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Za Kabuki
Za Kabuki ( ja, ザ歌舞伎), founded in 1976 at the Australian National University, is the longest running Kabuki troupe outside Japan. Directed by Shun Ikeda of the ANU Japan Centre, with a cast and crew consisting mainly of ANU Japanese students, the troupe performs traditional Kabuki plays almost entirely in classical Japanese, with some English translation and ad-libs inserted to assist the mainly English-speaking audiences. History The tradition of annual Japanese performances at the ANU began in 1976, with the first shows taking place in the walkway between the Sports & Recreation building and the Union building. During the 1980s and 1990s, productions became increasingly elaborate, with authentic makeup and costumes, original sets and musical accompaniment, hosted at a number of the theatre facilities around the ANU campus. In 1999, Producer Suzy Styles led the Za Kabuki troupe on their first tour of Japan, with performances in Nara and Kobe. On 11 September 2001, a t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kuroko
are stagehands in traditional Japanese theatre, who dress all in black. Lexical background 黒衣 primarily read kurogo, differentiating from the other readings kokui/kokue/kuroginu "black clothes", the go/gi suffix underlining the wearing intent. Another synonym for the stagehands was also 黒具 kurogo "black instrument" as they were meant to serve the performance. Over time the non voiced mispronounciation kuroko also started being popularly used, and needed its own spelling that took the simple 子 ko character as an ateji (sound only), making the 黒子 kuroko word. Originally though 黒子 was read hokuro and meant "beauty spot". By contamination nowadays the two readings kuroko/kurogo are both available for the two spellings 黒衣/黒子. Description In kabuki, the ''kuroko'' serve many of the same purposes as running crew. They move scenery and props on stage, aiding in scene changes and costume changes. They will also often play the role of animals, will-o-the-wisp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kanadehon Chūshingura
is an 11-act bunraku puppet play composed in 1748. It is one of the most popular Japanese plays, ranked with Zeami's ''Matsukaze'', although the vivid action of Chūshingura differs dramatically from ''Matsukaze''. Medium During this portion of the Edo period, the major dramatists preferred not to write for the kabuki theater since the kabuki actors frequently departed from the texts to invent parts and aggrandize their own roles; however, ''Chūshingura'' was so successful that it was almost immediately adapted for the kabuki theater as well. The general story has been depicted in many mediums such as ukiyo-e prints. Kabuki The kabuki adaptation appeared shortly after the puppet play did in Osaka and Kyoto, and soon was being performed by three companies in Edo. It is "only intermittently faithful" and frequently cuts entire acts. The saved time is available for a lengthier 11th act, with a sequence featuring a duel on a bridge; as well, the kabuki theater could use a revolving ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chikamatsu Monzaemon
was a Japanese dramatist of jōruri, the form of puppet theater that later came to be known as bunraku, and the live-actor drama, kabuki. The ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' has written that he is "widely regarded as the greatest Japanese dramatist". His most famous plays deal with double-suicides of honor bound lovers. Of his puppet plays, around 70 are ''jidaimono'' (時代物) (historical romances) and 24 are ''sewamono'' (世話物) (domestic tragedies). The domestic plays are today considered the core of his artistic achievement, particularly works such as ''The Courier for Hell'' (1711) and ''The Love Suicides at Amijima'' (1721). His histories are viewed less positively, though ''The Battles of Coxinga'' (1715) remains praised. Biography Chikamatsu was born Sugimori Nobumori. to a samurai family. There is disagreement about his birthplace. The most popular theory. suggests he was born in Echizen Province, but there are other plausible locations, including Hagi, Nagato Provi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Courier For Hell
''The Courier for Hell'' or ''Courier of Hell'' (''Meido no hikyaku'' 冥途の飛脚) is a love-suicide play by the Japanese writer Chikamatsu Monzaemon, written in 1711. It follows a similar storyline to some of his other love-suicide plays, including ''The Love Suicides at Sonezaki'' and ''The Love Suicides at Amijima''. ''The Courier for Hell'' was based on real events that took place in Osaka in 1710. It is one of the most celebrated of his domestic plays. Plot ''The Courier for Hell'' centers around Chubei, an adopted son of a hikyaku courier located in Osaka, who is in love with the prostitute Umegawa. He begins using customers' money to buy out her contract before another man can do so. Chubei's friend Hachiemon attempts to stop Chubei's behavior by informing her fellow prostitutes and mistress of what is going on, but it instead incites Chubei to break the seal on 300 gold pieces belonging to an important samurai, a crime punishable by death. The two escape Osaka togethe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Love Suicides At Amijima
''The Love Suicides at Amijima'' (''Shinjū Ten no Amijima'' or ''Shinjūten no Amijima'' 心中天網島) is a domestic play (''sewamono'') by Japanese playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon. Originally written for the ''bunraku'' puppet theatre, it was adapted into kabuki shortly after its premiere on 3 January 1721. It is widely regarded as one of his greatest domestic plays and was hailed by Donald Keene as “Chikamatsu’s masterpiece”. Adaptations The Japanese new wave filmmaker Masahiro Shinoda directed a stylized adaptation of the story as ''Double Suicide'' in 1969. Milwaukee, WI-based Dale Gutzman (book, lyrics) and Todd Wellman (score) debuted the musical adaption ''AmijimA'' in 2007. Listen to thWUWM interviewwith the creative team. The Australian National University's Za Kabuki performed a version of the play in 2005, directed by Mr. Shun Ikeda. References * pg 170–208 of ''Four Major Plays of Chikamatsu'' * Chikamatsu Monzaemon, ''The Love Suicides at Amijima'', ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Iwashi Uri Koi Hikiami
''Iwashi Uri Koi No Hikiami'' (鰯賣戀引網 ''The Sardine Seller's Net of Love'') is a 1954 comedic Kabuki play by Yukio Mishima (三島 由紀夫). It was first performed in November 1954 at the Kabukiza theatre in Tokyo, and was praised for its "refreshing originality". Plot The sardine-seller, Sarugenji (猿源氏) has fallen in love with an upper-class courtesan known as "Hotarubi". However, due to his lowly social position it seems as if he has no hope of ever encountering her. Due to a fortunate meeting of chance with his father, Ebina Namidabutsu, and his horse-seller friend, Bakurourokurouzaemon, Sarugenji is able to devise a plan to pose as the samurai "Utsunomiya" in order to enter the pleasure quarter and woo Hotarubi. The trio then encounter difficulty getting Sarugenji to mount Bakurourokurouzaemon's three-legged horse. Meanwhile, the courtesans of the pleasure house, including Hotarubi, are occupied playing a game involving matching poetry on shells, as they notice ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kabuki Jūhachiban
The , or Eighteen Best Kabuki Plays, is a set of kabuki plays, strongly associated with the Ichikawa Danjūrō line of actors ever since their premieres. These works were chosen and assembled as "the eighteen" by actor Ichikawa Danjūrō VII (1800-1832). The pieces were considered to be seminal representations of the ''aragoto'' style in the repertoire.Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric ''et al.'' (2005). "Kabuki Jūhachiban" in The Danjūrō line has continued to dominate the leading roles, and the printing and production of these plays ever since. ''Shibaraku'', ''Narukami'', ''Sukeroku'', ''Ya-no-Ne'', and ''Kanjinchō'' are still considered among the greatest of all kabuki plays, and are performed at least once a year. These plays are also often performed for ''shūmei'', auspicious naming ceremonies in which actors who receive new names, particularly those receiving the illustrious name "Ichikawa Danjūrō", perform in these great plays which are strongly associated with that linea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yukio Mishima
, born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, Nationalism, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was considered for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, but the award went to his countryman and benefactor Yasunari Kawabata. His works include the novels and , and the autobiographical essay . Mishima's work is characterized by "its luxurious vocabulary and decadent metaphors, its fusion of Japanese literature, traditional Japanese and modern Western literature, Western literary styles, and its obsessive assertions of the unity of beauty, eroticism and death", according to author Andrew Rankin. Mishima's political activities made him a controversial figure, which he remains in modern Japan. From his mid-30s, Mishima's Right-wing politics, right-wing ideology was increasingly revealed. He was proud of the traditional culture and spirit of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and institutes. ANU is regarded as one of the world's leading universities, and is ranked as the number one university in Australia and the Southern Hemisphere by the 2022 QS World University Rankings and second in Australia in the ''Times Higher Education'' rankings. Compared to other universities in the world, it is ranked 27th by the 2022 QS World University Rankings, and equal 54th by the 2022 ''Times Higher Education''. In 2021, ANU is ranked 20th (1st in Australia) by the Global Employability University Ranking and Survey (GEURS). Established in 1946, ANU is the only university to have been created by the Parliament of Australia. It traces its origins to Canberra University College, which was established in 1929 and was integrated into ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Konan University
is a university on the slopes of Mount Rokkō in Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Japan. A private university with approximately 10,000 students, it offers a wide variety of programs to Japanese students, as well as an international exchange program through the Konan International Exchange Center. History Konan University was founded in 1951. The university traces its origin to 1919 when Konan Gaku-en Middle School was founded in Okamoto, Kobe, Japan. The founder is , 45th Minister of Education in the days of Meiji Constitution, former senior managing director of Tokio Marine Insurance, founder of Co-op Kobe and Konan Hospital (See also List of Japanese politicians). The formation of the school is based on the ideals of character building (personality development), physical fitness, and respect for the individual. Konan University offers undergraduate and graduate programs (Master’s and Ph.D.). All programs are accredited by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kobe
Kobe ( , ; officially , ) is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture Japan. With a population around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Tokyo and Yokohama. It is located in Kansai region, which makes up the southern side of the main island of Honshū, on the north shore of Osaka Bay. It is part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kyoto. The Kobe city centre is located about west of Osaka and southwest of Kyoto. The earliest written records regarding the region come from the '' Nihon Shoki'', which describes the founding of the Ikuta Shrine by Empress Jingū in AD 201.Ikuta Shrine official website – "History of Ikuta Shrine" (Japanese) [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
