This is one of the representative traditional theater forms of Japan, said to have begun around 1603 when Okuni, a female attendant of the Izumo Shrine performed "Nenbutsu folk dances" in Kyoto. These were very popular, but all-female Kabuki came to be outlawed as corrupting public morals; subsequently Kabuki performances came to be enacted by males only. Later, those performances gradually became to put emphasis on artistry, and was perfected as composite art that brought together theater, classical Japanese dance, and music. It is principally characterized by that even the female roles are played by male actors, use of Kabuki stage makeup, and distinctive inventions on stage installations. After the Second World War there were abundant performances in Europe, Asia, the United States, and other places, and research organizations of Western scholars such as the European Kabuki Conference and Japanese Theater Research Center were established.
Kabuki stage has a number of unique installations. The elevated runway is a passage built as an extension of the stage that cuts through the audience; in addition to being used for actors' entrances and exits, important scenes take place on it. On the stage, with the mechanisms of a revolving stage and a trapdoor, scenes can change without using the curtain and actors can appear from below. In addition, there are installations in which large props fall backward and separate scenes appear; by calculating such actions in minute detail, the beauty and appeal of Kabuki increases.
Noh is a performing art with plot and is Japan's oldest form of musical theater. It has flourished since the fourteenth century. The story is spoken in a recitation known as utai, and the roles are divided into the leading role of shite(the protagonist, meaning "doer" or "actor") and the supporting role of waki(a deuteragonist, meaning "bystander" or "onlooker"). The actors wear lacquer-coated masks made of wood and colorful brocade costumes. There are also roles without mask, but even then the face is used to resemble a mask, with no attempt at expression. Because movements are restrained and the actors put no sentiment in their voices, Noh expresses the darker aspects of humanity; on the other hand, the mysterious gestures and monotonic music yield a deep beauty known as yugen(the subtle and profound).
The stage exclusively used by Noh and Kyogen is framed by four thick pillars that hold up its roof and is open on three sides. Actors appear on the stage by walking along the corridor connecting the backstage to the stage. In Noh, everything is expressed through the phrases and music of the Noh chant and the movements of the actors, so the Noh-butai has no stage props. As a result, by contrast, the spectators can embrace the illusion, and it is possible to portray sublime scenes that surpasses any prop or stage setting.
Kyogen is classical Japanese comic theater and, like Noh, was established in the Muromachi Period(1392-1573) by the father and son pair, Kan'ami and Zeami. At first, Kyogen plays were performed in the intervals between Noh plays, but now they are staged independently and sometimes Kyogen actors take roles in Noh plays. Compared to Noh, Kyogen has mass appeal. Masks are only used in a few roles, and no makeup is put on. Except for the special roles of deities and ogres, the costumes are the daily clothing worn in the fifteenth century. Kyogen plots have an affirmative human spirit and do not draw thieves and the like as truly wicked people. In addition, in contrast to Noh which centers on chanting and dance, Kyogen's outstanding characteristic is the spoken lines accompanied by dramatic movement.
Nihonbuyo was born in the fifteenth century bringing together dance called odori that is the elements of mainly jumping movements with another dance called mai that principally involves circling movements and poses called furi that give a strong dramatic impression. In the narrow sense, nihonbuyo indicates chiefly Kabuki dance. It developed through Kabuki after Kabuki was developed from the Kabuki odori performed by Okuni of Izumo in 1603. Most schools of buyo, which are based on Kabuki dance, began in the latter part of the eighteenth century with choreographers and Kabuki actors. Currently, there are more than 100 schools, starting with the Hanayagi, Fujima and Nishikawa schools, and it is also popularly practiced as one of accomplishments for women.
Gagaku is Japanese musical composition modeled on the music and dance brought from China and Korea in ancient times. Unique instruments are used such as a reed instrument, Shinto flute, thirteen-stringed koto, Japanese lute and drum. Gagaku flourished in the Heian Period(794-1185) and was performed at temples and shrines. There are gagaku pieces with dance and without dance, the former called an ancient court dance and music(bugaku) and the latter the orchestral music with wind and string instrument(kan-gen) . With bugaku and kangen, even when the music is the same, the tempo and the composition of the musical instruments and dynamics are different. Rarely performed today, gagaku has been taken over by groups like the music department of the Imperial Household Agency and is performed only on celebratory occasions.
Koto is a traditional Japanese stringed instrument, made of wood. It's about 180 centimeters in length, about 30 centimeters in width, and it is played with plectrums attached to the thumb, index and middle fingers of the right hand. Thirteen strings are stretched over bridges and the pitch is determined by the position of the bridges. In the Edo Period(1603-1867), performance was regarded as one of accomplishments of woman, and many of daug'hters of decent families practiced koto from a young age. Even now there are many devotees among women.
This is a stringed instrument shaped like a banjo, but its outstanding feature is that it has no frets. It is played by striking its three strings with a plectrum and is used as accompaniment for Kabuki and bunraku plays and for folk songs. It came from China through Okinawa and spread throughout Japan, in which it developed independently from the original style. It became the representative instrument of Japan since the Edo Period(1603-1867).
Shakuhachi is a wind instrument made of bamboo. Its length, by the old Japanese standard of weights and measures, is one shaku(about one foot) and eight(hachi) sun(a-tenths of a shaku), so that is how it got its name. It is made by simply putting holes in a bamboo tube, but its chief characteristic is the curious changes in scale and tone coloration that come out with the style of blowing into it, with the space between the lips and the mouthpiece and with the manner of controlling the fingering. Because a unique sound, not found in Western flutes, emerges, the shakuhachi has been incorporated into jazz and contemporary music, extending its range of expression.