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Kan'ami
was a Japanese Noh actor, author, and musician during the Muromachi period. Born in Iga Province, Kan'ami also went by and . He is the father of the well-known playwright . Theater Kan'ami's career began in Obata, Nabari-shi, Mie when he founded a sarugaku theater group in the Kansai region on the main Honshu island. The troupe moved to Yamato and formed the Yuzaki theater company, which would become the school of Noh theater. He grew in popularity and began making trips to Kyoto to give performances. In 1374, the shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu was in the audience of a performance and was so impressed by it that he became Kan'ami's patron. Kan'ami was the first playwright to incorporate the Kusemai song and dance style and Dengaku dances from rustic harvest celebrations. He trained his son Zeami Motokiyo in his style, and his son eventually succeeded him as director of the Kanze school of Noh. Kan'ami died in Suruga Province. Notable works *''Sotoba Komachi'' *''Ji'nen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Noh Playwrights
is a major form of classical Japanese dance-drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Developed by Kan'ami and his son Zeami, it is the oldest major theatre art that is still regularly performed today. Although the terms Noh and ''nōgaku'' are sometimes used interchangeably, ''nōgaku'' encompasses both Noh and ''kyōgen''. Traditionally, a full ''nōgaku'' program included several Noh plays with comedic ''kyōgen'' plays in between; an abbreviated program of two Noh plays with one ''kyōgen'' piece has become common today. Optionally, the ritual performance ''Okina'' may be presented in the very beginning of ''nōgaku'' presentation. Noh is often based on tales from traditional literature with a supernatural being transformed into human form as a hero narrating a story. Noh integrates masks, costumes and various props in a dance-based performance, requiring highly trained actors and musicians. Emotions are primarily conveyed by stylized conventional gestures whil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zeami Motokiyo
(c. 1363 – c. 1443), also called , was a Japanese Aesthetics, aesthetician, actor, and playwright. His father, Kan'ami, Kan'ami Kiyotsugu, introduced him to Noh theater performance at a young age, and found that he was a skilled actor. Kan'ami was also skilled in acting and formed a family theater ensemble. As it grew in popularity, Zeami had the opportunity to perform in front of the Ashikaga shogunate, Shōgun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. The Shōgun was impressed by the young actor and began to compose a love affair with him. Zeami was introduced to Yoshimitsu's court and was provided with an education in classical literature and philosophy while continuing to act. In 1374, Zeami received patronage and made acting his career. After the death of his father in 1385, he led the family troupe, a role in which he found greater success. Zeami mixed a variety of Classical and Modern themes in his writing, and made use of Japanese and Chinese traditions. He incorporated numerous themes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Matsukaze
is a play of the third category, the woman's mode, by Kan'ami, revised by Zeami Motokiyo. One of the most highly regarded of Noh plays, it is mentioned more than any other in Zeami's own writings, and is depicted numerous times in the visual arts. Plot The two main characters are the lingering spirits of the sisters and , who in the 9th Century lived on the Bay of Suma in Settsu Province, where they ladled brine in order to make salt. A courtier, Middle Counsellor Ariwara no Yukihira, dallied with them during his exile to Suma for three years. Shortly after his departure, word of his death came and they died of grief. They linger on as spirits or ghosts, attached to the mortal world by their emotional attachment to mortal desires: this is a common theme in Noh. The play opens with a traveling priest asking a local about a memorial he sees. The local explains that the memorial is to the two sisters. This is followed by a scene in which the sisters, ladling seawater into their b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eguchi (play)
''Eguchi'' (江口) is a Noh play of the third category, written by Zeami, around a fragment (the courtesan’s sermon) by Kan'ami. The play combines two legends, one related of the holy man Shōkū (concerning the identity of the courtesan of Mura with the bodhisattva Fugen) and the other related of the monk Saigyō: (the admonishment of the courtesan of Eguchi). Plot summary A travelling monk arrives by night at the port of Eguchi. Seeing a cairn, he enquires about its origin and is told that it commemorates the Lady of Eguchi, a former courtesan and poetess, who was subsequently considered to be a manifestation of a bodhisattva, specifically Fugen Bosatsu, Bodhisattva of Universal Virtue. During a rainstorm, the 12th-century monk Saigyō had asked for shelter at her house, but was refused entry. He reproached her with an impromptu poem, complaining that “you are stingy/even with the night I ask of you,/a place in your soon-left inn” Her devastating reply hinged on a Buddhis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Motomezuka
''Motomezuka'' () is a Noh play of the fourth category, written by Kan'ami and revised by Zeami. The name is either a corruption of, or a pun on, ''Otomezuka'' ("The Maiden's Grave"), the original story from episode 147 of ''Yamato Monogatari''. The word ''motome'' refers also to courtship. Plot summary A priest from the western provinces, travelling to Kyoto, stops with his companions in the isolated village of Ikuta ("Field of Life") in Settsu Province. They meet a group of village girls who are plucking spring shoots from the snow. When they ask a girl for directions to the famous "Sought-for Grave", she leads them to the place in question and tells the story of Unai. Two men, Sasada and Chinu, declared their love for Unai in letters she received in the same hour. Unwilling to incur the jealousy of one by favouring the other, Unai declined to make a choice. Her parents had them compete for her hand, but each contest they proposed resulted in a draw. In torment, Unai drowned h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dengaku
were rustic Japanese celebrations that can be classified into two types: that developed as a musical accompaniment to rice planting observances, and the dances that developed in conjunction with . The celebrated for rice planting was performed by villagers either at the New Year or during the planting season in early summer. It was only in the 14th century that these dances were brought to the cities and incorporated into Noh theater, notably by the playwright and actor Kan'ami. The instrument of is the , a wooden percussive instrument clapper, though there are other instruments that can be used. In the , there is a detailed description of the rice-planting . After being brought to the aristocrats, flourished till the end of the Heian period (794–1185) and became the main performing art of the Kamakura period (1185–1333), as well as part of the performing arts of the Muromachi period (1336–1573). By the end of the Muromachi period, had been eclipsed by . Today it b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sotoba Komachi
The aged Komachi rests upon the ''Sotoba Komachi'' is a Noh play written by Kan'ami, and is one of the most compelling and best-known of the type. Plot and themes Much of the strength of the play derives from the variety provided by the three main and distinct sections: lament for lost beauty; witty religious debate; and ghostly possession. The play begins with an encounter between two priests and an old beggar-woman, lamenting how she was “lovelier than the petals of the wild-rose open-stretched / In the hour before its fall. / But now I am grown loathsome even to sluts”. She later admits that she is the famed ''waka (poetry)">waka'' poet Ono no Komachi. Because she is seated on a Buddhist stupa, a holy marker, she is challenged by the priests for creating bad karma, but in a witty debate uses Zen-like sophistries to defeat them: “Nothing is real. Between Buddha and Man is no distinction”. The priests then lament in turn her loss of beauty; before in the final sequ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sarugaku
was a form of theatre popular in Japan during the 11th to 14th centuries. One of its predecessors was a , a form of entertainment reminiscent of the modern-day circus, consisting mostly of acrobatics, juggling, and pantomime, sometimes combined with drum dancing. Sangaku came from China to Japan in the 8th century and there mingled with indigenous traditions, particularly the harvest celebrations of dengaku. In the 11th century, the form began to favor comic sketches while other elements faded away. By the late 12th century, the term "sarugaku" had come to include comic dialogues based on word play ( toben), improvised comic party dances ('' ranbu''), short plays involving several actors, and musical arrangements based on courtesan traditions. During the 13th century, there was increased standardization of words, gestures, musical arrangements, and program combinations; as well as the adoption of the guild (''za'') system to which all present-day Noh schools can be traced. '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1384 Deaths
Year 1384 ( MCCCLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * May – September 3 – Siege of Lisbon by the Castilian army, during the 1383–85 Crisis in Portugal. * August 16 – The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China hears a case of a couple who tore paper money notes, while fighting over them. Under the law, this is considered to be destroying stamped government documents, which is to be punished by a caning with a bamboo rod of 100 strokes. However, the Emperor decides to pardon them, on the grounds that it was unintentional. * November 16 – 10-year-old Jadwiga is crowned "King" of Poland in Kraków following the death of her father, King Louis, in 1382. * December 25 – Use of the Spanish era dating system in the Crown of Castile is suppressed. Unknown Date * The Hongwu Emperor of China reinstates the Imperial examination system for drafting scholar-off ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1333 Births
Year 1333 ( MCCCXXXIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * May 18 – Siege of Kamakura in Japan: Forces loyal to Emperor Go-Daigo, led by Nitta Yoshisada, enter and destroy the city, breaking the power of the Hōjō clan over the Kamakura shogunate. The Kamakura period ends, and the Kenmu Restoration under Go-Daigo begins. * June 6 – William Donn de Burgh, 3rd Earl of Ulster, is murdered as part of the Burke Civil War in Ireland. * June 8 – King Edward III of England seizes the Isle of Man from Scottish control. * July 7 – The reign of Emperor Kōgon of Japan, first of the Northern Court (Ashikaga) Pretenders, ends. * July 19 – Wars of Scottish Independence - Battle of Halidon Hill: Edward III of England decisively defeats Sir Archibald Douglas. Berwick-upon-Tweed returns to English control. * November 4 – The River Arno floods, causing massive damage in Florence, as r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kusemai
''Kusemai'' (曲舞, くせまい) is a dance-like art form originating from medieval Japan (roughly, the Kamakura and Muromachi Periods). It was particularly popular during Japan's Nanboku Period (CE1336-1392) up through the end of the rest of the Muromachi Period (CE 1336–1573). Kusemai is sometimes simply characterized as a Japanese form of song and dance with a strong irregular beat - emphasis is placed on the beat at the expense of the melody. Kusemai is sometimes referred to in classical and medieval Japanese simply as ''mai'' (舞), or “dance.” While the modern Japanese kanji spelling of kusemai is 曲舞, written variants of the ''kanji'' are found in written records as 久世 舞 (kuse-mai) and 九世 舞 (kuse-mai). The “dance,” or pre-arranged physical movements of kusemai, are widely held to be the root of '' kōwakamai''’s dance-element. The type of music that accompanies the kusemai performance particularly flourished around Kyoto and Nara, in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
14th-century Japanese Male Actors
As a means of recording the passage of time, the 14th century was a century lasting from 1 January 1301 ( MCCCI), to 31 December 1400 ( MCD). It is estimated that the century witnessed the death of more than 45 million lives from political and natural disasters in both Europe and the Mongol Empire. West Africa experienced economic growth and prosperity. In Europe, the Black Death claimed 25 million lives wiping out one third of the European population while the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of France fought in the protracted Hundred Years' War after the death of Charles IV, King of France led to a claim to the French throne by Edward III, King of England. This period is considered the height of chivalry and marks the beginning of strong separate identities for both England and France as well as the foundation of the Italian Renaissance and Ottoman Empire. In Asia, Tamerlane (Timur), established the Timurid Empire, history's third largest empire to have been ever establi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
