Japanese Theatre Flashcards
No or Noh theatre
oldest form of Japanese theatre, most classical and stylized
Kabuki
“Ka” - song
“bu” - dance
“ki” - skill
most identifiable
Bunraki
puppet theatre of Japan
Origin of Noh theatre
- grew from dengaku-no and saraguku-no
- Kunami (1333-84)dounder of Noh, earliest to form the previous forms into new form of Noh
- Zeami (1363-1444) No actor and playwright, created the Kadensho
Kadensho
(manual) for the No actor (equivalent of the poetics for the western world
butai (Characteristics of Noh)
wooden stage, ceramic jars
hashigakari (Characteristics of Noh)
bridge, from backstage to the mainstage, connects the two
shite (Characteristics of Noh)
lead actor, major dance performer
waki (Characteristics of Noh)
2nd actor, introduces shite, can play other characters
tzure (Characteristics of Noh)
3rd actor
Who founded Kabuki theatre?
Okuni
Okuni
founded Kabuki, temple priestess
hanamichi (Characteristics of Kabuki)
“flower path” runway extended from stage through audiences to back of house
maku (Characteristics of Kabuki)
panels of green/red/brown/black curtain, pulled from side to side
onna gata (Characteristics of Kabuki)
unique to Kabuki,male actor trained for years specialises in female characters
kumadori
exaggerated makeup
kurogo
stagehands, dressed like ninjas, assist actors onstage
What does a traditional Noh evening consist of?
5 plays, one from each category
Categories of Noh plays?
- very serious (god plays)
- warrior plays
- “Female wiG” plays
- Ghost/spirit plays
- Dancing Plays
mi-e (Characteristics of Kabuki)
momentary freeze so audience can take in beauty of technique
ki (Characteristics of Kabuki)
wooden sticks that highlight the begining an dend of the show
samisen music (Characteristics of Kabuki)
music featured in Kabuki
Bunraku
puppet theatre, dolls 1/2 huan size, three puppeteers
