Please introduce the art of Noh in Japan?

Japanese Noh play

Introduction to Noh play

●Noh play means "a performance with plot" in Japanese and is the most representative One of the traditional Japanese art forms. In its broadest sense, Noh includes "no" and "kyogen". The two are often performed on the same stage at the same time, so they develop together and are inseparable. However, they are indeed very different in many aspects. The former is a masked tragedy with a strong religious connotation, while the latter is a very secular comedy. In fact, Noh is a very late name. From the middle of the Heian Period (782-1185) to the Edo Period (1603-1868), this art has been called "Saru Gaku" or "Saru no Gaku". Moreover, taking the Southern and Northern Dynasties of Japan as the boundary, the early Sarugaku and the late Sarugaku had very different appearances, so today the Japanese academic community calls the former "Old Sarugaku" and the latter "Noh".

●As for the origin of Noh, although there are many differences in specific analysis, Noh is "a culmination of ancient Japanese local arts and foreign arts", which can be said to be the most common knowledge in academic circles. . Many cultural styles have played a role in the formation, development and stereotype of Noh. This also includes ancient Chinese culture. Ancient Japan already had a very rich and varied singing and dancing arts, including rituals to pray to gods and worship ancestors, songs praising productive labor, heroic hymns about war, and songs and dances describing the love lives of men and women, etc. Among the people, there are also wandering entertainers such as puppet masters, wandering girls, and shamans. They have been performers and disseminators of folk dramas for a long time in history. In the Nara and Heian early periods, which is equivalent to the Tang Dynasty in my country, geki, dance music, and loose music from various mainland countries and the Korean Peninsula were gradually introduced to Japan and were performed in the palace for a long time. In this way, ancient Japanese art, through the medium of China, Korea, and Linyi, was connected with early dramas in India and European countries, greatly improving the level of Japanese music, dance, and performing arts, and cultivating many artistic talents. It even preserved valuable artistic wealth that was later lost in other countries. The combination of external factors and national traditions led to a period of upsurge of national culture with "a variety of operas". After the Kamakura period, the emerging samurai class replaced the dominant position of the old aristocracy. Religious culture has also undergone great changes, with more and more emphasis on the independent development of national culture. At this time, the art of drama was combined with widespread religious activities, and various performances were carried out based on temples and shrines in various places. Yannian, Tianle and Sarugaku are widely popular. By the 12th and 3rd centuries, many professional theater troupes (seats) had appeared, and a hereditary system for artists had begun. During the Muromachi period, under the influence of my country's Song Dynasty Daqu and Yuan Dynasty Zaju, a relatively mature form of drama was produced.

●The earliest record of foreign music played in Japan is generally believed to be a record of the King of Silla sending 80 Silla musicians to Japan at the time of the funeral of Emperor Yoongong in 453. One hundred years later, in 554, it was recorded that during the reign of Emperor Qinming, musicians sent from Baekje on the Korean Peninsula to replace their predecessors had arrived. In addition, at the time of Emperor Suiko in 612, there are records of the introduction of famous giraku (guru music) to Japan. During the reign of Emperor Tenmu in 684, there are records of music from the three countries of the Korean Peninsula being played. From the 5th to the 7th century, most records of music in Japan are related to music coming from the Korean Peninsula. Later, Japan sent envoys to the Sui Dynasty in 607 and to the Tang Dynasty in 630. Chinese music and dance also took this opportunity to spread to Japan. Fujiwara Masatoshi (807-897) went to Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, in 835 as an envoy to the Tang Dynasty, and studied pipa with Lian Chengwu, the pipa doctor at the time. It is said that he later returned to China with the pipa of the Tang Dynasty, and also brought back the music scores of the Tang Dynasty. After returning to China, he continued to teach pipa, so the music of the Tang Dynasty was undoubtedly introduced to Japan. As early as 701, the "Dabao Code" promulgated, there was a provision for the establishment of a yakuliao in the administrative province to specialize in playing music and cultivating performers. The music performed by this institution includes ceremonial music handed down from ancient Japan and a variety of foreign music. This shows that Japan at that time placed the performance of foreign music under the specific management of national institutions, and enhanced the country's prestige by playing and performing for foreign envoys.

Only some powerful temples still maintain this form of performance. For example, the Kasuga Wakamiya Festival in Kofukuji Temple in Nara still maintains this traditional drama.

●Tian music is derived from the ancient music and dance "Tian Wu". Tian dance was originally a sacrificial ceremony to pray for a good harvest. Later it was introduced into the palace and became the royal music and dance. However, it was quickly suppressed by other music and dance and declined. Some of them were accepted by the common people and became Tianle and developed. Because the imperial court abolished "Sanle households", Sanle spread to the people. Some Sanle artists combined Sanle with Tianle, a folk art, and their performances were acrobatic. Performances of a unique nature, such as "one foot", "high foot", "daoyu", etc., transform Tianle from a folk sacrificial ritual into an art form. Tenraku truly became a professional performing arts during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. The songs and dances in Tianraku developed into Tianraku Noh, and its repertoire includes "Kikusui", "Hepu", "Two Stars", "Kitano Monokage no No", "Shakuhachi no No", "Horan Shojin no No", " "The Power of the Four Ghosts", "The Power of Genji", etc., in the Kyogen part, there are many that are very similar to No Kyogen, such as "Shan Xing", "Zong Lun", "Fu Zi", etc. The basic structure of these plays already has the system of sequence, breakdown and urgency. From the perspective of the drama components, there are storylines, dialogues, songs and dances, stage movements, as well as singing and accompaniment of the chorus and band. Tian Leneng, who was in its heyday, had a great influence on the development of Sarugaku. As Sarugaku gained the support of the general and prospered, Tian Leneng also completed its historical mission and declined. Again Going to the folk has been preserved to this day as folk custom.

●After the Onin Rebellion, the weakening of the shogunate system and the decline of temples had a great impact on the development of Noh. Only Hattori Kojiro Nobumitsu, his son Nagatoshi, Kaneharu Zenho and others have won praise from the general audience by creating gorgeous and dramatic tracks. At this time, Tian Raku and Omi Sarugaku were almost dead. In the second half of the 16th century, most capable actors gradually sought support and protection from powerful daimyo.

●Nobunaga’s interest in Noh music is well known. Later, Hideyoshi became an avid Noh music lover. In addition to watching the music himself, he even performed regularly. He also financially supported the Yamato Sarugaku Four, allowing them to survive in troubled times. From then on, Noh performers gradually left the temples and shrines and turned to the samurai, who were under the control of the samurai family. After such changes, except for some remaining small performance groups (rakuza) and the Yamato Sarugaku Four who joined the samurai family, other rakuza basically disappeared in this era.

●In this period, with the splendid Momoyama culture as the background, the luxurious and gorgeous Noh stage style was established, and the actors' costumes became more luxurious. In terms of Noh noodles production, there were also many famous people, and Noh performances Basically all the masks used were available during this period. Scripts also developed, and Kyogen masters frequently appeared in this era. It can be said that the Warring States Period was a period of transformation and revival for Noh.

●After Hideyoshi's death, Ieyasu, who became the general to conquer barbarians, also followed Hideyoshi's system. Give capable performers knowledge and official status to protect the artist's performance ability. The emerging Kita-ryu has also been fostered into a first-class school, and is one of the five major schools along with Yamato Shiza. These artists moved to Edo, the center of Noh, and the wandering lives of the artists finally settled down. At the same time, vassal governments in various places also hired disciples of the five major schools to perform and conduct research within their own territories.

●However, the shogunate and the feudal lords were both protectors of Noh and strict supervisors. According to frequently issued stern notices, actors were required to practice performance skills and inherit traditional skills. The music became gradually more solemn, the duration of a song also became longer, and it became a rigorous technique that consumed energy and physical strength. At the same time, small parts such as Noh music, accompaniment, and kyogen were also independently divided into numerous schools. The system of protecting the throne through the head system with the "official" as the center was established in this era, and inversely Let me say that this is also the result of Noh's free development prospects being closed in the flow of history.

Characteristics of Noh play

●The name "Noh play" was not finalized until the Meiji era. At that time, people with lofty ideals created an elegant term after imitating Western musical dramas. At the height of its development in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, this art form was still known as "Saru no No". For the convenience of description, we will refer to the Sarugaku noh that has the characteristics of later generations of Noh as "Noh" below.

●Noh music was very mature during the Muromachi Shogunate period. It already had various elements such as drama literature, performing arts, music, dance, and stage arts. But it is mainly a musical based on singing and dancing. It is short and concise, does not pursue changes and development of the plot, and focuses on narrative and lyrical play. Most of its themes are taken from famous Japanese classical literary works, such as "Kojiki", "Nihon Shoki", "Man'yoshu", "The Tale of Ise", "The Tale of Genji", "The Story of the Past", "The Tale of the Heike", "Soga Monogatari", "Yisukeki", etc., take half of the scales and feathers out of them and develop them in depth to move people with emotion. A Noh play has a protagonist, called "Shishou", who wears a mask and rich clothes, and sometimes brings the deputy protagonist "Len" (the one who supports the protagonist) on the stage. The main supporting role is played by one person, called "waki", and sometimes the supporting role "wakiren" (the one who supports the supporting role) is brought on stage. There are also some supporting roles, such as Xiaosheng (also known as "Zifang", similar to the "actor" in Chinese Peking Opera, but unlike the "actor", the Japanese "actor" is allowed to have lines). These roles generally do not all appear on stage. For example, the Noh drama "Anzai" with a relatively large number of appearances has 14 actors and actresses. In general, there are only two or three actors performing. All Noh actors are male. If they play women, they wear masks. In addition, there are also "ma" roles in Noh performances. The function is to help the audience understand the background of the story, make the plot transition smoothly, and lead the play to the climax. They only talk but do not sing or dance, so they are called "wild words". Because they appear at the joints of the front and rear scenes, they are also called "crazy words". Known as "Ma Kyogen", it was the predecessor of No Kyogen in the future. However, after the formation of No Kyogen, this "Ma Kyogen" was not abolished. It still served as a transitional plot and coexisted with the Kyogen performed in Ryōban Noh dramas. .

●Noh is a drama with a literary script called "ballad". In the ballad work of Noh master Zeami, there is also a hint called "jishu" here. Notes on how to perform it. Therefore, it can be said that ballads are the earliest performing opera scripts in Japan. They contain dialogues and lyrics, and most of the lyrics are based on Japanese Waka or Chinese songs. Poetry is a treasure in Japanese classical literature and has a significant influence on the development of Japanese literature. Later dramas, such as puppetry and kabuki, have inherited and developed its traditions and performed its ballads. The style of the song uses both verse and prose, and the dialogues are all prose. These proses pay great attention to rhythm, and use both classical Chinese and the spoken language of the Muromachi period. The verses are composed of seven syllables (the first half of the sentence has seven syllables, and the second half of the sentence has five syllables). Composition.

The basic structure of ballads is divided into prelude, break and rush, which are indispensable for understanding the structure of Noh play. The appearance of Danwaki

The appearance of Danwaki's player

The question and answer between Danwaki and Waki

The development of the first part of Danwaki, the song and dance, Intermission (transition from "Jian")

The performer of the quick section appears again and performs the dance

●The prologue is to explain the plot, including "steps", "common names", "Tao Xing" has three sections. At the beginning, the band plays music first, and then the "Wai" slowly walks onto the stage from the "curtain opening" on the left side of the stage. On the stage, the "Wai" sings a section along with the music, usually seven. Lines 5, 75, and 75, but the third line should have one less syllable at the end, and the second line should repeat the first line. This is called "diyong". "Steps" comes on the stage. Then comes "Public Names", where the supporting characters explain their names and the purpose of their trip along with music and chorus.

For example, in "Yorimasa" (Note 1), the monk's common name is: "I am a traveling monk who travels around the world. I have visited all the temples in the capital recently, and now I plan to visit Nara." Then there is the "Dao Xing" paragraph, explaining The time, place, causes and consequences of the entire story. As the "representative of the audience", the supporting character "Wai" uses this method to win the audience's understanding of him, and looks forward to having cordial emotional exchanges with the audience. After these expressions have come to an end, the supporting character "Wai" sits down at the designated place (supporting position). This ends the sequence.

●After the audience's expectations were fully aroused, the protagonist "Shi Shou" came on stage dressed as a countryman, singing and walking across the bridge to the stage. He also writes fantasy-like dialogues related to the plot. "Shishou" and "Xie" asked and answered questions, and the plot unfolded like this. "Shishou" will give some explanations about the protagonist of the play based on "Threat"'s questions, which is to let the audience understand the plot. In "Yorimasa", the traveling monk asked the "official": "I have just arrived here. I hope you can teach me about the famous places and historic sites in Ujiri one by one." (Note 2), through the historical sites related to Minamoto Yomasa, such as Relics such as Byodo-in Temple and Fan Lawn arouse the audience's understanding of the protagonist.

●After narrating the plot through the dialogue performance between the protagonist and the supporting role, Waki ??(also the audience) gained a certain understanding of the protagonist, and the protagonist dressed as a "countryman" claimed that "I am that The protagonist’s ghost”, and then disappeared. In "Yorimasa", Minamoto Yorimasa, who transforms into an old country man, sings: "I dreamed of entering this mortal world, and in this life, frost stars are changing on the bridge of Uji. My wrinkled forehead is old, and I am a speechless monk. My true feelings. I am the third Minamoto Yomasa, Miyazaki The battle turned into a ghost. He quickly disappeared before his name was revealed." (Then, he quietly left the scene midway.) At this time, the supporting character "Xie", who was still in awe of the unknown villagers' profound knowledge, met him. "Ma" who appears as a local. During the questions and answers between "Jian" and "Xie", "Xie" learned that the person he met just now was the soul of the protagonist. "Jian" advised "Thieves" to pay homage to the souls of the dead, and then retreat to the Kuangyan position. This section is called "Jian Kuangyan", and later developed into a comedy that has nothing to do with the plot. (This type of neng that divides the front and back scenes with "ma" is called "complex neng", and the one with only one scene without "ma" is called "single type neng")

●When the supporting character "Wai" learned The countryman just now turned out to be a dead soul, which was very surprising. Then, "Wai" fell asleep while remembering the historical figures just mentioned (indicating that he was in a dream). This is the protagonist "Shishou" who has withdrawn from the scene, reappearing in the disguise of the protagonist when he was alive. In other words, he appeared again. At this time, the supporting characters are faced with living historical figures. At this point, entering the fast section, there is a series of songs, dances and questions and answers. The rhythm gradually becomes tense and reaches the climax. The official tells the story of the year to the waki (that is, to the audience). In "Yorimasa", after Minamoto Yorimasa came on stage, he talked about his support for Takakura Miya in the uprising and the unfortunate failure in the end. After finishing speaking, he disappeared (exited) again, and the whole play ended.