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The Kabuki Tradition
| Article
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10009 |
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Section : |
THE ARTS
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| Issue
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4 / 1986 |
2,938 Words |
| Author
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Onoe Kuroemon II
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From a standpoint of pure spectacle, Kabuki has few rivals in world theater--Broadway in its own way being a worthy contender. But the form behind the spectacle--the expressions of a three-hundred-year-old acting tradition--seems still to leave Western audiences puzzled.
By manner of explanation, I can perhaps solve some of these mysteries. Yet attempting to describe the intricacies of a centuries-old art form in the space of a single article presents its own puzzle. To translate a primarily physical medium effectively into one of words is to run the risk of oversimplification--or worse, pedantry. Obstacles considered, I shall present my subject actively, that is, from an education gained from my life in the Kabuki theater.
In Japan, tradition has always been a guiding force behind the attitudes of its people and in the shaping of its culture. This influence is also a decisive factor in the individual's role in society.
For the Kabuki actor, induction into the tradition of the theater begins immediately, with his birth into an acting family. Although it is true that not all Kabuki actors are born into an acting family, it is almost assured that those who are will follow the heritage maintained by their fathers.
Since Kabuki theater is limited to male performers, only the sons in an acting family are able to become actors. Men play both male and female roles, and the children's parts are played by the boys as part of their training. The young actor thus makes his stage debut quite early, and always under the watchful guidance of his father or the senior actor in the play. My debut came at age three--not unusual in the Kabuki tradition, for it is believed that an early start creates a natural comfort with the theatrical environment. In this way the Kabuki actor also avoids the horrifying intrusion of stage fright into his presence on stage.
Training for the Kabuki actor usually beings in his fifth year. Custom maintains that an immediate active involvement with the forms and expressions of Kabuki art are far more beneficial to the development of his craft than the intellectual understanding of principles and the application of theories customary to Western theater training.
The actor is always the principal means of expression in Kabuki. Every element of a production is designed to give him the greatest advantage in performing his craft. Yet unlike Western theater practice, the thrust of Kabuki's expression is physical, and thus the young boy is first introduced to the forms of Japanese dance--the basis of Kabuki movement.
An intensive study of acrobatics also contribute to the actor's development. The vast Kabuki repertoire demands of the actor an amazing physical adaptability. He must be able to transform his entire being into many forms, both animal and human. Years of such rigorous training produces and extremely lithe and flexible performer, in command of impressive physical dexterity.
Music, sound, and speech also influence the actor's movements, and thereby increase the communicative power of his performance. Naturally, then, the young student must become instinctively responsive to the patterns of all
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