P1+Theater

Kabuki, Noh, and Bonraku Theatres There are many different forms of theatre including Bonraku, Kabuki, and Noh. The structures of the plays and the location are very important. The costumes play a significant part in a play. Samurai were not able to watch Kabuki plays, although it was common for Samurai to give their armor to their favorite Noh actor as part of the actor’s costume. Also, women are not allowed to be in plays, so men usually dressed up as women and applied makeup.
 * Introduction **

Bonraku is a puppet theatre that started in the late 16th and 17th centuries. Bonraku was a serious theatre for both comedies and serious stories. The stories were intended for adults. Puppets illustrated the stories along with music and dance. Kabuki Theater helped develop Bonraku, with its technical aspects. There were two major groups of plays: the first group is called Jidaimono and the second group is called Sewamono. Jidaimono are about historical stories, usually about warriors. Sewamono Bonraku plays are based on real events. //Tokaido Yotsuya kaiden//, or the ghost of Yotsuya, was one of the Bonraku plays.
 * Bonraku Plays and Groups **

Kabuki theatres were a very popular form of entertainment for the lower classes. Samurai were not allowed to go to Kabuki theatres. Most merchants go to Kabuki theaters as a source of entertainment. They used lots of props to make it seem very realistic. There were several types of play themes including plays about love, war Samurai and suicide, or seppuku. They have a back stage area and a front stage area. The back stage area is where the actors prepare for the play and the front stage area is where the actors perform. Women were not allowed to play a role in these plays. The women roles were played by men. The Kabuki plays traveled around to different places. A Kabuki theatre has a revolving stage and shadow figures. Kabuki is believed to have started around the spring of 1603. It was started by a woman called izumo No Okuni. The first Kabuki performance was on a dry river bed in Kyoto. The outlandish and new popular dances caused a sensation. Kabuki performances lasted up to six and a half hours. In 1620, the government tried to gain control of the Kabuki theatres, due to the thought that it was morally corrupting influences on society. The government then banned women from performing. The plays became more dramatic since they could not rely on the attractiveness of the performers. In the 1730`s and 40`sKabuki theatre lost its popularity due to the puppet theater called Bonraku.
 * Kabuki Plays **

Noh is the oldest form of theatre. The performances are believed to date back to the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Noh is recollections of the past. It was usual to have 3 to 4 performances a day. It has been closely linked with the Samurai class of Japan. It was also a popular form of entertainment for upper classes. All actors in Noh were also men. Most Noh plays only had a few roles which were played by the main actor called “shite.” The “shite” is usually masked. Most Noh plays havd ghosts and spirits in them. It was believed that you have to master all the basic techniques of Noh before the age of 25 or your muscles will become tight and stiff and you could never achieve Noh acting. There are five schools of Noh troupes; Kanze, Hosho, Kongo, Komparu, and Kita. Yugen is elegance or beauty. Yugen has to exist in every Noh play. The mask and the layers of shimmering costume give the actor an oversized sculptural presence while moving.
 * Noh Plays **

The puppets that were in the performance were figures seen on stage. The puppets were almost as big as the actors. Later in time, the puppets came to have moveable mouths, eyes, eyebrows, and hands. It is required to have 3 puppeteers per puppet. Puppeteers were dressed in all black. They operated the elaborately dressed puppets right on stage. The puppeteers work in full view of the audience. The Kabuki costumes were outlandish, but caused a sensation when combined with the new popular dances. The actors wore elaborate costumes and heavy makeup. The actors played the roles of warrior’s, thieves, respectable and low-class ladies. Noh costumes were similar to the Samurai gear. Some costumes were given as a gift to actors from Samurai. Noh theatre is known for its masks and spectacular costumes. The two main actors in the play change their masks often to show their different emotions. Their clothes are divided by sleeves. There are long sleeves with open wrists and short sleeves with very little open wrists. Pants, headbands, sashes and other accessories complete their outfits. Noh theatre was essential to Samurai culture because it was a source of entertainment. Also, if a Samurai wanted to attend a Kabuki play they would have to go in disguise. They would have to blend in with the rest of the audience to not draw attention to themselves.
 * Bonraku Costumes and Puppeteers **
 * Kabuki Costumes and Roles **
 * Noh Costumes **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Conclusion **

media type="custom" key="5444921"

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 110%;">British Museum. “Kabuki Theatre of Japan. The British Museum. The British Museum. No Date of Publication. Web. 16th February, 2010.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 14.4pt; line-height: 115%;">Citations **

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Deal, William E. __Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan__. New York : Facts On File. Inc., 2006. Print.

Denney, Joyce. "Noh Costume". In //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History //. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Web. 18th February. 2010.

Dorothy & Thomas Hoobler. The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn. New York, New York: Penguin Group, 1999. Print.

Kalman, Bobbie. __Japan the Culture__. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 1989. Print.

Makela. A. Lee, “Traditional Theater in Japan.” About Japan. Makela. A. Lee, February 1995. Web. 17 February. 2010.

<span style="color: #4d4a42; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mishima, Shizuko. “Japanese Kabuki.” //About.com.// About.com. Web. February 15, 2010.

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Mitchell D. John & Watanabe Miyoko Watanabe. “Noh and Kabuki Staging Japanese Theatre.” New York: Institute for Advanced Studies in the Theatre Arts, 1994. Print.