Noh

Today we went to see Noh in Kyoto as part of our Kyoto Art & Culture field work. This is the class where we had the lecture on Kabuki and went to see Mubi Kyogen. Kristine and I took the Hankyu line, then the subway, to get to a theater near Nijojo. We had to be there at 9:30 am, and having been out until late the night before, I was dying for more sleep.

Our professor was waiting for us outside, and directed us to wait for awhile while the rest of the class arrived. The building was very modern, and through some sliding glass doors there was a little shrine and a koi pond with some of the biggest koi I'd ever seen. Around 10 we went into the main theater where the stage in front of us was raised and set to look like a traditional japanese shrine. One of the actors made a presentation about Noh, answered questions, and showed us some pieces of the costume. After this, a group of men filed onto stage and performed a chanted chorus for us while another actor danced in time. They filed back off, and a similar chanted chorus and dance was preformed by a womans choir. These were private performances just for our group and it was very interesting, just the vocals and punctuations by the dancer stomping their foot at points. This Youtube video is pretty similar to their performance, though not nearly as spectacular as live 10ft away. Afterwards we mingled around in the empty theater and viewed the stage from different angles before a break for lunch.

During lunch time I wandered the area. I'd like to visit Nijo Castle, but not today. I found some sushi to eat, then stopped at a bakery for some kind of cheesy pastry. I also found a shrine unique to Japan, instead of guardian dogs, it has guardian boars. The sign is below. I took some pictures of the street and a Johnny Walker sign I found amusing, then a little shrine with a shallow pool of goldfish. If something like this was set up in New England, it'd just be a snack bar for each and every passing animal. I kept seeing posters for a parade that same day, but couldn't read the details about where it was.

The performance started about 1. The theater was not full, but it was pretty crowded with japanese visitors and some foreigners. I thought it a little odd that they didn't sell tickets for seats, it was just a free for all anywhere you found a spot. Most people sat off on the right side, with a straight view of the mural on the wall, but I took a hint from my professor and sat over on the left, closer to the curtain where the actors come onto stage. The first portion was Kyogen. Not Mibu-Kyogen, which is silent, but a loud, expressive, somewhat humorous encounter between two samurai. I couldn't understand a word of it, and that'd part of what made it funny and entertaining was the way they spoke, which the japanese also laughed at the speech and what was being said.

During intermission, tea was served in the waiting hall and the japanese mingled about. Kyogen and Noh are traditional forms of Japanese theater, and the crowd that day reflected this, most being older with a few foreigners and younger couples here and there.

The actual Noh performance started when the womans choir came out on stage and performed an introductory chant, followed by the mens choir. The stage was clear and the musicians came out. There were drums and a flute, but not the way you might think. The drums were unique, the first sounding like it was just a piece of solid wood, and the other having a twang to it, like it was part liquid. This is something like the music, though the flute was not always playing, and there was sometimes additional chant from the chorus. The performances name was Tomonaga, it is a warrior play though unique in that the main actor plays two roles, first as a female inn-keeper, second as the ghost of warrior Tomonaga. I only know this because I was given a sheet in english with information telling me what was happening scene by scene. Wikipedia link.

Noh is known for masks, but it is only the main actor that wears a mask. Everyone else is simply in costume, though not as ornate as worn with the mask. Parts of the performance were very lively, especially when the drums and flute were going, but there was one portion when the female innkeeper had a long monologue and not only myself, but many people in the audience were simply asleep. Japan is funny like that, it's common to just see people sleeping places, and while I think elsewhere anyone sleeping during a theater performance would be seen as rude, not so here. Its a traditional art, and doesn't need to be constantly stimulating or action-packed, it has lasted on other merits. It was an experience to remember.

On the way out and going up the street to the train, ran into the parade I had seen posters for. Lucky. We only caught the tail end, but it was hundreds of men dressed in white carrying bells and ornate objects between the different temples, stopping at each one to cheer and sing.