Information About ™Kyogen |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT KYOGEN | |
| japanese performing arts | |
| theatre in japan | |
| noh | |
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HISTORY Kyogen is thought to derive from a form of Chinese entertainment that was brought to Japan around the 8th century. This entertainment form became known as ''sarugaku'' and initially encompassed both serious drama and comedy. By the 14th century, these forms of ''sarugaku'' had become known as noh and kyogen, respectively. Kyogen provided a major influence on the later development of Kabuki theater. After the earlier, more ribald forms of kabuki had been outlawed in the mid-17th century, the government permitted the establishment of the new ''yarō-kabuki'' (men's kabuki) only on the grounds that it refrain from the previous kabuki forms' lewdness and instead model itself after kyogen. Noh had been the official entertainment form of the Edo Period , and was therefore subsidized by the government. Kyogen, performed in conjunction with noh, also received the patronage of the government and the upper class during this time. Following the Meiji Restoration , however, this support ceased. Without government support, noh and kyogen went into decline, as many Japanese citizens gravitated toward the more "modern" Western art forms. In 1879 , however, former President Of The United States Ulysses S. Grant and his wife, while touring Japan, expressed an interest in the traditional art of noh. They became the first Americans to witness noh and kyogen plays and are said to have enjoyed the performance. Their approval is believed to have sparked a revival of interest in these forms {Link without Title} . In modern Japan, kyogen is performed both separately and as a part of noh. Its traditions are maintained primarily by family groups, especially the Izumi and Okura schools. ELEMENTS OF KYOGEN As with noh and kabuki, all kyogen Actor s, including those in female roles, are men. Kyogen plays are invariably brief, and often contain only two or three roles, which are often Stock Character s. Movements and dialogue in kyogen are typically very exaggerated, making the action of the play easy to understand. Elements of Slapstick or Satire are present in most kyogen plays. Some plays are parodies of actual Buddhist or Shinto religious rituals; others are shorter, more lively, simplified versions of noh plays, many of which are derived from Folktales . Kyogen is performed to the accompaniment of music, especially the flute, drums, and gong. However, the emphasis of kyogen is on dialogue and action, rather than on music or dance. Actors in kyogen, unlike those in noh, typically do not wear masks, unless the role is that of an animal (such as a Tanuki or Kitsune ), or that of a god. Consequently, the masks of kyogen are less numerous in variety than noh masks. Both masks and costumes are simpler than those characteristic of noh. Few props are used, and minimal or no stage sets. Two schools of Kyogen are Izumi and Okura . izumi 254 plays okura 180 plays 71 unique izumi 3 unique okura 177 shared by both schools REFERENCES
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