"Theatre of Yugen Theatre of Yugen is a non-profit theater company based in San Francisco, California, that specializes in bringing Japanese performing arts to American audiences. Theatre of Yugen in its 34th season was founded in 1978 by founder and director Yuriko Doi. The troupe centers its production efforts on creating works of world theater influenced by the classical Japanese dramatic forms of Noh and Kyogen. Theatre of Yugen’s experimental ensemble features artists from North America, Europe, and Asia who have been trained in traditional Japanese Noh and Kyogen forms. Current ensemble members include Sheila Berotti, Sheila Devitt, Karen Marek,"
"While leading the troupe, he wrote the first Japanese treatises on pragmatic aesthetics. Zeami adhered to a formalist writing process: he began with a topic, determined the structure, and finished by writing the lyrics. The number of plays that he wrote is uncertain, but numbers at least 30. His intellectual interests were eclectic and he was a proficient writer of Renga. ""The Tale of the Heike"" was the source of several of his best known plays. He integrated Japanese and Chinese ancient poetry into his drama. Contemporary dramatists Doami and Zoami had a significant influence on him, earning recognition in"
"own entertainment. The first form of theatre to flourish was Ningyō jōruri (commonly referred to as Bunraku). The founder of and main contributor to Ningyō jōruri, Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653–1725), turned his form of theatre into a true art form. Ningyō jōruri is a highly stylized form of theatre using puppets, today about 1/3d the size of a human. The men who control the puppets train their entire lives to become master puppeteers, when they can then operate the puppet's head and right arm and choose to show their faces during the performance. The other puppeteers, controlling the less important limbs"
"Noh , derived from the Sino-Japanese word for ""skill"" or ""talent"", is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Traditionally, a ""Noh"" program includes five ""Noh"" plays with comedic ""kyōgen"" plays in between; an abbreviated program of two ""Noh"" plays and one ""kyōgen"" piece has become common in ""Noh"" presentations today. An ""okina"" (翁) play may be presented in the very beginning especially at New Year, holidays, and other special occasions."
"Many of his plays, such as the famous ""Benten Kozō"", featured thieves and robbers, also known as ""shiranami"" (white waves), whom he represented somewhat sympathetically, as low-class heroes, or as tragic figures. As Japan modernized and Westernized rapidly in the Meiji period, Mokuami moved along with new trends in theatre, becoming a pioneer of ""Shin-kabuki"" (""New Kabuki""), writing plays in new genres such as ""katsurekimono"" (realistic, historically accurate ""jidaimono"" period plays) and ""zangirimono"" (""sewamono"" genre plays featuring Meiji era contemporary characters and setting). During his 50-year career, he became the most prolific kabuki author in history, producing over 360 works:"
"the conventions of realism. In the late 19th century, and early 20th century, there were attempts to ""modernize"" Japanese theatre. Japanese artists experimented with kabuki theatre (creating ""shin-kabuki"" or ""new kabuki""), and also created ""shinpa"", which attempted to fuse together modern technology and acting styles to create something new. However, unlike ""shingek""i, ""shinpa"" and ""shin-kabuki"" never developed into mainstream modern theatre. ""Kabuki"", ""shin-kabuki"", and ""shinpa"" were the only types of theatre that was around before the birth of ""shingeki"". Scholars link two historical figures to the development of ""shingeki"". The first is Tsubouchi Shōyō. Tsubouchi established the Bungei Kyokai, mentioned"
"Sewamono Sewamono (世話物) is a genre of contemporary setting plays in Japanese traditional theatre. The term applies to both bunraku and kabuki. The genre is in contrast to ""period setting plays"" or jidaimono. Though the distinction between ""historical"" and ""contemporary"" is not exact, and there are also plays that do not fit either category. Sewamono plays are naturalistic and set in contemporary normal environments rather the historical and samurai plays typical of the bombastic aragoto style. In the conflicted lovers genre, such as ""The Love Suicides at Sonezaki"", conflict between emotions (""ninjo"") and social pressure (""giri"") form the motor of"
"Ji sect priest, or a Zen master. Zeami's treatises were not widely available after his death, only the upper-class warriors were able to gain access to them. In 1908, several of the treatises were discovered at a used-book store in Japan. They gained wider circulation after this discovery but a complete set was not published until 1940. Zeami's plays have been continually performed in Japan since they were first written. Zeami Motokiyo Zeami mixed a variety of Classical and Modern themes in his writing, and made use of Japanese and Chinese traditions. He incorporated numerous themes of Zen Buddhism into"
"Namiki Gohei I Namiki Gohei I (; 1747 – June 2, 1808) was a Kabuki actor and playwright active in Kyoto, Edo and Osaka. He wrote over 100 plays, mostly in the genres of ""jidai-mono"" (historical) and ""sewa-mono"" (current events). Born in the Doshōmachi district in Osaka in 1747, Gohei was a student of the playwright Namiki Shōzō I. By 1775 he was already the main playwright for the Hayakumo-za Kabuki theatre in Kyoto. He is credited with helping establish the new genre of ""sewa-mono"" plays. Two of his plays have been translated into English, ""The Temple Gate and the"
"Namiki Shōzō I Namiki Shōzō I (並木正三) (1730–1773) was a prominent Japanese playwright who produced roughly 100 works for ""bunraku"" (puppet theater) and for ""kabuki"". Shōzō is also credited with inventing the revolving stage (回り舞台, ""mawaributai""), one of many tricks of stagecraft used extensively in ""kabuki"", and with popularizing the use of trapdoors (セリ上げ, ""seriage""). Shōzō left ""bunraku"" in 1751; adapting plays from ""bunraku"" to ""kabuki"" was a very common practice, and it is likely that many of Shōzō's kabuki plays began as puppet productions. His roughly one hundred plays were mostly ""jidai-mono"" (時代物, historical plays), and include ""Keisei ama"
"Yūgen suggests that which is beyond what can be said, but it is not an allusion to another world. It is about this world, this experience. All of these are portals to yūgen: ""To watch the sun sink behind a flower clad hill. To wander on in a huge forest without thought of return. To stand upon the shore and gaze after a boat that disappears behind distant islands. To contemplate the flight of wild geese seen and lost among the clouds. And, subtle shadows of bamboo on bamboo."" Zeami Motokiyo Zeami was the originator of the dramatic art form"
"feeling of closeness between the audience and the performers. The term ""taishū engeki"", literally meaning ""theatre of/for the masses,"" came to be applied to the genre to distinguish it from the more traditional of Japan's theatrical arts, such as kabuki, bunraku, and Noh. Though kabuki, bunraku, and many other pre-modern forms of Japanese performing arts were originally entertainment for the peasantry or commoner classes, they have since come to be seen as ""traditional arts,"" and have come to bear an importance and air of high culture which the ""taishū engeki"" form is not granted. As a result of its literal"
"the audience. The puppeteers controlling the legs and hands are dressed entirely in black, while the head puppeteer is wearing colorful clothing. Music and chanting is a popular convention of bunraku, and the shamisen player is usually considered to be the leader of the production as well as the one with the shortest hair. Japanese modern drama in the early 20th century, the 1900s, consisted of Shingeki (experimental Western-style theatre), which employed naturalistic acting and contemporary themes in contrast to the stylized conventions of Kabuki and Noh. Hōgetsu Shimamura and Kaoru Osanai were two figures influential in the development of"
"the plot. The engirimono, cut-knot-thing meaning “drama of cutting the lovers' knot"" such as Namiki Gohei's ""Godairiki Koi no Fujime"" is a subcategory of sewamono. Sewamono Sewamono (世話物) is a genre of contemporary setting plays in Japanese traditional theatre. The term applies to both bunraku and kabuki. The genre is in contrast to ""period setting plays"" or jidaimono. Though the distinction between ""historical"" and ""contemporary"" is not exact, and there are also plays that do not fit either category. Sewamono plays are naturalistic and set in contemporary normal environments rather the historical and samurai plays typical of the bombastic aragoto"
"architectural value in connection to the city of Kyoto. The stage employs unique stagecraft tricks used in Japanese Kabuki theater such as ""Hanamichi"" (runway stage), ""Seri"" (trap-door lift stage mechanism), and ""Mawari-butai"" (revolving stage), all of which were invented in playhouses during Edo period. Minami-za Minami-za is one of the earliest of the seven officially licensed Kabuki theaters built in the early Edo period (1615-1623) in the Shijo Kawara area in Kyoto, even before Tokyo and Osaka. The current Minami-za theater was built in 1929 in the architectural style of the Momoyama period, with a gabled roof and a traditional"
"theatrical troupes making plays designed to be seen by anyone and everyone — not necessarily as meaningful in nature as they were simply entertaining. Some of the more philosophical playwrights and directors of that time are Noda Hideki and Shōji Kōkami. Popular sho-gekijo theatrical troupes include Nylon 100, Gekidan Shinkansen, Tokyo Sunshine Boys, and Halaholo Shangrila. Recently, new generation of Sho-Gekijo artists who are labeled as the ""Generation of the Lost Decade"" or the ""Generation of 2000s"" are emerging. Principal artists among this generation are: Toshiki Okada, Shiro Maeda, Kuro Tanino, Daisuke Miura, Tomohiro Maekawa and so on. Many Western"
"Osaka. Yoshimoto Kogyo Yoshimoto is said to be almost single-handedly responsible for the development of Japanese manzai after World War II and, in fact, the kanji that are now used for the word ""manzai"" were introduced by Yoshimoto in 1933, spelling a new era for the comedy style. Although pure ""manzai"" is no longer the dominant form of entertainment in Japan, Yoshimoto's influence remains and the spirit of ""manzai"" lives on in modern Japanese comedy, as can be seen by the prevalence of the Kansai dialect in many ""owarai"" productions. The current director of Yoshimoto is Isao Yoshino, who replaced"
"the Japanese for hundreds of years. Japan, after a long period of civil wars and political disarray, was unified and at peace primarily due to shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543–1616). However, alarmed at increasing Christian growth, he cut off contact from Japan to Europe and China and outlawed Christianity. When peace did come, a flourish of cultural influence and growing merchant class demanded its own entertainment. The first form of theatre to flourish was Ningyō jōruri (commonly referred to as Bunraku). The founder of and main contributor to Ningyō jōruri, Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653–1725), turned his form of theatre into a true"
"German plays, including works from Frank Wedekind and Gerhart Hauptmann After joining the literary department of the Tsukiji Little Theatre in March 1926, he met Kaoru Osanai, the founder of this new theater. After Kubo and became interested in Osanai's new Japanese modern drama, also known as Shingeki style, he soon began to write ""The Land of Volcanic Ash"". This was one of Kubo's most well known works and was dedicated to his mentor, Osanai. Unfortunately, Osanai died shortly after on December 25, 1928 at the age of 47, causing the Tsukiji theater group to split into literary and political"
"shingeki. In the postwar period, there was a phenomenal growth in creative new dramatic works, which introduced fresh aesthetic concepts that revolutionized the orthodox modern theatre. Challenging the realistic, psychological drama focused on ""tragic historical progress"" of the Western-derived shingeki, young playwrights broke with such accepted tenets as conventional stage space, placing their action in tents, streets, and open areas and, at the extreme, in scenes played out all over Tokyo. Plots became increasingly complex, with play-within-a-play sequences, moving rapidly back and forth in time, and intermingling reality with fantasy. Dramatic structure was fragmented, with the focus on the performer,"
"is) performed in full-day programs. Rather than attending for 2–5 hours, as one might do in a modern Western-style theater, audiences ""escape"" from the day-to-day world, devoting a full day to entertainment. Though some individual plays, particularly the historical ""jidaimono"", might last an entire day, most were shorter and sequenced with other plays in order to produce a full-day program. The structure of the full-day program, like the structure of the plays themselves, was derived largely from the conventions of ""bunraku"" and ""Noh"", conventions which also appear in other traditional Japanese arts. Chief among these is the concept of ""jo-ha-kyū"""
"was opened in Yamanakako. A 2012 film titled """" also looks at Mishima's last day. In addition to contemporary-style plays such as ""Madame de Sade"", Mishima wrote for two of the three genres of classical Japanese theatre: Noh and Kabuki (as a proud Tokyoite, he would not even attend the Bunraku puppet theatre, always associated with Osaka and the provinces). Though Mishima took themes, titles and characters from the Noh canon, his twists and modern settings, such as hospitals and ballrooms, startled audiences accustomed to the long-settled originals. Donald Keene translated ""Five Modern Noh Plays"" (Tuttle, 1981; ). Most others"
"halted following the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, but was completed in 1925. The theatre entered into a contract in 1940 with Shōchiku, a major film and theatre production company, today the chief kabuki production company. Since becoming associated with Shochiku, the theatre has regularly seen productions ranging from modern drama and musicals to the ""shinpa"" (New School) genre developed in the Meiji period, as well as kabuki. The Kabuki-za, located several blocks away, is the chief kabuki theatre in the world. It plays somewhat the role of a storehouse of tradition, and its stage is usually dominated by the top"
"Theatre of Japan Traditional Japanese theatre includes Kabuki, Noh (and its comic accompaniment, Kyōgen) and the puppet theatre, Bunraku. The early existing Kyogen scripts date from the 15th century. Kyogen was used as an intermission between Noh acts—it linked the theme of the Noh play with the modern world by means of farce and slapstick. Noh played to the high level class, but there were occasions where Noh was performed for common audiences. Unlike Noh, the performers of Kyogen do not wear masks, unless their role calls for physical transformation. Although they were both very popular forms of theatre, commoners"
"Yoshimoto Kogyo Yoshimoto is said to be almost single-handedly responsible for the development of Japanese manzai after World War II and, in fact, the kanji that are now used for the word ""manzai"" were introduced by Yoshimoto in 1933, spelling a new era for the comedy style. Although pure ""manzai"" is no longer the dominant form of entertainment in Japan, Yoshimoto's influence remains and the spirit of ""manzai"" lives on in modern Japanese comedy, as can be seen by the prevalence of the Kansai dialect in many ""owarai"" productions. The current director of Yoshimoto is Isao Yoshino, who replaced the"
"rites and gradually became a highly sophisticated form of puppetry. Chikamatsu Monzaemon, considered by many to be Japan's greatest playwright, gave up writing Kabuki plays and focused exclusively on the puppet-only Bunraku plays. Initially consisting of one puppeteer, by 1730 three puppeteers were used to operate each puppet in full view of the audience. The puppeteers, who dressed all in black, would become invisible when standing against a black background, while the torches illuminated only the carved, painted and costumed wooden puppets. In Korea, the tradition of puppetry is thought to have come from China. The oldest historical evidence of"
"Western drama being produced in Japan as a way to promote Western thoughts and ideals. They attempted to use ""shingeki"" as a medium for propaganda and reform Japanese theatre, making it more Western. However, they failed to see that ""shingeki"" was more than just a pale imitation of Western theatre. ""Shingeki"" rose to popularity again after the war, and was received with enthusiasm. Veteran ""shingeki"" performance banded together in December of 1945 and produced Chekhov's, The Cherry Orchard for audiences which was received very well. It had hundreds of independent troupes, however, the best known (or long lived) are: Bungakuza"
"considered Matsuo Bashō (1644–94), rose as a major form of poetry. Forms of theatre developed, such as the flamboyant kabuki drama and ""bunraku"" puppet theatre, the latter of which reached its height of through the plays of Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653–1725). Members of the wealthy merchant class who patronized this poetry and theater were said to live hedonistic lives, which came to be called ""ukiyo"" (""floating world""). They often paid for the services of courtesans and geisha entertainers, most of whom also served as prostitutes in designated red-light districts such as Yoshiwara in Edo. This lifestyle inspired ""ukiyo-zōshi"" popular novels and"
"required. In other words, certain forms of shinjū might be considered ""murder-suicide"" in Western cultures rather than suicide. An example of this type of shinjū would be a mother killing her children and then killing herself. An example of historical shinjū in Japanese literature can be found in Chikamatsu Monzaemon's puppet play from 1703 entitled Sonezaki Shinjuu (""The Love Suicides at Sonezaki""), which was later re-engineered for the kabuki theater. The inspiration for the play was an actual double suicide which had then recently occurred between two forbidden lovers. It is also important to note that these modern shinjū have"
"no hagoromo"" (The Feathery Garment from Heaven, 1753), ""Sanjikkoku yobune no hajimari"" (The Beginning of the Heavy Cargo Ships on the Yodo River, 1758), and ""Sanzen-sekai yarikuri ōrai"" (Kin'emon the Notorious Pirate, 1772). Namiki Shōzō I Namiki Shōzō I (並木正三) (1730–1773) was a prominent Japanese playwright who produced roughly 100 works for ""bunraku"" (puppet theater) and for ""kabuki"". Shōzō is also credited with inventing the revolving stage (回り舞台, ""mawaributai""), one of many tricks of stagecraft used extensively in ""kabuki"", and with popularizing the use of trapdoors (セリ上げ, ""seriage""). Shōzō left ""bunraku"" in 1751; adapting plays from ""bunraku"" to ""kabuki"" was"
"style with influences beyond kabuki and Shakespeare, finding well placed touches of TV-crime-drama and old-timey vaudeville."" In other words, Sorgenfrei's script allows for a playful interpretation, which blends traditional American performance with kabuki performance and defines its own genre. Described as the ""founding mother"" of Asian theatre studies, Sorgenfrei remains an influential scholar in the field of Japanese theatrical studies. Published in 2005, ""Unspeakable Acts: the avant-garde theatre of Terayama Shuji and postwar Japan"" remains one of her most accredited academic studies. It discusses the work of Terayama Shuji, who was a poet, playwright, stage director, photographer, filmmaker, novelist and"
"physical devastation, many rejected the styles and thoughts of the past, kabuki among them. Director Tetsuji Takechi's popular and innovative productions of kabuki classics at this time are credited with bringing about a rebirth of interest in kabuki in the Kansai region. Of the many popular young stars who performed with the Takechi Kabuki, Nakamura Ganjiro III (b. 1931) was the leading figure. He was first known as Nakamura Senjaku, and this period in Osaka kabuki became known as the ""Age of Senjaku"" in his honor. Today, kabuki is the most popular of the traditional styles of Japanese drama—and its"
"into death. Shimizu Kunio wrote in the time period of the 1960s. Other Japanese playwrights who also wrote during this time period include Shūji Terayama, Jūrō Kara, Kōbō Abe, Minoru Betsuyaku, Shōgo Ōta and Ren Saitō. Like Shimizu these playwrights had memories of the war. The plays of the 1960s in Japan took on a style different style from shingeki, while shingeki strayed away from the traditional theatre of Japan and instead was inspired by the theatre of Europe, the 1960s style of ""angura"", an avant-garde theatre movement, aspired to have a Japanese style. However, even though a Japanese style"