuki Theatre of Japan." 1999, Dover publications. Print
Paul Kuritz. "The Making of Theatre History." 1988, Englewood Publishing. Print
