Category Archives: Japan

Bunraku: The Pine of the Abandoned Princess on Mt. Hibari, Akoya (鶊山姫捨松, 阿古屋琴責)

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  • Bunraku: 鶊山姫捨松, 阿古屋琴責 (The Pine of the Abandoned Princess on Mt. Hibari, Akoya)

2/4/19 (Mon), Tokyo

Both shows this month were torture pieces (if such a genre exists) showing the heroines under intense interrogation; both also unusually featured a Chinese kokyu. I was surprised to see empty seats in the theater, not a typical sight for Tokyo Bunraku. I had expected more of a crowd at least for the popular Akoya, especially as the Kabuki version had just played in December. They missed a great combination.

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Bunraku: The Almanac Maker (大経師昔暦)

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  • Bunraku: 大経師昔暦 (The Almanac Maker)

2/2/19 (Sat), Tokyo

This puppet piece by the prolific Chikamatsu Monzaemon, inspired by the adulterous relationship of an actual couple, debuted in 1715 on the 33rd anniversary of their death, an important Buddhist date. It’s one of three major adultery plays written by Chikamatsu (all of which were performed together a few years back in a day of infidelity — wish I could have seen that). It reappeared in various forms after its debut, including a major Kabuki adaptation, but like most of Chikamatsu’s works fell off the map for many years, known mainly as the basis for Mizoguchi’s brilliant film The Crucified Lovers (also known by the terrible title The Chikamatsu Story「近松物語」) . The play was unearthed during a Chikamatsu renaissance in the early 1980s, with the long-lost music newly composed based on scattered memos. And a masterpiece was reborn. This is the first revival of this piece in nine years.

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Kokoro (こころ, 1955 film)

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  • こころ (Kokoro, 1955 film)

10/18/18 (Thurs)

Ichikawa Kon’s 1955 film, following the broad structure of Natsume Soseki’s iconic novel, is effectively split into two: it begins in Tokyo at the end of the momentous Meiji Era, when a student befriends an older man, then shifts in flashback to the latter’s recollection of his younger years and his confession of a dark secret regarding an old friendship. “Kokoro” means heart or soul, here a deep dark place.

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Ikiru (生きる)

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  • 生きる (Ikiru)

9/29/18 (Sat)

I hadn’t seen this 1952 classic in years, but with Miyamoto Amon’s Broadway-aimed musical version set to debut (in Japanese) next week, I figured it was time for a revisit. It didn’t strike me as an obvious choice for musicalization given the halting communication skills of the main character, who is not exactly Mr. Excitement, and I wondered how they could top the haunting “Gondola no Uta” that the man sings on the swing in the iconic finale. First, a look at the film.

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Bunraku: Roben and the Cedar Tree, Zoho Chushingura (良弁杉由来、増補忠臣蔵)

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  • Bunraku: 良弁杉由来、増補忠臣蔵  (Roben and the Cedar Tree, Zoho Chushingura)

9/15/18 (Sat), Tokyo

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Meiji Restoration, and the National Theatre is featuring two productions from that era. After an astounding period of creativity, Bunraku had pretty much halted as a living art in the 18th century, and not many pieces were being written at this point. Whereas the Kabuki world was undertaking some dramatic experiments incorporating Western concepts, these puppet pieces stay safely within the bounds of their predecessors — which is fine when done as well as it is here.   Continue reading →

Kabuki: Yugen (幽玄)

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  • Kabuki: 幽玄 (Yugen)

9/12/18 (Wed), Tokyo Kabukiza

All the shows in this month’s evening performance were pieces derived from ancient Noh theater: Sanbaso, a comic take on the austere Okina; the great Shunkan, Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s brash reworking of the old drama; and a new dance piece by National Living Treasure Tamasaburo based on the classics Hagoromo, Shakkyo and Dojoji.

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One Cut of the Dead (カメラを止めるな）

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  • カメラを止めるな（One Cut of the Dead）

8/15/18 (Wed), Tokyo

This zany film – literally, “Don’t Stop the Camera!” or “Keep It Rolling!” – has become a sensation in Japan, a low-budget little-film-that-could by a no-name director and cast that has spread like wildfire from a single out-of-the-way theater to nationwide release. Shows were sold out from morning to night in the peak o-bon holiday season. No one would tell me anything more about the film than that it involves zombies, which would normally make me turn the other way. But the word was so strong that I finally gave in to the hype and snagged a late-night ticket.

The first half-hour is taken up by an amateurish film with overripe acting and questionable direction, where actors making a zombie movie encounter actually zombies. My heart sank, and I started wondering what I was doing there. But then there comes a sharp change in gears that makes it all worth it. Continue reading →