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This collection of Japanese folk plays reveals a previously unknown and decidedly unaristocratic element to Japanese theater. Interspersed between the stately, slower paced dramas of Japan’s Noh theater are the delightful comic plays or interludes known as Kyogen. These brief plays evolved from the bawdy skits that were rousingly enjoyed by the plebeian populaces of the cities in feudal Japan some hundreds of years ago when Noh itself was a pastime and entertainment exclusively reserved for the aristocracy. Today they still provide delightful relief from the sustained and concentrated action of the Noh play that has changed very little throughout the centuries. Among the various forms of classical Japanese drama, the flamboyant action and brilliant coloring Kabuki has perhaps enabled it to be the most easily understood; and the Noh, in a number of excellent translations, has become widely known for its poetic beauty. But the Kyogen, equally deserving of attention, have remained relatively unknown. Only now, with this new edition of Miss Sakanishi's excellent translations, are they at last readily available to the Western reader.
Traditional Japanese Literature features a rich array of works dating from the very beginnings of the Japanese written language through the evolution of Japan's noted aristocratic court and warrior cultures. It contains stunning new translations of such canonical texts as The Tales of the Heike as well as works and genres previously ignored by scholars and unknown to general readers.
Itadakimasu! The Food Culture of Japan is designed as a first- or second-year college course in Japanese culture for students who have little to no background in the Japanese language, culture, literature, or history. Unlike any other culture text, Itadakimasu! offers a unique approach to learning about culture through a country’s cuisine. This account takes students on an exciting journey into the world of Japanese food culture, both past and present, exploring themes such as regional specialties, annual festivals, traditional foodways, prominent tea masters, culinary expressions, restaurant menus, dining etiquette, mealtime customs, and culinary aesthetics. Itadakimasu! also addresses current events in the food industry and agribusiness, health and nutrition, dieting trends, fast food, and international and Western influences. Enhancing this wealth of cultural material are autobiographical essays written by guest contributors and varied literary excerpts featuring food themes across different genres in literature spanning many centuries. Each of the readings is supplemented by general comprehension questions followed by more probing queries calling on critical and analytical thinking to methodically guide students from a cursory understanding of a new culture to reflections on their own experiences and other world cultures. Resources also highlight food-centric films so that students can witness what they are learning about in an authentic cultural context. Furthermore, teachers and students alike can enjoy food tasting labs in the classroom, fostering yet another authentic experience for the students. With the intention of reaching a broad audience of students majoring or minoring in Japanese or Asian Studies, or students learning English as a Foreign Language or English for Specific Purposes, Itadakimasu! could also be useful for composition and conversation courses and the Writing Across the Curriculum series or as a supplement for 'Four Skills' Japanese language courses and introductory Japanese literature offerings. Above all, its multifaceted design with a broad spectrum of self-contained sections welcomes individual teaching styles and preferences. Itadakimasu! paints an appetizing image of Japan’s society with just a dash of culture, a pinch of language, and a taste of literature to tempt the palate of students new to the study of Japan. Meant to enhance the regular curriculum, this innovative approach to learning about Japan suggests that the culinary world can lend an insightful view into a country’s culture. Historical and contemporary foodways are universal elements common to all cultures, making the subject matter inherently relatable. An Instructors Manual containing sample syllabi, learning outcomes, handout templates, study guides, background content and more is available at www.routledge.com/9780367903572.
An up-to-date cultural history of the Japanese theatre in all its forms including primitive rituals, court and popular dance-drama, puppet shows and westernized plays, is narrated here for the first time in English by a western authority in the field. The book underlines Zeami and Zenchiku's secret tradition of the nō, explaining Zen-inspired spiritual teachings for the actor's training on the way to enlightened performance. It also gives relevance to the transformation of an anti-establishment entertainment by prostitutes into spectacular kabuki stagecraft, and to the modernization process which created shingeki modern drama, and moved it into the context of world theatre. The final chapter summarizes the history of western discovery of the Japanese stage. The illustrations, the indexes, the glossary and the extensive bibliography — including all major literature in western languages until 1989 — also contribute to make this volume a must for all students of the Japanese theatre, and for anyone interested in a better understanding of Japanese culture as mirrored in its theatrical component.
From ancient ritualistic practices to modern dance theatre, this study provides concise summaries of all major theatrical art forms in Japan. It situates each genre in its particular social and cultural contexts, describing in detail staging, costumes, repertory and noteworthy actors.
Richly illustrated, and based largely on sources inaccessible to the non-Japanese speaker, this book provides a rare glimpse into kagura (Shinto theater), a performance style with roots predating even noh drama. Coverage includes the history of the art; the kagura stage; schools of performance; synopses of plays and ceremonies; movement and choreography; kagura costumes; masks and mask-making; implements, decorations and special effects; the music of kagura; and related folk arts. There are also additional sections with comparative materials on noh and kabuki. A new world of theater awaits...
This study of Japanese music explore Nagauta or literally "long song"--the delicate and complex music that accompanies kabuki theater--in great detail. The Kabuki theater of Japan has achieved a growing reputation as one of the world's most brilliant achievements in the field of theater. And the number of studies made on the subject in the West has been considerable. Yet, in spite of the fact that so much of the unique brilliance of the kabuki stage depends on the character of its music, the manner in which it is used, and its integral connection with the development of the dramatic impact of the plays, very little has been written on this phase of the genre. Of particular interest are the attempts to explore the various approaches to form music in the vast repertoire of this living art music. The playing techniques of the instruments are explained, and the relations of each instrument's music to the vocal line and to the overall design is shown. The analysis is accompanied by two compete transcription of nagauta in Western notation. These transcriptions are the first complete scores of nagauta ever printed. Additional musical examples, bibliography, discography, and glossary-index add value to the text.
Learn the many varieties of chess the world over with this concise chess guide. Chess Variations is a must for all chess enthusiasts and an outstanding book which promises many hours of pleasurable entertainment for all others. With more than 40 variations of the popular board game, this book contains, among others, the oldest known form of chess (Chaturanga), the game created by Edgar Rice Burroughs and introduced in his Martian series (Jetan), as well as regional forms currently played in Korea, Malaya, Burma, Thailand, and Japan. For those games that require boards or pieces other than those issued in playing modern chess, the author presents guidelines on "The Construction of Sets." Also included in the book are charts, diagrams, and sample games played by the author and his friends. The excitement of playing these exotic chess variations increases with the knowledge of their historic beginnings as well as with the movements of such strange-sounding pieces as the Zarafah, Ashwa, and Firzan.