Medieval
to Renaissance Theatre – Japanese Noh Theatre
Introduction
Many people regard European theatre and its traditions as the centre for change in dramatic focus and forms but the major movement towards a Renaissance Theatre probably happen first in Japan in the form of the Noh Theatre. Traditional Japanese theatre has three major forms Noh Theatre, Bunraku Puppet Theatre and Kabuki Theatre.
日本の伝統的な劇場は3主要な形態能楽堂、文楽人形劇場、歌舞伎座があります。
Although
this workshop and this material concentrates on Noh Theatre, it is useful to
look at the following videoclip to get an idea of these three traditional forms
of Japanese Theatre. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T5RqW8TWWY
Noh
Theatre is a Japanese form of mask theatre developed during the 14th
Century.
能楽堂は14世紀中に開発マスク劇場の日本の形です。
It
uses a number of dance-drama forms. Normally in Noh, there is masked drama,
dance and music, two main actors, a chorus (6 - 12), three musicians, masks,
splendid costumes, few props and a simple stage. The main character in Noh is
called a shite
and the subsidiary or side-character is called a waki. Quite often a Chorus is evident
which functions in much the same way that a Greek Chorus does. Some of the
elements that categorize Noh are its slow and controlled style, it elongated or
extended vocal sounds and the stylized movements of the feet and hands. To
introduce Noh, teachers may want students to look at the following video links.
The first is a lecture with demonstrations of vocal , movement and characters
aspects of Noh Theatre:
Some
Noh Theatre History
In
the Mid-13th century, Noh started to evolve as a more structured and
codified theatre form out of a number of folk and court performance and storytelling
forms. Some of these would have been mask and puppet based performance forms.
But the spectacle, rituals, stories, characters and performing artistry of the
Noh was much more sophisticated than anything that had existed in Japan before.
By the 14th century in the Japanese city of Kyoto, Dengaku-no-No had started. Here is a description of an early performance:
“Two
companies were competing against one another, each actors being sumptuously
dressed, powered and painted, and with blackened teeth. Sarugaku actors leapt
and twirled. The spectators were so carried away in excitement that the
stamping of their feet began to manifest their delight, resulting in the stands
collapsing. Panic ensued, robbers took advantage of it and swords were drawn
from their scabbards. The celebration ended in bloodshed.” (Frederick 1972:222)
·
Kanami
Kiyotsugu (born 1333 died1384) was an important early founder of Noh Theatre.
かなみ清次（ 生まれ1333 年には 1384 年に死亡）は、能楽堂の重要な初期創設者だった。
·
His
son Zeami (born 1363 died 1443) wrote Noh theatre dramas and writings on the
theory and technique of Noh Drama.
息子世阿弥は、（生まれ1363年には1443年に死亡）能楽劇の理論と技術に能舞台のドラマや文章を書きました。
·
The
l5th Century was the golden age for Noh and the dominant audience were
samurais.
·
Some
plays were about war and others were about spirits and spiritual release
·
Ordinary
people were denied seeing Noh by law by the 17 century.
Forms
of the Noh Plays
There
are 5 major forms of Noh Drama plays
能楽ドラマ演劇の5つの主要な形態があります。:
1.
God
plays 神ドラマ
2.
Warrior-ghost
plays 戦士と幽霊ドラマ
3.
Women
plays 女性のドラマ
4.
Plays
of Insanity 狂気ドラマ
5.
Demon
plays. 悪魔ドラマ
The
action in a Noh play is normally done retrospectively or as a recollection and
often a poetic or dreamlike quality is thus often evident. Traditionally, all
forms were performed in the one day with a sixth form of ritual or drama called
an Okina
performed first which had more of a religious purpose. Today individual play
forms are often performed on their own.
1.
God
Plays – The first scene is a shite in the first scene where a simple story is told or poem
recited about the origin of the shrine or theatre. After interval the story of
the individual god is often told. Here is a clip of a modern cross-cultural God
Play: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zL7Ys1yDt8U
2.
Warrior
or Ghost Plays – These plays centre on the warriors of the Gengji-Heike clan
and often tell the stories of famous battles. Often ghost warriors appear and
they relive their last battles. Here is a clip of a Ghost Play scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu5Vn1vQ5i4
3.
Woman
Plays – Plays that deal with women of the Heian Period (781-1189) normally
portrayed as beautiful and in glorious costumes.
4.
Insanity
Plays – Dealing with a variety of characters (often females) and showing
different types of madness or insanity.
5.
Demon
Plays deal with both good demons (brining blessings to humans) and others evil
demons (bringing evil but they are usually subdued by humans in the end of the
play). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaUDr9G7oOY
Noh
Play Structure
A Noh
play normally has three sections or paths - Jo-ha-kyū 序破急
·
Jo (slow, dignified and
uses simple rhythms and movements)
·
Ha (pace is built and
some sharper movements appear)
·
Kyu (short, sharp
movements and gestures are indicative of Kyu)
So a Noh play may have the Dramatic Structure of:
In
the opening Jo sequence
we see the entrance of a subsidiary character (waki) and once he is introduced then he
gives away the plot or his reason for being there. Then the waki character goes to travel somewhere
and we may hear a travel-song (michiyuki), sung by the chorus who are positioned at the side
of the stage. The waki then arrives at his destination. Then the main character or protagonist
(shite), enters
(sometimes accompanied by other characters. The characters talk and the whole
plot of the whole play is revealed along with the themes and tensions that
exist. The following clip has the opening Jo sequence at the beginning. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIVV3wWHWYU
Drumming
normally changes signal that the middle sequence or Ha has begun. The Shite dances a stylized set of actions or
movement which re-enactments previous events. This is a kuse.
A Kyogen comic interlude is then performed
by comic characters who speak in everyday, informal language. Sometimes Kyogen
plays are also
performed on their own outside their structure and place in Noh Drama. The
following is a videoclip of a Kyogen sequence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl5S1qI4G8U
The
final and most dramatic section is called Kyu and involves the protagonist
appearing in his/her real form and a climatic dance.
Acting
and Movement in Noh Theatre
The
actors in Noh Theatre are male.
能楽堂での俳優が男性である。
An
excellent account of Noh training and performing can be found in Monica Bethe
and Karen Brazell’s account, 'The Practice of Noh Theatre', (Schechner 1990).
One activity which can be adapted to use with students is using Zeami’s Kyui nine degrees of artistry. While
these levels are very complex in their original forms, I find I can give
students a taste of these through using the image in the brackets to help them
visualize and attain movements to give them a sense of the form. Levels 9, 8, 7
and 6 tend to be faster and with more movement while levels 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1
tend to slower, fuller and with less movement.
Some
movements are made primarily with the feet and legs and other movements are
made primarily with the hands and arms.
いくつかの動きは主に足と脚や他の動きは、主に手や腕で作られていて作られています。
9. The
violent and corrupt style: the art of crudity and coarseness (a storm, crashing waves or a cut
snake –
嵐、波をクラッシュしたり、カットヘビ)
8.
The
powerful and violent style: the art of strength and crudity
(a
moving mountain, a giant throwing trees, a bear)
7.
The
powerful & meticulous style: the art of strength & delicacy
(like Tai Chi movements, pulling
& pushing, a crane taking off)
6.
The
superficial but ornamental style: the art of faint patterns
(painting a delicate painting, wind
in the trees, a flamingo)
5.
The
ample and precise style: the art of versatility and precision
(a deer moving in the woods, firing
an arrow)
4. The
style of the genuine flower: the art of the flower of correctness (a flower opening and following the
sun)
3.
The
style of the serene flower: the art of the flower of stillness
(a flower collecting the last rays
of sunlight or gentle rain)
2. The
style of the flower - high and deep: the art of the flower of profundity (a flower drawing energy from its
roots as it opens gently)
1 . The
style of the marvelous flower: the art of the flower of mystery (a flower in stillness ready to
bloom)
The
Theatre and the Staging
Students
can do research projects on the staging of Noh drama. Briefly, In Noh, a small
stage leads out to the main stage in Noh via a catwalk. The main stage is
normally 30 square meters in area. The following website has a lot of
information and pictures of Noh Theatre staging.
Noh
Masks and Characters
There
are over sixty different basic types of Noh Theatre Masks and over 200
different kinds in use. I have found that Noh mask is good as a research
process or students can make or paint their own masks.
Costumes
in Noh Drama
Students
can also research Noh theatre and even Kyogen theatre costumes. The costumes
are often elaborate with silver and embroidery. The symbolism of the colours is
another area for students to research. A good website for students to start at
is:
Voice,
Sounds and Music in Noh Drama
Music
is integral to Noh drama. Students can research and experiment with the three
elements of Noh: vocal (actors and the chorus), woodwind (primarily flute
playing) and percussion (various drums). Try:
Noh
Dance and Movement
Dance
and movement is a crucial part of the Noh. Slow symbolic movements are often
seen as stylistically characterizing Noh as a form. Some interesting websites
for research are below but many of the exercises late concentrate on movement
aspects.
Cross-Cultural
Link to Japanese Theatre
In
Australia, students at the upper levels or in IB Theatre programs might want to
research connections in Western art and theatre which have connections to
Japanese Theatre. I have had VCE students who have examined this and even IB
Theatre students who have done it as research for their Extended Essay. Yeats
was interested in Noh drama he wrote five 'Noh plays'. Brecht was influenced by
Kabuki and some of his alienation techniques were developed from Japanese
theatre techniques. The French theatre of Jacques Copeau and Jean-Louis
Barrault were influenced by Noh Drama and both used it in their drama and in
their actor training. Some modern plays of Yukio Mishima and Tadashi Suzuki
have mixed tradition and modern, eastern and western traditions in their work.
The work of these people or work in the area of cross cultural form and
aesthetics is interesting.
Zen
and Tao – Exercises in Noh Theatre
Noh
Posture
The
first aspect of Noh is to find the posture. Here is one description bu Noh
performer and teacher Sakurama Kintaro:
''You
should stand erect, your head perfectly straight, puling your thin back as far
as possible. If you pull back your chin your whole body - not only the line of
your neck - will be naturally straight. The shoulders should be relaxed, but
the arms kept at the sides and held in a gentle arc so that the elbows will not
sag-..You should let your strength flow into your abdomen without making any
conscious effort to do so. As long as you maintain a steady posture your
strength will naturally flow there… the small of the back, like the chin should
be pulled back somewhat, but you must avoid protruding the buttocks…” (Keene 1966:71-72)
Noh Breathing Exercise
Begin by rocking the body slightly back and forth, slowly, in
decreasing arcs, until you settle at your center of gravity. The mind is in the
hara, mouth is closed, tongue pressed on the upper palate. Students should
initially breath through the nose and experiencing the breath. Students then
are instructed to steady and stabilize the mind by counting the breath. Each
inhalation and each exhalation is counted. Inhale and at the end of the
inhalation, count one. Exhale and at the end of the exhalation, count two.
Count up to ten and then start all over again. Counting focuses the mind and
the breath.
The
Position of the Hands, Arms and Elbows in Noh
Men’s
elbows should not touch their torso. Their should be room enough for a ball in
the armpit. Women should actually keep the elbows in making actual contact with
the body. Both men and women should put the hands on the upper thighs with the
fingers lightly touching.
Noh
Walking
Walk
on the heels and slightly curve up the toes and bend the knees as little as possible
when walking. Try to make contact with the floor for most of the time and make
the step suri ashi or sliding in its motion. Forward walking always starts with the left
foot and walking backward always starts with the right foot.
Mini
Noh Theatre Using Symbolic and Stylised Movement
Noh
theatre is all about finding slow, stylized, symbolic movements. I often use
fans as a element and prop to help students find stylized movement. The
movements should be done with a neutral face or students can always use a
neutral mask during some of this work.
1.
I
always get students to start with everyday gestures that have a symbolic aspect
or are easily understood or ‘read’ but get students to do these actions slower
than in real life and to hold them for longer. I get students to try ‘stop’,
‘come closer’, ‘be quiet’, ‘go away’ and ‘I love you’. Students then slow these
gestures even more.
2.
Students
then can be led to find ways to show emotions without using facial expression.
The gestures should display or show the emotion in movement. Sometimes students
find this difficult so I sometimes allow them to use facil expressions
initially and then I get them to try to express the emotion without the facial
expression. Some expression that work are: happiness, sadness, surprise, anger,
fear, disgust, shyness and madness (craziness).
3.
It is
at this point that I get students to use a paper fan (cheap Chinese fans can be
found for about $2.00). I ask the students to repeat some of the everyday
movements and the emotions they did earlier to see which work with the fan.
Read out the following words and students do actions for each word.
Words:
Old, young, pond, frog, pond, light, moon flower, shadow, creep, forest, winds,
rage and leaves. 古い、若い、池、カエル、池、光、月の花、影、クリープ、森、風、怒りと葉。
4.
Get
into groups of three, four or five people.
3、4または5人のグループに入る。
Come to the teacher and get a haiku poem.
先生に来て、俳句の詩を得る。
As a
group, you are going to develop a short Noh drama based on haiku poem.
グループとして、俳句詩に基づいて、短い能楽劇を開発しようとしている。
One
person should read the poem and the other people should act out or create
movements for each line of the poem.
一人は詩を読んで、他の人が演じるか、詩の各行の動きを作成する必要があります。
Please
use the fans to help create objects, things, animals or elements in your performance.
あなたのパフォーマンスオブジェクト、物事、動物または要素を作成するためのファンを使用してください。
Here
are the haiku poems:
Frog poem (1680’s)
(English)
An old
silent pond
A frog jumps
into the pond
Splash!
Silence again.
(Romaji)
Furu ike ya
kawazu tobikomu
mizu no oto
kawazu tobikomu
mizu no oto
(Kanji)
古池や蛙飛こむ水のおと
(Hiragana)
ふるいけやかわずとびこむみずのおと
古池や蛙飛こむ水のおと
(Hiragana)
ふるいけやかわずとびこむみずのおと
Barnhouse or Storehouse poem (1690’s)
by Mizuta Masahide
(English)
My
storehouse burnt down,
There is nothing to obstruct
The moon-view
There is nothing to obstruct
The moon-view
(Romaji)
kura yakete
sawaru mono naki tsukimi kana
(Hiragana)
蔵焼けて 障るものなき 月見哉
Over the Wintry Forest (1320’s)
Over the Wintry Forest (1320’s)
by Natsume Soseki
Over the Wintry
Forest, winds howl in rage
With no leaves to blow.
It
is important to make sure that students know that there is never a right or
correct gesture. Emphasise that difference is good. With the use of paper fan
(Chinese or Japanese) create a short movement sequence, which has a beginning,
development and a conclusion, and a way of expressing either revenge, jealousy
or lost love (of a child or lover). These are common themes of Noh. Ideally,
Noh flute music should be played to accompany this exercise.
5.
The
same exercises can be repeated using a fan but a student can do this while
another reads a haiku or other Japanese poetry.
Some
Other Ideas for Using Noh Theatre in the Drama Classroom
·
Read
through Noh Stories or Japanese Folktales.
·
Use
some stories from Noh Theatre in the classroom as the basis for movement
pieces, narrated or Reader’s Theatre or full theatre pieces. Some stories are
available on the following websites:
·
Analyze
the Noh stories for their classical Noh Theatre structure jo, ha and kyu. Use Noh Theatre structural and
stylistic elements and apply them to another ‘Western’ or ‘Australian’ play.
More general principals or stylistic aspects of Noh Drama can be used for
famous stories like those used in Shakespeare. Suggestions could include:
‘Antony and Cleopatra’, ‘Julius Caesar’, ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Henry VIII’,
‘Jandamarra’, ‘Burke and Wills’ or ‘Gough Whitlam’.
▪
Try
using the imagery and poetry of Noh Theatre stories or haiku as the basis for
still images/frozen pictures or tableaux. These can also be done to summarize
the plot or show the major sequence in the plot of lomger Noh Theatre pieces.
▪
Drums,
percussion instruments or even using their own bodies to create percussive
elements can be used to accompany a performance or even to create a Noh style
music piece.
▪
Teach
or imitate Noh Theatre movements from a video
▪
Make,
paint and decorate masks in a Noh Theatre style
Do
work to Noh Theatre music using fans. This can also be extended to use section
from Noh Theatre plays.
References
Arnott,
P. 1969. The Theatres of Japan. Macmillan. London
Baill,
E.J. 1990. The Japanese Theatre – From Shamanistic Ritual to Contemporary
Pluralism. Leider.
New York.
Bowers,
F. 1952. Japanese Theatre. Greenwood Press. Westport. Conn.
Brandon,
J.R. 1997. Nō and kyōgen in the contemporary world. University of Hawaii Press.
Honolulu.
Brazell,
K. 1998. Traditional Japanese Theatre: An Anthology of Plays. Columbia University Press. New
York.
Hare,
T.B. 1986. Zeami’s Style: The Noh Plays of Zeami Motokiyo. Stanford University Press.
Stanford.
Keene,
D. 1966. No: The Classical Theatre of Japan. Kodansha International.Tokyo.
Keene,
D. (ed.), 1970. Twenty Plays of the Noh Theater. Columbia Uni Press. NY.
Komparu,
K. 1983. The Noh Theater: Principles and Perspectives. Translated by Jane Corddry.
Weatherhill. New York.
Maruoka,
D. 1975. (6th Ed.). Noh. Hoikusha Publishing. Osaka.
Mishima, Y. (1985). Five Modern No Plays. Translated by Donald Keene. New York: Vintage Press.
Mishima, Y. (1985). Five Modern No Plays. Translated by Donald Keene. New York: Vintage Press.
Nakamura
Y. 1971. Noh: The Classical Theater. Translated by Don Kenny. Weatherhill. New York.
Rath,
E. 2004. The Ethos of Noh: Actors and Their Art. Harvard University Asia Centre
Press. Harvard.
Waley,
A. 2009. Noh Plays of Japan. Tuttle Shokai Inc, New York & Tokyo.
Noh
Music
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