Kabuki Theater Essay

Before an American naval commander “opened” Japan, the country was extremely isolated. Interaction with other nations was limited. Trade was discouraged in society due to Neo-Confucian

Strict restrictions on commerce were removed like guilds and internal tariffs. Japan’s surge promoted a fear in the West of a new yellow peril that should be opposed through greater imperialists

Japan at the turn of the century was clearly trying to westernize and change is isolated society into one more intellectually and scientifically involved with the rest of the world. When the Japanese open their ports to the western civilization food and merchandise were not the only things being traded. When ports were open the western way of living was integrated with the Japanese culture which gradually changed the way the

The ‘Sengoku period’ or the ‘warring states period’ is known as the period of time before Japan’s unification. Once unified, the government was known as the Tokugawa Shogunate which continued from 1603 to 1867. Unknown author of popular Japanese website, Nakasendoway

In 1603, the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate allowed Japan to stay at peace until 1868 (Theatre histories 203). The return of peace allowed for a new culture to emerge that was the opposite of samurai elegance and control; there was a new form of entertainment called Kabuki. These types of performers reversed gender roles and mocked samurai rulers, which caused the samurai, traders and workers in wealthy towns to disapprove of these performers. Even though they were annoyed at these performances, it “confirmed what they took to be their innate superiority to the rowdy culture of the cities” (203). The success of these performances can be explained by the cultural hierarchy theory. The cultural hierarchy is the idea that cultures create a divide to depict the ethical differences. There is a high-status

Kon'nichiwa! I’m Japan! You probably know me for my aesthetic cherry blossoms and splendid anime, but let me tell you, things weren’t always as kawaii as they seemed. For a loooong time, I was isolated from other countries by my own shoguns and daimyos, my militaristic dictators and their warrior landlords respectively. We got along fine at first, but my common people were becoming increasingly unhappy with their little political power and heavy taxes. Then, on a fateful day in July of 1853, I met… the West.

Japan is an unique oriental country in many aspects, especially in politics and economy, both western practices and traditional nationalism are coexisted in this country. The period 1890-1940 was just followed the Meiji restoration, and was typical in the history of Japan, at that time, Japan was on the way from a feudal country to a capitalistic country, called modernization. Many western practices were being more and more adopted, however, at the same time, traditional rules still had strong influences in Japan. Under this background, this report will discuss the Japanese cultural factors during 1890-1940 that influenced the disclosure

Kojiki is the earliest Japanese story which emphasizes the divine origins and the succession to prove emperors’ of yamato appropriateness as rulers.

The nature of the theater audience has changed throughout history, cyclically evolving from a participatory crowd to a group of people sitting behind an imaginary line, silently observing the performers. The theater scene of Washington D.C is no exception. Much like politically-influential Athens, Rome, and London before it, this great city also ranks as one of the extraordinary cultural capitals of the world. The main topic studied in class was the naissance and realization of regional theater in our nation’s capital. Zelda Fichandler, D.C’s regional theater forerunner observed that “[O]ur descendants will ask how we came to do this with our theatre and why we waited so long and labored so confusingly”. The honest answer to these questions

Although Japan changed in many ways from 1853 to 1941, there were also many factors that remained the same throughout the history of Japan. One such continuity was the maintained existence of a figurehead ruler controlled by other political authorities. The feudalistic emperor of Japan was the supposed “highest, most powerful authority” in the land, but was actually controlled by the military leaders- the shogun. Similarly, the militaristic emperor of Japan decades later continued to remain a figurehead ruler controlled by military and government officials. In addition, Japan continued to remain reliant on exports in order to maintain its economy. As a result of Japan’s small geographical size, the island nation had few natural resources and was forced to rely on exports to survive economically. The nation also grew increasingly reliant on other nations to provide materials and supplies that it could not provide for itself. This complete reliance on other nations was seen illustrated when the Japanese military was provoked to attacking another superpower- the United States, in response to the 1940 United States embargo

     Theater originated from the religious rites of ancient Greek tribes. Located in northern Greece, a cult was formed to worship the God of wine and fertility, Dionysus. The cult held religious celebrations which included large consumptions of alcohol, animal sacrifices, and sometimes

To what extent does stage design impact, influence, and enhance a traditional Kabuki theatre performance, more specifically, in the eighteenth century play Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura (Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees) written by Takeda Izumo II, Namiki Senryû I, and Miyoshi Shôraku?

The people of Japan knew that the time for change had come, and in 1868 a group of samurai overthrew the Shogunate. This eventually led to the rise of the Meiji Restoration in 1889. The western countries were much more advanced compared to Japan during the industrial revolution and if they were to become a global power, Japan would need to advance as well. The Meiji Restoration was brought up upon western ideology, which led to new advanced technology along with rapid social and economic growth and the formation of a national military. The Meiji restoration had occurred in the 19th century because Japan needed a change in order to advance during the industrial revolution. The restoration was the change, that eventually led Japan to become an international force. For decades the high tariffs of the unequal treaties affected my pay and my life. Though this new restoration has brought more jobs and better pay for us

In Kabuki theatre, everything that is seen on the stage is the result of a meaningful inner dynamic which completes the performance by the coordination of the actors with all the various components of the mise-en-scène and then by the traditions of all the various elements being assembled into an organic whole (Kawatake 1990, 247).

First mentioned in the oldest chronicles of Japan, Kojiki and Nihongi, the origins of the shimenawa ropes are deep in the history of Japan…