Kabuki: A Revolution in Color and Design

As part of a year-long celebration of the opening of its Cultural Village, the Portland Japanese Garden held an exhibition of kabuki costumes which ran July 29th to September 3rd.  Costumes for the exhibition were selected by master costumer Tsuji Masao and provided by Shochiku Grand Kabuki. 

Costume for Kamakura Gongoro Kagemasa in Shibaraku.

This aragoto or dynamic superhero role is one of the most dynamic in the kabuki repertoire.  First performed in 1697 by Ichikawa Danjuro, the role is only ever performed by members of the Nakamura family.  The costume features enormous sleeves with three white squares on a kaki-iro (persimmon color) background, the crest and color of Danjuro's acting family, Naritaya.  

Costume for Kashima Nyudo Shinsai (Namazu Bozu) in Shibaraku.

This villain role of the Namazu Bozu (catfish priest) features a haori (jacket) with an octopus motif, indicating a slippery character.  This style of motif is called kubinuki because the actor's head appears to pop right out of the octopus body.

Costume for Hanakawado Sukeroku in Sukeroku, the Flower of Edo.

The title role of Sukeroku was first performed by Ichikawa Danjuro II in 1713.  This dashing hero is considered to be the most handsome in the kabuki repertoire.  The ginko and peony montsuki (family crest) on the kimono belonged to the family of the Shogun's wife and was awarded to Danjuro by a high-ranking member of the wife's household.  It has since become the unofficial crest (kae-mon) of the Danjuro family.

Costume for Miuraya Agemaki in Sukeroku, the Flower of Edo.

Agemaki is the titular hero's lover and a high-ranking courtesan.  She first appears in a formal procession wearing this uchikake (outer robe) featuring New Year's motifs including pine, bamboo, and kadomatsu.

Costume for Miuraya Agemaki in Sukeroku, the Flower of Edo.

This uchikake (outer robe) features a March motif including cherry blossoms and Hina Matusuri (Doll/Girls Festival) symbols.  Agemaki wears five seasonally themed uchikake throughout the play.

Costume for Hige no Ikyu in Sukeroku, the Flower of Edo.

These elaborate robes are worn by the villain of the play, the wealthy and powerful priest Ikyu.  The pattern is of a coffered ceiling (gotenjo) with powerful dragons, tigers, and turtles. 

Costume for Hige no Ikyu in Sukeroku, the Flower of Edo.

The gaudy motif of dragons, clouds, and waves on a vivid red background are suited to the villainous Ikyu who prefers to openly display his powerful position.

Sukeroku, the Flower of Edo (1884) by Yoshu Chikanobu (1838-1912)

This woodblock print triptych features (left-to-right) Sukeroku, Sukeroku's brother, Agemaki, and Ikyu.

A Comparison of Actors Wages (1883) by Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900)

This woodblock print triptych features eight actors in nine roles with the salary of 64 actors along the top.  At the time, an actor's popularity would decide his wages and avid kabuki fans followed these rankings closely.

Kabuki Costume Presentation by Shochiku Costume Co. Ltd.

On July 30th, a kabuki costume presentation was held at the Portland Japanese Garden in conjunction with two days of performances by members of Shochiku Grand Kabuki.  The performances and presentation kicked off the Kabuki: A Revolution in Color and Design exhibition which ran July 29th through September 3rd.

The Costumers

Mr. Hojo and Mr. Takemura are professional costume dressers with Shochiku Costume Co. Ltd.  Mr. Hojo assists with costuming for different types of theater and Mr. Takemura only assists with kabuki costuming.  

Costumers must have ten years of experience before assisting high-ranking kabuki actors.  Costumers assisting lower ranking actors must have at least two years of experience.  A production with eighty actors on stage will typically have at least sixty people assisting backstage.

The Costume

For this presentation, Mr. Hojo and Mr. Takemura dressed a young woman in the costume for the title role of the famous kabuki dance, Fuji Musume (Wisteria Maiden).  This particular costume weighs approximately twenty pounds and is seventy to eighty years old.  

The kimono undergarments are silk in places that will be visible while non-visible parts are typically cotton.  Tabi (white socks) are worn first, followed by padding to prevent the costume from shifting while the actor moves.  An underskirt is added, followed by a han-juban, an undershirt with a collar that will be visible.  The back collar of the han-juban is pulled low to avoid touching the hair on the wig.   The kimono is tied into place with koshi himo (flat strings), followed by the obi.  Both kimono and obi are in two pieces because this dance includes hikinuki (onstage quick change).  Finally, the obijime (decorative rope-like sash) and obiage (decorative wide sash) are tied into place.   

Kabuki costume designs have remained the same for approximately one hundred years.  Prior to that, the designs varied.  Variances in costume color and accessories are a result of a discussion with the actor.  If the actor prefers a deeper shade of green, the costume will have the same design with deeper colors.  Preparing kimono for a role can amount to two months of work.  The kimono will be dyed, then temporarily sewed.  The design is drawn on and embroidered followed by the final sewing.  Since the same kimono will be worn by different actors, it will be disassembled and resewed for the current actor's size.  After a production, the costume goes to a special dry cleaner.  Unlike traditional kimono, old kabuki kimono are not sold after they are retired.  Instead, they are stored as samples or occasionally kept by an actor if they have a sentimental attachment.  The costumes in this exhibition are still in use.

The Wig (Katsura)

The tokoyama (wig master) brought out the wig for Tenaraiko.  He explained that youthful roles like that of the maiden in Tenaraiko require a bigger wig with more hair.  The hair ornaments were pink and red for the role of a young girl.  

In kabuki, one wig master will be assigned to support the principal actor while another wig master will be assigned to support twenty to thirty actors in lower roles.  Copper frames molded to fit each actor are kept on hand.  If someone can't go out, the wig master can style a wig for the replacement actor within two to three hours.  The frame can also be adjusted if the actor's hair volume changes.  

The Actors
Nakamura Umemaru came forward to provide an actor's perspective on wearing kabuki costumes.  He began studying dance at the age of seven and his first appearance on stage was at the age of eight.  Kabuki actors rarely retire and Umemaru's teacher is active on stage at the age of seventy one.

Kabuki on Stage: A Solo Performance

Special kabuki performances were held at the Portland Japanese Garden on the evenings of July 29th and 30th to open the Kabuki: A Revolution in Color and Design exhibition which ran July 29th through September 3rd.  This was the first ever performance of Shochiku Grand Kabuki in a Japanese garden and the first U.S. performance by actor Nakamura Umemaru.

The evening began with an introduction by kabuki actor Nakamura Umeno.  As the sun went down, the crows in the garden began calling to on another from their treetop perches, providing a bit of unintentional humor to an already lively introduction.  

Umemaru took the stage to demonstrate how he applies his makeup and to be dressed with assistance and narration provided by Umeno.  There are no makeup artists for kabuki, so actors must all apply their own makeup with the exception of the oshiroi (white makeup) on the neckline which can usually be applied by a fellow actor.  We learned that actors may blend shades of red to create an original color that isn't available to the market.  Bright red makeup lining the eyes and lips indicates a young woman.  Brown makeup would be used for a middle aged role, and black makeup would be used for a villain role.  First, bintsuke-abura (wax/oil) is applied to the skin to allow makeup to go on smoothly without smudging or sweating away.  Then, oshiroi  is applied to the face and neck and smoothed by patting with a sponge.  This is followed by powder patted on to seal in the makeup.  Lips and eyes are lined and filled in and eyebrows are drawn on last.  Hands are painted with oshiroi after everything else is done.

Kabuki costumes are usually silk rather than polyester, allowing for comfort and ease of movement on stage.  The bow for a kabuki obi is a separate piece on the kabuki costume, unlike traditional obi which are one piece.  White makeup and brightly colored kimono are easy to see in natural light, hearkening back to the early years of kabuki before the introduction of electric lighting.  Umemaru's kimono for this demonstration featured a black lattice pattern on yellow background which showed up brilliantly against the darkening garden backdrop.  

To conclude the demonstration, Umemaru's wig was brought to the stage by the tokoyama (wig master).  Kabuki wigs are made by taking a mold of the actor's head, creating a copper plate framework, and adding individual strands of hair.  The wig for Tenaraiko weighs approximately 4.5 pounds and some kabuki wigs can weight up to 11 pounds. 

After a brief intermission Umemaru returned to the stage to perform Tenaraiko, a dance that has been in the kabuki repertoire since 1792.  It tells the story of a young woman thinking wistfully on love while returning home from calligraphy lessons.  She pauses along the way to play with butterflies, write a love poem, and perform a brief segment from Musume Dojoji.  A hikinuki (onstage quick change) took place midway through the dance, revealing a vivid orange kimono that had been hidden beneath a pale pink kimono.

Please enjoy this video featuring highlights from the performance.

An Introduction to Kabuki: Lecture and Costume Demonstration

On July 1st, the Portland Japanese Garden hosted a kabuki lecture and demonstration presented by Professor Laurence Kominz and Toshimi Tanaka.  This event was a prelude to the August exhibition, Kabuki: A Revolution in Color and Design.

Dr. Kominz is a Professor of Japanese at Portland State University, teaching Japanese Literature with a specialization in kabuki, noh and kyogen.  He was a student of famed Japanese literature expert Donald Keene at Columbia University and studied kabuki, noh, kyogen, and bunraku chant as well as writing about kabuki and its stars.

Shochiku is the production company for kabuki which is the only UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage theater representative that is intended to be profitable.  

Izumo no Okuni introduced kabuki around 1603, performing in the riverbed alongside the Kamo River.  As kabuki grew in popularity, licensed prostitutes started holding performances as a form of advertising.  Men in the audience, including samurai who were trained to kill, began fighting over their favorite prostitutes and these disturbances with their potential for violence and loss of life were the reasons given for the ban on female kabuki actors in 1629.  To this day, there are no female actors on the kabuki stage.

While attending a kabuki performance you will almost certainly hear shouts of encouragement (kakegoe), often the actor's house name, from within the audience toward the actors when they perform a particularly striking movement or pivotal scene.  These are professional kakegoe callers, or o-muko-san who receive free tickets to performances for their services.  The tradition of kakegoe had faded over time before famous kabuki actor Kanzaburo reintroduced it to encourage audience engagement.  

The costumes in the upcoming exhibition would include Sukeroku and Shibaraku.  

In "Sukeroku", the title character is always with a beautiful woman and wears a blue hachimaki (head scarf) indicating love sickness and yellow tabi (socks) indicating a great sense of humor.  His geta (tall shoes) and umbrella suggest rain.  His love interest is the courtesan Agemaki who wears an uchikake (outer robe) with a New Year motif and a manaita (chopping board) obi featuring carp jumping in a waterfall.  Ikyu, the villain, wears fancy robes indicating wealth.  

"Shibaraku: was first performed by Ichikawa Danjuro and the role of Gongoro is always performed by a member of his family in November, the kabuki New Year when new casts are announced.  This play is included as an interlude in longer plays.  At a climactic moment, Gongoro will shout, "Shibaraku!" ("Wait a moment!") before rushing on stage to pose with his arms out of their sleeves.  Red stripes on the face indicate a single-minded man, a superhero who is powerful, strong, and virtuous.  Supernatural paper decorates his hair which is a kuruma-bin (wheel wig), the wildest wig in kabuki.  His enormous sleeves feature three squares on a persimmon background, the crest and color of Danjuro's acting family, Naritaya.  He carries an sword so long that it's impossible to draw and wears trailing trousers.

In 2016, Dr. Kominz directed the kabuki play "The Revenge of the 47 Loyal Samurai" at Portland State University and in May he directed two kabuki plays, "The Castle Tower and The Puppeteer".  The actress in the role of Oshichi in "The Puppeteer" performed using a technique called ningyo buri, a puppet-style dance that is often seen in kabuki plays adapted from bunraku (traditional puppet theater).

Toshimi Tanaka, wife of Dr. Kominz, is a Japanese language teacher and kimono expert with over 30 years of experience. 

Yoko Shirai who assisted with the dressing is a weaver who designed some of the dolls that appeared in The Puppeteer.

[Toshimi Tanaka with a doll designed by Yoko Shirai]

Throughout the lecture PSU student and actor Alexi Logan applied kabuki makeup which included oshiroi (white makeup), white powder, rouge, black liner, red liner and lip coloring.  

The oshiroi (white makeup) worn by onnagata has its roots in Shinto where white indicates purity, as well as a being social indicator that this person has no need to work outside.  After WWII, the makeup standard moved away from white.

When Alexi's makeup was complete, Toshimi dressed her for the role of Princess Tomi in "The Castle Tower", complete with the raincoat she had borrowed from a scarecrow.  While dressing Alexi, she shared some of the clever tricks and workarounds she employed to make costuming eighty actors possible with a limited budget and limited time backstage.

Protocol backstage is for the actors to do their own makeup with help from other actors to paint their neck, but dressing is done by professionals.  Most onnagata (female role specialist) obi are pre-tied with the rare exception of actors like Tamasaburo Bando.  

On display during the lecture was the costume for the role of Oshichi, the daughter of a grocery store owner who fell in love with the temple page, Kichisa in the play "The Puppeteer".

Kabuki performances can be seen at Kabuki-za Theatre and Shinbashi Enbujo Theatre in Tokyo, Minami-za in Kyoto, and Shochiku-za Theatre in Osaka.  

Seattle Cherry Blossom Festival 2017

Seattle's 42nd Annual Cherry Blossom & Japanese Cultural Festival took place April 21st through 23rd at Seattle Center. The festival features live music and dance performances, arts and crafts workshops, tea ceremony and martial arts demonstrations, and delicious food and drink to enjoy throughout each day. I attended the final day of the festival when most of the dance performances were scheduled.

Fujima Rankoh

We were fortunate to have two performances by special guest Fujima Rankoh, a renowned dancer with the Fujima School of traditional Japanese dance.  Seattle was one of the stops on his four month US tour which included the Nihon Buyo lecture and demonstration that I attended just a few days prior.
The morning performance was Yamagaeri (Returning from a Pilgrimage to Mt. Oyama), a kabuki dance where a young fireman describes his adventures during a pilgrimage to Mt. Oyama.

Kabuki Academy

Kabuki Academy perfomed traditional Japanese dance and shamisen music, including a traditional nagauta piece, Oimatsu, Kesenai Tsumi (Full Metal Alchemist end theme), History Maker (Yuri on Ice opening theme), and You Only Live Once (Yuri On Ice end theme).

Kabuki Academy Director, Mary Ohno introduced each performance.

Sakura, Sakura performed by Mirai, Yukiko, and Miya - This traditional song describes springtime and cherry blossoms, appropriate to the Cherry Blossom Festival theme.

Aoyagi performed by Hanaka - In this dance, a mature geisha wistfully recalls the young love they had to leave behind.

Warabe Jishi performed by Akina - A young maiden performing a lion dance is overtaken by the spirit of a lion.

Kabuki Academy's performance concluded with everyone taking the stage for a dance followed by the traditional Tejime, a ceremonial 3-3-3-1 hand-clapping where everyone is encouraged to join in to end the performance on a high note.

Tea Ceremony by Chanoyu Seattle

Narration for this tea ceremony demonstration was provided by Kayo Nakamoto. The host (Teishu) was Kyoko Matsuda, Omotesenke-ryu tea ceremony teacher with Chanoyu Seattle and the assistant (Hanto) was Mitsuko Tooyama. The main guest (Shokyaku) was Naomi Okubo with second and third guests (Kyaku) Hana and Sora Okubo.

The scroll reads "Wakei Seijaku" which translates to harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility.

Following the tea ceremony, audience members were invited to take on the role of guests and have matcha prepared for them.

If you would like an opportunity to see Omotesenke tea ceremony, demonstrations are held monthly at the Seattle Art Museum (call to verify which dates are Omotesenke and which are Urasenke) and at the Seattle Japanese Garden.

Nihon Buyo: Japanese Dance Brought to Life

On April 20th, I had the opportunity to attend the Nihon Buyo lecture and performance hosted by the University of Washington and featuring Fujima Rankoh and Mark Oshima.

Fujima Rankoh is a renowned dancer with the Fujima School of classical dance.  He began studying dance at age 5, debuted on stage at age 6, and received the professional title of Fujima Rankoh at age 16.  He has also studied nagauta music (Kineya), noh (Komparu), tea ceremony (Urasenke), and Hayashi accompaniment music for which he received the professional title of Kiyoshi Tosha.

Mark Oshima is a kabuki researcher, author, and translator.  He has received the professional title of Fujima Toyoaki with Fujima School of classical dance and Kiyomoto Shimadayu with Kiyomoto School of music.  In addition to performing on stage as a kabuki singer, his work includes providing translation for the Kabuki-za and National Theatre English Language devices and for NHK World's Kabuki Kool program.

The event began with a brief welcome and introduction by Ken Tadashi Oshima (Architecure professor, UW Japan Studies Program chair).  Mark Oshima provided a a detailed overview of nihon buyo (classical Japanese dance) accompanied by performances of two dances by Fujima Rankoh.

The term "nihon buyo" was invented relatively recently in the 19th century to encompass traditional dance forms including mai (circling dances like noh), jiuta-mai (dances performed by geisha and maiko), and odori (high-stepping dances like Bon Odori).  Nihon, as you may know, refers to Japan and buyo is a combination of the characters for mai (舞, also pronounced "bu") and odori (踊, also pronounced "yō").  Over half of nihon buyo is kabuki buyo.  It's interesting to note that, though women do not perform on the kabuki stage, most buyo performers are women.

The first performance was Yamagaeri (Returning from a Pilgrimage to Mt. Oyama), a kabuki dance accompanied by Kiyomoto narrative music and performed with full costume, makeup, and props.  The setting is Mt. Oyama near Edo, a popular site for pilgrimages which often doubled as an excuse to get away and play.  This dance centers around a young fireman describing his visit and brief romantic encounter.

Utamono is lyrical music like Nagauta.  Kutarimono is narrative music like Kiyomoto.  Japanese music must be sung in Japanese due to the distinct syllables.  "A" and "aa" are two different words, so a fushi or joint is added to lengthen.  It's understood that the fushi has no meaning and is just music. Utamono is word based with melodies and rhythm.  Kutarimono is entirely word-based and is difficult to dance to.  The moves and music aren't in measures, so live dancers and musicians must interact on stage.  Mark performed a Kutarimono piece with shamisen.

The second dance was Miyakodori (Capital Birds), a su odori performed in formal kimono with no makeup and only a fan as a prop.  This is a piece composed by Tomeiryu founder, Hiraoka Ginshu, a famous engineer who came to America to study trains and created Tomeiryu by altering and refining shamisen, creating traditional music suited to the refinements.  The title of the piece is a reference to poet Ariwara no Narihira who, while crossing the Sumida river during his exile from Kyoto to Tokyo, spotted white birds flying overhead and named them "miyakodori" (birds from Kyoto).  Along with the Sumida river, they have become a symbol of longing for someone who isn't there.  Though this specific dance does not have a story behind it, there is a famous Noh play about a woman slowly going mad as she tries to find her kidnapped son.  She sees the white birds and thinks of the poet, then hears the story of a boy dying while traveling with slave traders and realizes this must have been her son.  As she prays, she thinks she hears her son's voice in the cries of the birds and sees him in the swaying of a willow tree.

The event concluded with a Q&A.  Mark, with demonstrations by Rankoh, explained how movements in nihon buyo such as rocking can indicate being on a small boat and how a fan take the place of many props, being pulled like and oar or held like a pipe.

If you happen to be in Portland on May 30th, PSU will hold their spring kabuki production of The Castle Tower and The Puppeteer, both entirely in English and featuring music by Mark Oshima.

Kabuki Review: Akoya

I recently watched the Kabuki DVD of Akoya and would like to share some moments from this great play.

Akoya, also knows as the "koto torture scene", is the third act in the play Dan no Ura Kabuto Gunki.  Akoya is a high-ranking courtesan and the lover of General Kagekiyo who has gone into hiding after his clan, the Taira, lost to the Genji clan in the Genpei War.  In this play, Akoya, who insists she doesn't know where Kagekiyo is hiding, is brought before Hatakeyama Shigetada who is charged to question and torture her.  Rather than bowing to pressure to use the typically heinous instruments of torture, Shigetada instead demands that Akoya perform on a series of three instruments: koto, shamisen, and kokyu.  She pours such loneliness and yearning for Kagekiyo into her music that Shigetada believes she is telling the truth and releases her.

Akoya was originally written for bunraku (puppet theatre) and later revised for kabuki. The musicians are from bunraku and perform on the thick-necked futo-zao shamisen.  As a nod to its origins, the part of the comical villain, Iwanaga Saemon Munetsura, is performed like a puppet, complete with puppeteers, moving eyebrows, and voice narration by the musicians.

The role of the courtesan Akoya is very difficult to master as it requires proficiency in three instruments: koto, shamisen, and kokyu, with the latter being rare. Tamasaburo Bando is currently the only actor capable of taking on this role and from 1950 to 1980 only Nakamura Utaemon VI could perform the role.

For more information on this play, please visit Kabuki21.  Here is a segment of Akoya featuring Tamasaburo's performance on the three instruments.  It's really beautiful!

The official DVD of Akoya is region-free and comes with English commentary and translation.  It can be purchased at Marty Gross Films and Amazon.co.jp or at Kabuki-za Theatre if you're in Tokyo.

Kabukiza November 2015 Performance

On November 4th, I attended a special performance at Kabukiza Theatre in Tokyo, Japan.

While waiting for the doors to open, I visited the Rooftop Garden on the 5th floor of Kabukiza Tower. Kabukiza Tower can be entered around the corner to the left of the Theatre entrance. Only one elevator to the right in the lobby will take you to the 5th floor and there you'll find the Studio-Alice Kabuki Photo Studio, Kabukiza Gallery, Jugetsudo tea room, and the Rooftop Garden which features Kabuki elements like the stone lantern of Kawatake Mokuami and Okuni Sakura tree.

Following a visit to the Garden, I made my descent to the basement level which connects directly to Higashi-Ginza Station and hosts rows upon rows of shops selling Kabuki-themed merchandise ranging from snacks to DVDs.

Due to the longer performance, the doors opened only 20 minutes before the performance began. This led to a sold-out crowd pouring en masse into the modest-size lobby, scrambling to rent their caption devices and buy the program book before the first act began. The last time I was tossed around that much was at a rock concert. I would recommend verifying when the doors open and planning accordingly so you're not overwhelmed. Once I moved past the chaos in the lobby, everyone became relaxed and polite and friendly ushers at each door were ready to guide me to my seat. I am happy to note that the Japanese program book now includes a section explaining each play in English. Last year, there was no English program and in the previous Kabuki-za Theatre a thin black and white English-language program was sold separately.

The November program sold out almost immediately due to a special occasion, a memorial of the 50th death anniversary of Ichikawa Danjuro XI. In his honor, all the plays featured roles he famously portrayed.

To make the occasion even more special, Ichikawa Danjuro XI's great-grandson, Horikoshi Kangen was introduced by his father, Ichikawa Ebizo XI in his first stage appearance (omemie).

The matinee performance featured Sanemori Monogatari (The Tale of Sanemori), Wakaki Hi no Nobunaga (The Young Nobunaga), and Soga Moyo Tateshi no Goshozome.

I attended the evening performance which included:

Edo no Hana Narita no Omokage (Flowers of Edo and the Image of Narita-ya)
Description from Kabukiza's English website: The shows of this month are for the 50th anniversary of the Danjuro XI's death. Living National Treasures and other top rate actors appear on stage to celebrate the first appearance on stage of Horikoshi Kangen, the son of Ichikawa Ebizo and the great-grandson of Danjuro XI. The Narita on the title refers to the yago acting house name 'Narita-ya' of Danjuro's family line to which Ebizo and Kangen belong. Ichikawa Danjuro is the representative name of Narita-ya and the actor who names himself Danjuro is expected to be a representative actor of Edo kabuki.
Kangen was so cute and he did very well for his first stage appearance.  Though he is much younger than is traditional for omemie, Ebizo said he successfully petitioned for his son's early introduction to coincide with the memorial for Danjuro XI.

Genroku Chushingura - Sengoku Yashiki (The Judgement at the Mansion of Lord Sengoku)
Description from Kabukiza's English website: Chushingura, also known as the Treasury of the Forty Seven Loyal Retainers, is one of the most popular plays in Kabuki and is about a true incident that took place in the Genroku period. When a samurai lord attacked another in the shogun's palace, he was immediately sentenced to ritual suicide and his domain was confiscated.

After much hardship, forty-seven of the lord's retainers avenged their lord's death. When the event occurred, it was a sensation because it proved that despite a century of peace, samurai values had not disappeared completely.

In the modern period, from 1934 to 1941 even as Japan was at war, Mayama Seika (1878 - 1948) painstakingly reworked this play into "GENROKU CHUSHINGURA," a vast cycle of plays in ten parts focusing on different incidents and different characters in this revenge classic adding historical details reflecting the Genroku period.

The particular section to be presented shows the retainers after they have succeeded in avenging their lord's death and go to await their judgment. Lord Sengoku is an official of the shogunate, but is anxious to discuss the philosophy and justification for the attack with its leader, Kuranosuke as they wait for the retainers to go to the various lords to be kept in custody until the shogunate decides how they will be punished.
This is the fourth play I've seen from Genroku Chushingura and I look forward to one day seeing them all.

Kanjincho (The Subscription List)
Description from Kabukiza's English website: The most famous play in the original "Juhachiban" and probably the most popular kabuki play today. It includes dance, comedy and the heart-warming pathos of a band of heroes during their last days. Disguised as a band of traveling priests the fugitive general Yoshitsune and his small band of retainers are stopped at a road barrier. They escape only through the quick thinking of the head retainer, a warrior priest named Benkei, who improvises the text of an elaborate imperial decree with an empty scroll. Togashi, the barrier guard allows them to pass, but one of his soldiers points out that there is a man who resembles Yoshitsune...
It's becoming an accidental tradition that I see Kanjincho and I always look forward to how the actors take on the role of Benkei, the epitome of strength and loyalty who successfully delivers what is arguably the most convincing lie in historical fiction.

Kochiyama (Tea Priest Kochiyama)
Description from Kabukiza's English website: The tea priest Kochiyama is a skilled thief and extortionist, but cannot turn down a request to help those in need. He disguises himself as a high-ranking priest to try to gain the freedom of a girl held by a powerful samurai lord because she will not become his mistress. Using the famous poetic cadences of the late 19th century playwright Mokuami, Kochiyama not only succeeds in his mission to rescue the girl, but manages to extort a fair amount for himself.
The performance ended with a bit of humor as Ebizo's Kochiyama smoothly gets everything he wants at the expense of the villainous lord and manages to stroll away unharmed.  Beautiful.

A note on translation devices:
Kabukiza has done away with the lightweight earphone guide that provided English translation of the dialogue and songs as well as commentary on history and cultural notes related to each play.  Now they offer the cumbersome English G-Mark Guide captioning service.  Guests with seats on the 1st and 2nd floors can attach the device the back of the seat in front of them, though this requires sitting with your legs apart around the device, to the delight of your neighbor.  Guests seated on the 3rd floor are provided with a neckstrap.  In order to use the device, you have to look away from the stage to read along, which is nuisance when you're missing important moments in the play.  I'm grateful for any English-language service as this is not offered in most other kabuki theaters, though this is a big step backward in usefulness.  To rent the G-Mark Guide, you will need to pay a non-refundable ￥1,000 deposit and leave your photo ID as collateral.  Bring your driver's license or similar ID so you don't have to give up your passport.

Kabuki Spectacle at the Bellagio

Shochiku and MGM presented a Kabuki Spectacle in Las Vegas in front of the Bellagio fountain where Ichikawa Somegoro performed the dynamic Kabuki play, Koi Tsukami (Fighting With A Carp).  I was unable to attend, so I'm grateful for the great video footage taken from the event.

A Japan Kabuki Festival will take place in Las Vegas in May 2016.  I'm looking forward to it!

Minamiza March 2014 Performance

Unlike Kabukiza in Tokyo, Kyoto's Minamiza and Osaka's Shochikuza do not hold kabuki performances year-round.  When I saw that there would be a performance at Minamiza during my visit to Kyoto, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to attend!

During March, there were two performances each day.

The matinee performance featured Fubuki Toge (The Snowbound Pass), Suo Otoshi (The Dropped Coat), and Yowa Nasake Ukina no Yokogushi (Scar-faced Yosaburo).

I attended the evening performance which included:

Gohiki Kanjincho (The Subscription List of Theatre Patrons)
Description from Minamiza's English website:  “Gohiiki Kanjincho” was first performed in 1773 as a lavish kaomise play. “Kaomise” was the first play of the new season and was not only the occasion when theatres showed off the new line up of stars for the season, but also had a variety of rules and rituals. Among these was that if a member of the Ichikawa Danjuro line was appearing, the play would feature the routine “Shibaraku!” where a superhuman hero stops the villain by calling out “shibaraku,” or “wait a minute!” “Gohiiki Kanjincho” not only features “Shibaraku,” but also features an early version of “Kanjincho (The Subscription List,)” now, one of the most famous plays in kabuki.  In “Kanjincho (The Subscription List)” the wise and powerful Benkei gets his master Yoshitsune through a barrier gate by using his wits. “Gohiiki Kanjincho” relies on the very old aragoto style of acting for a leisurely and comic version of the same story. Benkei gets his master Yoshitsune through the barrier by pretending to be very weak and allowing himself to be tied up. He cries like a baby when he is tormented by the barrier attendants. But when Benkei recognizes that his master is safe, he explodes with energy, showing off the bombastic aragoto style of acting. He breaks the ropes and pulls off the heads of the attendants, tossing them into a barrel and washing them like a bunch of potatoes.

Seeing these versions of two of the most famous aragoto-style plays was a real treat.  Onoe Shoroku was truly larger than life as Kumai no Taro in Shibaraku and Benkei in Kanjincho.  The "potato washing" scene was unexpectedly funny.

Kyokanoko Musume Dojoji (The Maiden at Dojoji Temple)

Description from Minamiza's English website:  A beautiful young woman dances under cherry blossoms at a dedication ceremony for a temple bell. She dances the many aspects of a woman in love, but is actually the spirit of a serpent, driven to destroy the bell out of jealousy. This is the most famous of all kabuki dances and considered to be the pinnacle of the art of the onnagata female role specialist.

I have seen Musume Dojoji performed by Tamasaburo Bando, and Musume Ninin Dojoji performed as a duet by Tamasaburo Bando and Kikunosuke Onoe.  It seemed appropriate to now see Kikunosuke perform Musume Dojoji.  His movement and expression are elegant and beautiful. While my favorite dance play is Sagi Musume, I never pass up an opportunity to see Musume Dojoji because the range and mastery of dance techniques it requires is both inspiring and breathtaking. 

I was running late to this performance, so I didn't have time to take photos of the beautiful interior.  For visitors with disabilities, keep in mind that Minamiza's last interior update was in 1991, so it is less accessible than Kabukiza.  The goods area, while small, carries quite a few actor-related goods which I found to be lacking at Kabukiza.

There are no English listening devices available.  However, the program book does include an English-language section including a cast list and description of each play.

Minamiza can be reached by bus, subway, or taxi.  If you are coming from Kyoto Station, I would recommend taking a taxi which is much more affordable in Kyoto than it is in Tokyo.  I took the subway and it required a transfer and a lot of waiting as the trains don't run frequently.  Due to Hanatorou (Spring Illumination) in the nearby Higashiyama area, the bus queues were very long.

If you happen to be in Kyoto between April 24th-29th, there is a special 30-minute tour of Minamiza called "Experience the Stage of Minamiza" where you can get a close look at the kabuki stagecraft, including the hanamichi (flower path/runway and namesake of this blog), trap doors, and revolving stage.  Tours are Japanese-language only.

After the performance, I stopped to pay my respects at the nearby statue of Okuni, the founder of kabuki.  

I'm looking forward to attending more performances at Kyoto's Minamiza Theatre!