YOSE
KABUKI
OLD
NOH
KYOGEN
BUNRAKU
BUNRAKU
bunraku began in the 16th century. Puppets and
bunraku were used in Japanese theatre as early
as the Noh plays. Medieval records prove the use
of puppets in Noh plays too. The puppets were 3–
4 feet (0.91–1.22 m)-tall, and the dolls were
manipulated by puppeteers in full view of the
audience. The puppeteers controlling the legs and
hands of the puppets are dressed entirely in
black, while the head puppeteer in contrast wears
a colourful costume. Music and chanting is a
popular convention of bunraku, and the shamisen
player is usually considered to be the leader of
the production. The shamisen player also has the
shortest hair.
WESTERN PLAYS
NEW
JAPANESE THEATRE SHINPA
SHOKEJIKO
NOH
was a spiritual drama, combining symbolism from
Buddhism and Shintoism and focusing on tales
with mythic significance. Noh theatre was
generally performed for the elite aristocratic class,
Noh and kyōgen plays were performed together in series
of nine, alternating between the two styles, with short
kyōgen plays acting as interludes between the lengthy
Noh.
Both men and women were allowed to perform kyōgen
until 1430 :
KYOGEN
its comic partner, served as a link between the
OLD STYLE theological themes of the Noh play with the
pedestrian world by use of theatrical farce and
slapstick.
Izumo no Okuni is considered to have performed the first kabuki play on the dried-up
banks of the Kamo River in Kyoto in 1603. Like Noh, however, over time, kabuki
developed heavily into a set art form, with importance given to preserving the integrity of
certain plays, down to using the same costume designs used several centuries ago
KABUKI
combines music, drama, and dance, often using
period-accurate costumes and intense
choreography. Types of kabuki play include
jidaimono (historical plays) and sewamono
("contemporary" plays), as well as shosagoto
("dance-drama") plays primarily focused around
set dance pieces. Styles of kabuki performance
include the aragoto ("rough style") and onnagata
("female style") styles.