| 6. Performing Arts |
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Classical Theater
Noh: Kan'ami and his son Zeami perfected Noh drama in the fourteenth
and fifteenth centuries. Zeami refined the rustic mimetic art
known as sarugaku. In the Edo period (1603-1867) the Tokugawa
shogunate authorized five schools of Noh for the entertainment
of the samurai class. Noh is a highly stylized form of dance
drama in which the main actor, who is masked, dances to the
accompaniment of chanting and instrumental music.
Kyogen: Kyogen are short comic plays developed at about the
same time as Noh and generally performed in conjunction with
it. Both Noh and Kyogen are authorized by the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as
"Master Work of Humankind's Oral Tradition and Intangible
Heritage".
Kabuki: Kabuki dates back to the early seventeenth century when
Okuni, a maiden consecrated to Izumo Shrine in Shimane Prefecture,
created and performed original dance and led a troupe of her
own. After around 1652, kabuki developed as a theatrical art
to be performed by adult males alone, giving rise to the institution
of oyama or onnagata—male actors who specialize in female
roles.
Modern Drama
Shinpa (new school, in contrast to the "old school"
of kabuki) drama developed in the Meiji era as an attempt to
depict the manners and customs of contemporary Japan. Shinpa
is characterized by a more naturalistic acting style than kabuki
and the coexistence of onnagata and actresses. The history of
shingeki (new theater, Japan's version of modern Western drama)
reflects Japan's social conditions during the process of modernization.
As there were as yet no Japanese scripts suited to naturalistic
acting, many Western dramas were translated and performed.
In the latter half of the 1960s, the number of small avant-garde
groups called angura (underground) troupes increased. The pioneer
of the small theater movement was Yume no Yuminsha (now NODA
MAP), led by Hideki Noda.
Musical revues date back to the 1910s, when all-female troupes
were organized after the manner of French revues. During their
heyday the revues produced many stars and attracted great numbers
of fans. Even today, many young women flock to performances
by the all-female Takarazuka Revue troupe.
Yukio Ninagawa, famous for his Shakespeare productions is one
of the leaders in the contemporary performing arts scene. His
recent productions of Midsummer Night's Dream (1996), Shindokumaru
(1997) and Hamlet (1998) premiered in London received excellent
reputation and led to a joint performance with the Royal Shakespeare
Company in both 1999 and 2000 in London and Stratford-Upon-Avon.
Japanese versions of Western musicals that have been hits on
Broadway or elsewhere are popular in Japan. In particular, such
musicals as Cats and Beauty and the Beast performed by the Shiki
Theatrical Company have enjoyed immense commercial success in
Japan. In 2001 alone, Shiki staged 2,218 stages in Japan and
attracted 2 million people and grossed sales of more than ¥18
billion.
Dance
The type of dance generically known as Nihon Buyo (Japanese
dance) developed through influences from traditional folk dance,
Noh, Kabuki, and other performing arts incorporating dance.
Modern dance was brought to Japan in the 1920s by Japanese dancers
who had studied in Europe and the United States. The young dancer
Tetsuya Kumakawa, who served as the principal at the Royal Ballet
in Britain, is now performing in Japan and leading his own dance
company, K Company. Saburo Teshigawara, a prominent choreographer
has been active in the world of classic ballet. In the 1980s
he won a prize in the Bagnolet International Competition and
since then has been more active abroad than in Japan. He was
appointed to be in charge of the choreography for the ballet
company of Opera National de Paris in 2003.
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