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Thursday, January 18, 2007
From Who's Already Read This Post, Made @ 12:30 PM
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Kabuki
As was the stage tradition in Elizabethan England, kabuki is performed entirely by men. Strangely enough however, this art form was created by Okuni, a female shrine attendant, in the 17th century. Although greatly influenced by the aristocratic noh, kabuki was largely popular entertainment for the masses. A large part of the popularity of the early, all-female performances was due to their sensual nature. The performers were also prostitutes and male audiences often got out of control. As a result, women were banned from performing by the Tokugawa Shogunate. Ironically, the young male actors who took over kabuki also engaged in prostitution and audience disturbances continued to break out. Again, the Shogunate clamped down and troupes composed of older actors were required to perform more formalized and strictly theatrical dramas, based on kyogen. Changes were made to the traditional noh stage, such as adding a draw curtain and a hanamichi (catwalk) through the audience to allow dramatic entrances and exits. Widely considered as Japan's greatest dramatist, Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653~1724) spent the mid-part of his career writing kabuki dramas, although his greatest works were bunraku puppet plays. When he returned to bunraku, many fans went with him and kabuki actors began to incorporate elements of bunraku in an attempt to woo them back. Among the great kabuki dynasties, the Ichikawa Danjuro line is perhaps the best known and continues to this day. Ichikawa Danjuro II (1688~1758) premiered many great works and adapted puppet plays for the kabuki stage. Successors played a huge part in raising the status of kabuki in society. Other great acting dynasties include Onoe Kikugoro and Bando Tamasaburo. Nakamura Matazo in'The Wisteria Maiden' (Fujimusume) Detail of a Kabuki-za poster showing the principal performers The actors who play female roles are known as onnagata or oyama (such as 80-year old National Living Treasure Jakuemon, left). As kabuki gained a level of respectability, the importance of these roles increased. The first great onnagata was Yoshizawa Ayame I (1673~1729). Many of the great kabuki actors have built their reputations solely on these roles. The performances are not so much 'acting' in the Western sense as stylized representations of female beauty or virtue. While early onnagata were required to maintain their feminine persona and dress even in their private lives, this practice was abolished in the Meiji Restoration of 1868. Kabuki is performed on a large, revolving stage and has such familiar stage devices as scenic backdrops and trapdoors for surprise entrances. Kamite (stage left) is often where you will see the important or high-ranking characters, while shimote (stage right) is occupied by lower-ranking characters. Actors perform kata (forms) as they have been performed throughout the generations. An example is mie or striking an attitude, often with one's eyes crossed and an exaggerated expression for dramatic effect. The aragoto or 'rough style' of acting is exemplified by such exaggeration and dramatic make-up and costume (left). It is associated with the Ichikawa Danjuro line. Die-hards in the audience join in the action, calling out the yago (house or family name) of the actors at prescribed moments in the performance. Standard male kabuki roles include the handsome lover, the virtuous hero or the evil samurai; for an onnagata, roles include the high-ranking samurai lady, the young maiden or the wicked woman. Traditional kabuki is highly melodramatic but strictly historical. Like the work of Shakespeare, the old stories and characters in the plays are all familiar to those in the know even though the language itself is often antiquated and hard to follow. But while the Bard's masterpieces are still widely popular among all ages, kabuki is no longer of much interest to younger Japanese people. Audiences tend to be made up of older people and refined young ladies. One of the most famous stories, Chushingura - a tale of revenge and loyalty - owes most of its popularity today to its many movie adaptations. Various actors and troupes have worked to incorporate avant-garde elements into kabuki and have worked in other areas such as TV and film. The actors themselves seem to do alright, at least the ones from the famous kabuki dynasties. Their romantic escapades make tabloid headlines and they appear in the odd TV commercial so I suppose there's life in the old art form yet. Kabuki is truly a theatrical spectacle, combining form, color and sound into one of the world's great theatrical traditions. But as far as dipping your toe into this particular cultural pond is concerned, a half hour spent at the Kabukiza theater in Tokyo, Shin-Kabukiza in Osaka or the Minamiza in Kyoto is probably all you'll need. At Kabukiza, for example, there is a separate box-office for seats on the 4th floor, where you can enjoy a single part of the program for as little as 500 yen. Seats for the full program range in price from 2,400 yen to 16,000 yen. An English "Earphone Guide" is available (except on the 4th floor) to give you the rundown on what's going on and also give you a bit of background. Feel free to get up and leave when you've had enough! In November 2005, UNESCO announced its decision to designate kabuki as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. It joined noh, similarly designated in 2001, and bunraku puppet theater designated in 2003. Kabuki's candidacy still needs to be ratified by a few more countries, but is expected to receive formal protection under the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage sometime in 2006.
From Who's Already Read This Post, Made @ 12:15 PM
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Yukata
Yukata (浴衣? baju sesudah mandi) adalah jenis kimono nonformal yang dibuat dari bahan kain katun tipis tanpa pelapis yang dipakai untuk kesempatan santai di musim panas. Yukata dibuat dari bahan katun yang mudah dilewati angin, agar badan menjadi sejuk di sore hari atau sesudah mandi malam dengan air panas di Jepang.
Pada umumnya, Yukata biasanya dibuat dari kain katun walaupun banyak yang dibuat dari tekstil campuran, seperti katun yang dicampur dengan poliester.
Di Jepang, musim panas berarti musim pesta kembang api dan matsuri (festival musim panas). Jika terlihat orang memakai Yukata, berarti tidak jauh dari tempat itu ada matsuri atau pesta kembang api. Yukata juga disediakan di kamar hotel, penginapan ala Jepang (ryokan) dan pemandian air panas (onsen).
Jika digunakan untuk tidur, Yukata bisa dikenakan begitu saja oleh pria dan wanita tanpa mengenakan pakaian dalam. Sedangkan jika Yukata dikenakan untuk keluar rumah, laki-laki biasanya tidak memakai kaus dalam, melainkan hanya mengenakan celana dalam atau celana pendek.
Perbedaan dengan kimono
CGI seorang wanita yang mengenakan Yukata, sedang bermain kembang api. Berbeda dengan kimono yang disebut orang Jepang sebagai Gofuku atau Wafuku dan hanya dipakai pada kesempatan formal, Yukata dipakai untuk kesempatan santai, seperti berjalan-jalan melihat pesta kembang api, melihat matsuri atau menari di saat perayaan Obon. Berbeda dengan kimono yang berharga mahal hingga luar biasa mahal, harga Yukata umumnya terjangkau oleh semua orang. Berbeda dengan kimono jadi yang hampir-hampir tidak ada toko yang mau menjualnya, Yukata yang sudah jadi dengan beraneka ukuran banyak dijual toko dengan harga terjangkau. Berbeda dengan kimono yang menurut ukuran lebar lengannya dapat diketahui status seorang wanita (sudah menikah atau masih gadis), Yukata dapat dipakai oleh siapa saja tanpa mengenal status. Berbeda dengan kimono yang dikenakan dengan pakaian dalam sebanyak dua lapis (Hadajuban dan Juban), perempuan yang mengenakan Yukata hanya perlu pakaian dalam lapis pertama (Hadajuban).
Sejarah Yukata
Pada sekitar zaman Azuchi Momoyama, Yukatabira dikenal sebagai pakaian sesudah mandi. Di kalangan rakyat pada zaman Edo, Yukatabira menjadi sangat populer sehingga kemudian dikenal dengan sebutan Yukata. Pada zaman itu, Yukata cuma berfungsi sebagai pakaian tidur dan tidak pernah dipakai untuk bertemu dengan orang lain karena dianggap sangat tidak sopan.
Berbeda dengan kimono, Yukata sangat mudah dijahit karena pola yang sangat sederhana. Yukata dijahit tanpa kain pelapis di bawahnya dan tanpa kain pelapis di daerah pinggul dan pundak. Sampai sekitar sesudah Perang Dunia II di Jepang, cara menjahit Yukata diajarkan kepada para murid-murid perempuan di sekolah menengah umum.
From Who's Already Read This Post, Made @ 11:13 AM
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About J Zone|Malang Otaku Community
Name: Japan Zone Home: J Zone Fans|Malang Otaku Community Established: In 2005 Location: Malang, East Java, Indonesia Contact: jzonefans@yahoo.co.uk
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