Shunkan. By Chikamatsu Monzaemon. Directed by Nakamura Kichiemon, II. Kabuki-za Theater, Ginza, Tokyo, September 2003.
The Ki
(0:00) The ki, or the wooden clappers specific to Kabuki theater, are how every play begins. Well before the performance begins, the audience can hear their sound, which the actors use as a signal to start their final preparations. It is the role of the kyogen sakusha to time each clap perfectly, and once the play has started he will not have any breaks. The clappers are used for emphasis, for stage directions, for character entrances, or simply to accompany the music (Toshio, 90).
The Curtain
(01:04) While there are different types of curtain draws in Kabuki theater (see the Kabuki Drop, for instance), Shunkan makes use of the wave curtain, moved manually from one end of the stage to the other. This style is unique to Kabuki theater, not seen in traditional Western plays. (There’s also a Kabuki Drop at 02:56 of Shunkan.)
The Shamisen and The Joruri Reciter
Unlike the ki, the drums, and the rest of the production’s musical performers, the shamisen player and the joruri chanter sit onstage. The chanter narrates the story, and the shamisen is the musical accompaniment to the narration. While the rest of the instrumentation gives emphasis to action, this pair sets the mood of the story, creates drama, expresses emotion.
(01:20, 01:42)
The Hanamichi
(06:50) The hanamichi is the elevated passage that goes through the audience. It is used for character introductions, dramatic exits, and as an extension to the stage that increases the audience’s connection to the performance. A play’s success can depend on how memorable the lead actor’s entrance is.
The Onnagata
(17:50) The Tokugawa Shogunate, which began the very same year that Okuni is credited with creating Kabuki (1603), took great issue with the morality of this new theater. Early Kabuki troupes were composed primarily of women, who would often double as prostitutes. While the plays were officially marketed to townspeople, they drew great crowds from the military, too. The integration of social classes, the racy nature of the plays, and the crumbling of cultural norms was too much for the Shogunate, and in 1628 women were banned from performing on stage (Leiter, 36). Enter the onnagata. The onnagata is a male actor who specializes in portraying female characters. Like the male heroes, female protagonists are loyal, romantic, and courageous. But above all else, the onnagata is required to emphasize the character’s femininity. The onnagata is generally an erotic role: the characters will frequently play courtesans, and they perform more dance routines than their male-character counterparts (Leiter, 218). For a clip of Japan’s most prominent onnagata, Bando Tamasaburo V, click here.
The Fight
(1:05:15) The ki and drums start playing in short, intense bursts to match the tension of the scene. The duelists start moving in time to the shamisen’s rhythm.