10.The Present and Future of Noh

  Most of modern Noh are performed in a Noh theater. It becomes the Meiji period later that the stage form called “The Noh theater” incorporating a Noh stage indoors was established.At present, The Noh widen the foot as practicing of "Utai" and "Shimai" based on the system that was reborn.

 In addition, after the Meiji era, the Noh that was introduced widely abroad was praised highly by the intellectual of each country, theatrical people. It affected their activity. The overseas performance that came to be carried out substantially from the 1950s colonized, and people who really watched Noh any place other than Japan increased.Backed by such an international high evaluation, it is appointed to a world immaterial inheritance.

  However, there are some problems with modern Noh. One of those, there are very few future actors of the Noh. Basically, an actor of the Noh is only the veteran who is well surpassed for 20 years in an art career.Above all, there is the person more than 50 years in the longest one. What's why the Noh is profound, and it is the evidence that people who can enjoy regardless of any people regardless of age or sex. On the other hand, it is that there is not a person who readily begun newly. If the same state continues, Noh may fall. This story is not an exaggerated story. There is the risk that the Noh which lasts nearly 650 years since Kanami Zeami was successful disappears soon.The Noh surely see once, and there cannot feel that it is impulsively good or interesting. The Noh is not an entertainment of such a kind. However, it is the entertainment that the profundity and taste soak through a heart so as to watch. In old days, the daimyos who including Hideyoshi Toyotomi really took a lesson of the chanting of a Noh text and the dance and they were to a captive in the throughout the life fun. I think that it is the universality of the Noh which followed to date.

  Kabukiza is replaced with a new one, and the first on the list of traditional arts becomes Kabuki now. Because of overwhelmed in Kabuki, and the Noh burns down. Therefore, It is problem in the future to get the popularity by conveying fun and profundity of the Noh all over the world as well as Japan.2020 when Tokyo Olympics Paralympics are decided, and a tourist comes from the world, the Noh that is the Japanese oldest traditional arts to deliver the world, and is it the greatest chance to tell the country about the good points of Noh once again?

9.Noh Comedy

  The Noh comedy associated with ability by an entertainment to assume a medieval noh farce the source as well as ability deeply for a long time. The entertainment that took in ability and "the laughter" that different one greatly is hardly expressed with ability is. The characteristic of the medieval noh farce was fun. So it may be said that the Noh comedy inherited an original figure.
The Noh comedy has been already played by the program that was the same as ability in the times in the north and south morning when a Noh comedy became the entertainment. There are two kinds in the Noh comedy with the connection with ability deeply. "This Noh comedy" that the first is played as one drama between one of ability and ability mainly. "It is a comical play" played in one piece of ability one more (I meet and appear today). I merely point to this Noh comedy when I call it "a Noh comedy". This Noh comedy is the comedy that about two or three actors invite the laughter of the audience to by good lines and a gesture worked out finely. It faces each other, and the comical play is often given alone. In one piece of ability, I play an important role to help the understanding of the audience.

  "A Noh comedy" settles by words to hint at this farce now. However, originally it was different. The Noh comedy pointed at a thing and a joke not to match reason by old Chinese words. It was read and was familiar with "sham = silly talk" to Manyoshu tanka collection in Japan from the ancient times.
The Noh comedy that spread in random how to speak comes to be gradually used in a "funny" (funny) similar meaning. It becomes words to express the entertainment that it is funny and reaches it in now.

  When Zeami aimed at the pleasant laughter not vulgar vulgar laughter to the actor of the Noh comedy, I preached it. Therefore, in the Noh comedy, I make it laugh at the depth of the rhythm of words and fun of the movement, a person image and the story. Therefore the good article with a few sarcasms is accompanied.

  The program of this Noh comedy has a Daizo style, approximately 260 turns in the Izumi style. Really various people appear in the Noh comedy. And I constitute a short play taking the laughter to a base in a story developed in life. The person of stories eats a mandarin orange of the master, and the Buddhist monks who I steal men, a persimmon to pray to if I want a person, a bride to excuse itself for this and that and eat it, and do it vary. It is funny and each expresses each story by the good talk and gesture, a gesture, the movement of the others color color. It is about 2-3 people to appear, and there are many short things for approximately from 15 to 20. However, there is the large-scale program to appear more than masterpiece for more than 40 minutes and ten several.

References

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%8B%82%E8%A8%80

http://www.the-noh.com/jp/sekai/kyogen.html

8.The Stage of Noh

The Noh stage is the space that was completely simplified and here are not curtains between a seat and a stage. Originally the Noh stage was out of a field. At the present when it came to be performed in a Noh theater, the stage has a roof, and the roofed passage with the railing lengthens, and Matsunoki stands. This is because it reproduces the stage of the outdoor Noh. In the Noh stage, such a various devices are done.

(The stage of Noh)

The stage is made with a hinoki tree. Behind the stage center "Kagamuita". And there is a curtain to the left, "Hashigakari" to the depths. It is supposed that this form was established may be slightly before the times when Nobunaga Oda played an important part. The oldest stage which became the current structure is north Noh stage of west Honganji that Hideyoshi made. In others, various laborer are carried out. For example, three pines gradually become small from this side. This is a device using the perspective drawing. The illumination becomes modest to create states like the natural light. Four pillars stand on the stage. “Shite” who attached a Noh-mask is extremely one of narrow outlook, and the pillar becomes the important mark.

(the Noh theater)

The Noh was staged in old days in the outdoors, but it is wide and is staged on a Noh theater and a public hall, the temporary stage now. In the Buddhist temple and Shinto shrine having the outdoor stage from old days, Ii may be dedicated to play Noh by annual festival, and bonfire Noh may be staged in the outdoors. The national Noh theater of the public theater in Tokyo stages the Noh of the five kinds of styles and the Noh comedy of two kind of styles through the year. It can be looked at a relatively low rate. There is an open lecture about the Noh, and a various plans exhibition about attire and the Noh is carried out in the exhibition room. The documents are substantial in the book reading room, too.

(the bonfire Noh)

The bonfire Noh is ability to be performed in the outdoors. It came to be performed flourishingly now in various places. It is often held in the precincts or the park of a temple and the Shinto shrine. The event "firewood party" of Nara, Kofuku-ji Temple performed in the Heian era has the origin of the bonfire Noh. Noh and the Noh comedy including "Okina" are dedicated as Shinto ritual of Kasuga Taisha Shrine and Kofuku-ji Temple now for two days of May 11th and 12th.

References

http://www.the-noh.com/jp/sekai/stage.html

Breaking News:Amiri Baraka was died

Yesterday, the great person Amiri Baraka was died at 79. He was well known person that African – American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essay and music criticism. He wrote 11 famous poetries during life time and he taught at a number of universities. After that, his achievement was accepted and he received the PEN Open Book Award.

He was born in Newark, New Jersey on October 7, 1934. He left the Howard University without obtaining a degree. In 1958, he married and he founded Totem Press which was literary magazine and he wrote the first poetry “Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note” in 1961. Amiri Baraka criticized the opinion of the black of middle class people and black of the side of white afterwards. Because, their opinions have deception and hypocrisy and those opinions do not contribute to realize society that black is not suppressed. So, he criticized those black using various way, for example poetry, drama, fiction, non-fiction, essay, and music criticism. After he got old, he supported the people who inherits the exercise that he did. In presidential election, he supported Barack Obama recently. 

He left those grand achievements, but in Beth Israel Medical center of Newark(New Jersey), Amiri Baraka died on January 9, 2014. The cause of death was not reported.

7.Constitution of Noh #2

The next of "Shitekata" and "Wakikata ", introduce "Hayashikata".

 

In Noh, it is “Hayashikata" to be in charge of the music of the chanting of a Noh text. “Hayashikata” consists of four kinds of musical instruments, for example, a flute (“Nohkan”), a small hand drum, a hand-drum (“Odutumi”) and a drum. These are called “Yon Byoshi” (it means Four beats). The performance plays a position by one. Players cannot play other one's charge. Each musical instrument is divided into each specialty, and traditional technic is inherited and succeeds to a high technique and style. By the performance, a drum takes the lead of the time. However, the performance that a drum is not contained in, a hand-drum leads a small hand drum. Not only percussionist play a musical instrument, but also they shout, for example, "yo-i", "ya", "ha" and "iyaa". At the time of the presentation of the Noh, the charge of each musical instrument sits in "Hayashiza" of the stage rear one by one and plays percussionist.

 

O.K. then, move to the introduction of each musical instrument. At first, about a flute.

 

 

A flute used with Noh is called a Noh pipe and made of the bamboo. Though it is the only melody musical instrument, in “Yon byoshi”, it mainly play rhythm than a melody in the Noh. The technic of such a flute is a characteristic of the “Hayashikata” of the Noh. Because percussionist do not make much of a melody, the Noh pipe is different in the position of length and the hole in each one. Because it is not tuned, pitch and musical scales are different. Styles that exist now are “Morita style” and “Fujita style”.

 

The next about a small hand drum.

 

 

This is so-called "Tutumi" and controls time. Because moisture is indispensable to leather, for the beautiful tone, percussionist breathe during a performance and soak saliva. The small hand drum is a musical instrument needing the attention consistently.

 

The next is about a hand-drum “Odutumi”.


 

 “Odutumi” is a hand drum of the closing a bargain to control time. The sound of “Odutumi” is fixed at the strength and weakness when beat and whether control leather after having beaten. Hand-drum is hit with the finger of the right hand putting the left knee. It is necessary to dry leather to make a firm sound and roasts it by a charcoal fire before a performance for approximately one hour. “Kazurano style”, “Takayasu style”, “Okura style”, “Ishii style” and “Kanze style” are exist now.

 

 

References

http://www.the-noh.com/jp/

Breaking News: South Africa's Nelson Mandela dies in Johannesburg

Nelson Mandela died at 95 years old.  He instructed an apartheid abolition campaign as the South African first black president and won Nobel Peace prize. It was this month 5. After his spending three months at a hospital, and having left the hospital in November of this year, he received concentrated treatment because of lung infections at home. The person given Nobel Peace prize honor was one of a politician respected most in the world that preached a settlement of black with a white in spite of having been shut in in the prison by white for 27 years.

 

Nelson Mandela was born in South Africa as a child of the chief of the people of Tenbu on July 18, 1918. He entered the law department in Witwatersrand University. He worked on an anti- apartheid campaign while he was in the university attendance at school and joined African National Congress (ANC ) in 1944 at school. After he was graduated, he founded a young man alliance and took office as the young man alliance member of the executive committee and worked on an anti- apartheid campaign. In 1,950 years, he took office as the ANC young man alliance chairperson. He was contained in the prison for 27 years in 1964 by imprisonment for life of the national treason. He abolished a law about the apartheid by talks with the political power of white after he was released in 1990 and played an active part as a leader of the African National Congress (ANC ). In 93, those activity was accepted and won Nobel Peace prize.

 

Nelson Mandela attended at various activity energetically after a retirement. He made a speech for the first time in United Nations Security Council on January 19, 2000. However, prostate cancer was detected in July, 2001 and received 7-week radiation therapy and disappeared from the public place at one time. And he sent a video message to the opening ceremony of FIFA World Cup South Africa meeting held on June 11, 2010. In addition, he attend at a closing ceremony. He do not appear in the public place after this time. And his physical condition let aggravation, an infectious disease recur from June, 2013 and took the rehospitalization from June 8. He left the hospital and underwent medical treatment at home afterwards.

 

 

 

 

(Nelson Mandela  Source:http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%8D%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BD%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3%E3%83%87%E3%83%A9)

 

His activity is considered to be a symbol of all ethnic harmony. And those activity is shown as "A nameless prison guard of Mandela" of 2007 and "Invictus" of 2009. His activity will be handed down forever from now on.

 

 

References

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-25249520

http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%8D%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BD%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3%E3%83%87%E3%83%A9

6.Constitution of Noh

The Noh is a drama made from complete division of labor. The duty consists of three roles “Shitekata”, “Wakikata” and “Kyogenkata” in charge of the chanting of a Noh text and performance. The “Hayashikata” in charge of the accompaniment is comprised of four positions of flute, small hand drums, hand-drums and drums. And each position is divided into some styles.

("Shitekata" http://www.bunka.go.jp/1hogo/shoukai/geinou/site.html ) 

 

Until the Edo era, “Wakikata”, “Hayashikata” and “Kyogenkata” called “the three key posts”, and the school of “Shitekata” came to have contracted the three key posts. However, the organization collapsed by the Meiji Restoration. When it is now, 24 styles is included in seven positions.

 

These styles are different in a literature, sing and conduct. In addition, Beating time with hands and the technic of the musical accompaniment are different every each style in a musical accompaniment. The combined team of the different styles is not made basically. However, the combination of styles while the position becomes free now.

 

“Shitekata” is the leading role of the Noh, and a child's play, the chorus are the role of “Shitekata”, too. In addition, waiting in the hinder part of the stage and carry some things such as small tools and repairing disorder of the attire is important work of “Shitekata”. The role of “Shitekata” is very extensive. Therefore, the number of people increases predominantly in comparison with “Wakikata”, “Kyogenkata” and “Hayashikata”.

 ("Wakikata"http://www.ntj.jac.go.jp/topics/nou/25/2949.html )

It is the duty that "Wakikata" becomes independent from “Shitekata” in the Muromachi era, and established a specialized field. It has been succeeded as speciality. After the long times, it become independent now in every style. There are “Takayasu-style”, “Hukuo-style”, and “Shimokakehosyo-style”. “Wakikata” has some rules. At first, “Wakikata” is the co-star of “Shitekata” who is the leading role. And it is almost a trouser part and must not attaches the mask. While the Noh is a masque, “Wakikata” who is an important actor of the stage who is fixed that “Wakikata” rather do not hang a mask. This is because “Wakikata” is drawn as a living person practically. It is a person standing opposite to a protagonist and, so to speak, takes a role to stand on the side same as the audience. The program of Noh expresses a great variety of views of the world. “Shitekata” sometimes appears as the existence in the impractical dream and illusion. And sometimes act with great tact as a real human being intensely. In this way, by the difference in role of “Shitekata”, the stage of the Noh changes variously. The reason why it is established as a series of stage dramas is that “Wakikata” helps to share the world between made on the stage and audience.

 

 

References

http://www.ntj.jac.go.jp/topics/nou/25/2949.html

 http://www.bunka.go.jp/1hogo/shoukai/geinou/site.html

http://www.the-noh.com/jp/sekai/shite.html