Leiter S.L. Historical Dictionary of Japanese Traditional Theatre

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AGEMAKU • 31

their nicknames during a performance. Kabuki actors even had a

strong inﬂuence on fashion and social behavior.

ADAUCHI KYO

GEN. Also katakiuchi mono, kabuki,andbunraku

‘‘revenge plays,’’ which often concern the samurai class. Many are

set in the sekai of the Soga brothers or the Ako

vendetta. See also

CHU

SHINGURA MONO; SOGA MONO.

ADO. Also ato,akyo

gen role category that, in plays with at least two

characters, is roughly the equivalent of the waki in no

. In plays with

three or more characters, the ado is everyone other than the shite.

However , the shite-ado relationship is not the same as that of the

shite-waki because, in kyo

gen, each role is likely to be equally impor-

tant. See also KYO

GENKATA.

AGEHA. In no

, solo passages of a line or two performed in the upper

ageha is usually chanted by the shite. Most kuse have one ageha, but

some have two, as in Uta-ura, Kakitsubata, Kashiwazaki, Hyakuman,

etc. Some kuse have no ageha,asinAkogi and Kurozuka.

AGEMAKU. In no

and kyo

gen,

the

‘‘lift curtain,’’ which hangs from a

metal bar at the kagami no ma entrance to the hashigakari. Made of

silk in ﬁve stripes of white, green, red, yellow, and black, it symbol-

izes the colors of the sun as it moves from dawn to dusk. When a no

play is about to begin, the musicians, beginning with the fue player,

enter after it is lifted slightly from the lower right-hand corner. For

actors’ entrances, it is lifted into the kagami no ma from the bottom

at either side by bamboo poles. As the actor is about to enter, he

whispers, ‘‘Omaku’’ (‘‘curtain!’’). Occasionally, the curtain may be

lifted partially for a preview of the shite before he enters. The curtain

must also be raised for his exit; its execution is very important for a

proper conclusion.

In bunraku, the agemaku are the crested (mon) navy-blue curtains

at either side of the stage used for entrances and exits.

Kabuki has left and right agemaku like bunraku’s; in addition, in

-style plays (matsubame mono)ano

-like agemaku is situated

upstage right. The most common kabuki usage is for the navy-blue

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32 • AGEUTA

crested curtain at the end of the hanamichi. Unlike the no

version, it

opens laterally, not vertically. The sound of the metal curtain rings

on the hanamichi agemaku swooshing open signals the audience that

someone is entering on the runway. The room at the end of the

hanamichi is also called agemaku.

AGEUTA. A commonly heard melodic module (sho

dan)inano

play

sung in hiranori rhythm and with a high-pitched melody. It is used

for hiranori and machi utai sequences at the start of the second act.

AIBIKI. The black-painted stools of different heights placed surrepti-

tiously by kurogo under certain male kabuki characters for them to

sit on. Intended to be invisible, they give the actor support as well as

additional stature, even when kneeling.

AIGUMA. A style of kabuki kumadori using blue lines painted on a

white base to suggest the treacherous nature of kugeaku villains in

stylized plays, like Shihei in ‘‘Kuruma Biki’’ (Sugawara Denju Tena-

rai Kagami). See also HANNYAGUMA; MAKEUP.

AIKATA. Kabuki music played in the geza on a shamisen unaccompa-

nied by singing; the rare cases where singing is used are utairi aikata

(‘‘accompaniment with singing’’). Other instruments may be used to

suppor t the shamisen. Standard passages follow sequences using

both voice and shamisen and are heard in many scenes, their purpose

being to provide an emotional atmosphere to the performance. Spe-

ciﬁc aikata patterns are called for according to the conventions asso-

ciated with most scenes but leading actors can sometimes express

their own preferences. See also NARI MONO.

AIKYO

GEN. Shortened to ai (‘‘interlude’’) when printed in programs,

this is (a) a type of scene in a no

play and (b) the kyo

genkata and his

role in that scene. Some specialists restrict aikyo

gen to the scene and

ai to the actor role. There are two types of aikyo

gen scenes: katariai

and igatari. See

also

ASHIRAI-AI; GEKIAI; TACHISHABERI.

Ai roles are of lower status than standard no

characters. Even when

they are deities, they are subordinate ones, as in Kamo, although the

god of war appears as an ai in Momijigari. The ai’s dialogue, spoken

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AKI KYO

GEN • 33

in heightened prose, is the most easily accessible in a no

perform-

ance. The ai’s presence adds a useful contrast to the serious proceed-

ings but only rarely is the role comic.

AIMAI. Dances in no

plays performed by two or more actors,asin

Futari Shizuka and Sansho

. See also MAI.

AINOTE. The vir tuosic shamisen playing heard in kabuki during

scenes using nagauta music. See also GEZA.

AKAGASHIRA. A red, mane-like kyo

gen and no

wig worn by demons,

dragons, and other supernatural creatures, made of dyed polar bear

hair. Part of it hangs down the back and there are two extensions that

fall over each shoulder at the front.

AKAHIME. ‘‘Red princes s,’’ th e fra il, s ensi tive, a nd be auti ful p rin-

cesses in kabuki and bunraku jidai mono, who dress in gorgeous red

(or sometimes pink, white, or pale purple) long-sleeved, brocade

kimono, with white under-kimono and tabi,acolorfuluchikake

over-robe, and a gaily adorned fukiwa wig. They represent a purely

ﬁctional ideal of such high-placed females. The three classic exam-

ples are Yaegaki in Honcho

Niju

shiko

, Yuki in Gion Sairei Shinko

ki,

and Toki in Kamakura Sandaiki. See also COSTUMES: KABUKI.

AKATTSURA. Kabuki villains (kata kiya ku)— like Genb a in ‘‘Tera-

koya’’ (Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami)—who wear ‘‘red-faced’’

kumadori. Originally, aragoto heroes wore red faces, but such char-

acters switched to white in the 18th century. Not all red-faced men

are akattsura, however, among them is Wada Hyo

einGion Sairei

Shinko

ki.

AKI

KYO

GEN

. ‘‘Autumn plays,’’ kabuki dramas that were invariably

produced in autumn—the 9th and 10th months of the lunar calen-

dar—during the Edo period. This being the end of the annual season,

some visiting actors were scheduled to leave, so the plays were also

called onagori kyo

gen (‘‘farewell plays’’). Plays adapted from bun-

raku in which kowakare scenes were included were often given,

among them Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami, Kanadehon Chu

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34 • AKUBA

shingura, and Koi Nyo

bo Somewake Tazuna. A special celebration

was held on the last day (senshu

raku) of the run.

AKUBA. ‘‘Wicked old women,’’ a kabuki role type (yakugara)that

became prominent in the early 19th century in the new subgenre

called kizewa mono. At ﬁrst, such roles were played by tachiyaku,

but in 1792 Iwai Hanshiro

IV began the onnagata tradition of act-

ing akuba with the role of streetwalker Mikazuki (‘‘Crescent Moon’’)

Osen. Such women, often fallen into poverty from respectable posi-

tions, revealed a tough streak and used colloquial Edo language,

which contrasted sharply with kabuki’s typical demure and gentle

women. Despite the name, they are usually in early middle age.

Often, they are engaged in criminal activity, including murder, usu-

ally for disguised altruistic purposes on behalf of a man. They wear

a blue and white checkered kimono and have their forelock parted,

with the back hair in a ponytail. See also DOKUFU MONO.

AKUTAI. A kabuki rhetorical convention wherein a leading character

reacts to an unsavory character by spewing a barrage of insults larded

with clever wordplay. One is spoken to the evil Ikyu

by the courtesan

Agemaki in Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura.

AORIGAESHI. Kabuki’s ‘‘ﬂap change’’ in which a scenic unit is com-

posed of three or more ﬂats joined by hinges like a book so that by

turning the central ﬂats to one side or downward it can be changed

instantaneously. See also SCENERY.

ARAGOTO. ‘‘Rough business,’’ a distinctively grandiose, bombastic,

masculine acting style created in the late 17th century by Ichikawa

Danju

I and ever since considered his line’s ie no gei specialty,

although performed by other actors as well. Aragoto characters are

powerful, even superhuman, samurai, often only in their adolescence,

and appear only in jidai mono, where they wear ﬂamboyantly over-

sized and colorful kabuki costumes, elaborate kumadori, and exag-

gerated wigs. The style was closely associated with the warrior

culture of Edo, in contrast to the more delicate, realistic wagoto style

of Kamigata. Everything about these characters is oversized, includ-

ing their rhetorical conventions (see TSURANE), properties, mie,

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ASHIRAI • 35

and roppo

exits. During the Edo period, the Danju

line was consid-

ered akin to deities when it appeared in such roles. See also YAKU-

GARA.

ASADA ITCHO

. Bunraku playwright employed mainly at the Toyo-

take-za and coauthor of 42 plays. He retired from this theatre in 1765

but wrote his last play for the Takemoto-za prior to its going out of

business in 1767. He may also have written plays for the Takemoto-

za in the late 1730s under the name Asada Kakei. Still produced clas-

sics he collaborated on (gassaku) include Tamamo no Mae Asahi no

Tamoto and Gion Sairei Shinko

ki.

ASAGIMAKU. A pale-blue curtain used in bunraku and kabuki to hide

the scenery at the beginning of a scene. When a cue is given, it drops

suddenly, revealing the spectacular scene behind it. See also SCEN-

ERY.

ASHIBYO

SHI. ‘‘Foot rhythm,’’ the sound produced when the bunraku

ashizukai stamps his sandal-clad feet in rhythm with the shamisen

while manipulating the puppet’s legs. Reminiscent of the beating of

tsuke in kabuki, it occurs at least once or twice in almost every scene

to emphasize dramatic poses or dance movements. It is especially

prevalent in kudoki passages, even though female puppets are pre-

sumably stamping feet they do not have. See also PUPPET CON-

STRUCTION; PUPPETEERS.

ASHIRAI. ‘‘Accompaniment,’’ a no

term with various uses. Mainly, it

is elegant no

music using both the kotsuzumi and o

tsuzumi that

accompanies certain actions of the shite or tsure (usually a female)

such as entrances (ashiraishushin) and exits (ashiraikomi). Among

other usages are monogi ashirai,fortheshite’s onstage costume

change (see YO

KYOKU); hayasu

ayumi

no ashirai for the shite’s

entrance from the hashigakari onto the stage; and kuruma ashirai

for when the oxcart is brought on in Yuya. Ashiraigoto stands for

noncongruent instrumental accompaniment to the chanting (utai);

ashiraiuchi is the noncongruent drum accompaniment and ashirai-

buki is the noncongruent fue accompaniment. The verb ashirau (‘‘to

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36 • ASHIRAI-AI

behave’’) is sometimes used for when a character turns to fully face

someone else. See also MUSIC: NO

ASHIRAI-AI. One of the two principle aikyo

gen conventions in no

(the

other is katariai), it exists when kyo

gen actors appear to play rela-

tively individualistic dramatic characters. It is seen especially in gen-

zai mono, like Jinen Koji, where the unusual appearance of the ai

even before that of the shite is called kuchiakeai (‘‘prologue inter-

lude’’) and sets the scene for what is to follow.

Ashirai-ai are ofﬁcials, boatmen, attendants, sword bearers, etc.,

and their functions can include things such as mediation, announce-

ments, and scouting. Among major examples are the boatman who

navigates Yoshitsune’s boat in Funa Benkei, the lady brothel keeper

who ﬁres the serving girl in Hanjo, and the temple attendants who

foolishly allow the dancer onto the temple grounds in Do

-ji; etc.

Sometimes the distinction between katariai and ashirai-ai is not

clear and the same role can serve as both. Examples are in Matsu-

kaze, Eguchi, and Nue, among others, where the ai ﬁrst appears to

present information to the waki (thisiscalledoshie-ai [‘‘teaching

ai’’]) and then reappears after the nakairi in a katariai capacity.

ASHIZUKAI. The ‘‘foot puppeteer’’ in bunraku who manipulates a

puppet’s feet and kneels or crouches between the omozukai and

hidarizukai. He handles the male puppets by gripping small handles

(ashigane) attached to the rear of their legs. His position, largely hid-

den from the audience by the tesuri, makes it hard for him to see

the puppet’s movements so he keeps his body close to the omozukai,

enabling him to adjust the foot movements to each bend and twist.

He also performs the ashibyo

shi. Of the three puppeteers, his job is

considered

the most onerous. All puppeteers begin as ashizukai.

Only a tiny number of female puppets are equipped with legs so

he suggests them by the way he grips and handles the material of the

kimono hem and knee area. See also DEZUKAI.

ATARIGANE. A metal hanging gong struck with a small stick in the

bunraku and kabuki geza during festival scenes or when dashing

characters enter.

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ATSUITA-KARAORI • 37

ATARU. A verb used in kabuki to mean ‘‘making a hit,’’ suggestive of

hitting a bullseye. In fact, a bullseye with an arrow through it was

hung over the theatre’s entrance during the Edo period in hopes that

a show would succeed. Beneath it was the word o

iri (‘‘full house’’).

ATEBURI. In kabuki, the performance during a dance (buyo

) of certain

overly literal movements that illustrate each syllable in a brief pas-

sage of lyrics, but not the words of which the syllables are composed.

It is enacted purely for effect, not meaning. See also FURI; SHI-

GUSA.

ATOZA. The ‘‘rear seat’’ area upstage on a no

stage. The musicians sit

toward its downstage edge in the hayashiza space, with the fue player

on stage left, the kotsuzumi (see KOTSUZUMI AND O

TSUZUMI)to

his left, the o

tsuzumi next, and the taiko (when used) at right. It con-

nects at the left to the hashigakari at the kyo

genza because it is

where the aikyo

gen sits. The ko

ken sits in the ko

kenza space, the

upstage right corner.

ATSUITA. A small-sleeved no

robe worn as outer or under-robes by

males—including gods, demons, and ghosts—and consisting of for-

mal, richly embroidered, stiff, twill brocade with raised geometric or

Chinese-based designs. There are a number of different variations,

each with its own name, subdivided according to speciﬁc colors

(striking contrasts are common) and pattern. It may be worn under

broad-sleeved over-robes such as happi, cho

ken, kariginu,and

mizugoromo, and under hakama. It may be worn in different ways,

as with one shoulder dropped, with the sleeves hiked up, in tsubo-ori

style, or tucked into pantaloons (by servants). Its form is essentially

the same as the karaori, worn by women. See also COSTUMES: NO

;

NOSHIME; SURIHAKU.

TSUIT

A-KARAORI. A no

costume combining weaving techniques

found in both the atsuita and karaori. Its designs—commonly, boats,

fans, and pines—are less bold and geometric than those of the atsuita

and less f eminine than those of the karaori.Itiswornbyfemale

demons, like the shite in Yamanba, and courtier-warriors like the

shite in Atsumori and Kiyotsune, who wear it under such outer robes

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38 • ATSUWATA

as happi or cho

ken.Theatsuita-karaori is a costume combining

weaving techniques found in the atsuita and karaori. It is worn by

female demons, such as the nochijite (see SHITE)ofYamanba, and

certain warriors.

ATSUWATA. A thickly padded, wide-sleeved outer kimono resembling

a dressing gown, worn in kabuki by certain aragoto characters, like

Goro

in Yanone and Asahina in Kotobuki Soga no Taimen. See also

COSTUMES: KABUKI.

AWAJI. Small island in the Inland Sea in western Japan, where a folk

version of the traditional puppet theatre has thrived since the 17th

century. Since the women members of the performers’ families long

ser ved as backstage assistants, they eventually became performers

themselves, and today appear as puppeteers, chanters, and shami-

sen players along with male performers. See also BUNRAKU.

AWASEGOTO. In no

, chanting (utai) to the congruent rhythmical

accompaniment of instrumental music. Awasebuki is the congruent

rhythmical playing of the fue and the drums. See also ASHIRAI;

MUSIC: NO

AYAMEGUSA. ‘‘The Words of Ayame,’’ a collection of 29 ‘‘secret’’

comments (hiden) on acting attributed to the great early 18th-century

onnagata Yoshizawa Ayame I and written down by actor-play-

wright Fukuoka Yagoshiro

. It was ﬁrst published in 1779 in the

Yakusha Banashi collection. The work is extremely important for

the advice it offers on how to play female roles and how the onna-

gata should live offstage as a woman.

AYUMI. The narrow wooden ‘‘walkways’’ in premodern kabuki the-

atres, used by spectators in the doma to

get

to their seats, and by

hawkers selling their wares. The one on the stage right side was the

higashi no ayumi (‘‘eastern walkway’’) and developed into the sec-

ondary hanamichi, while the one running across the rear of the doma

connecting the two hanamichi was the naka no ayumi (‘‘central walk-

way’’), which allowed actors to circumnavigate the auditorium. See

also STAGE: KABUKI.

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BABA

• 39

AZUMA NO

KYO

GEN. Also Azuma Kyo

gen, an experimental troupe

founded in 1872 that attempted to combine kabuki with no

and kyo

gen. The shamisen was added to the no

orchestral ensemble, which

played not only no

music but tokiwazu, kiyomoto, itchu

bushi, and

nagauta. It ﬂourished for about seven years. It was created during

the hard times no

and kyo

gen faced in the early Meiji period, the

founders being the no

costumer Nagaoka Cho

emon and his brother,

the Ho

sho

ryu

shite Hiyoshi Kichizaemon (?–1884). The company,

composed of no

and kyo

gen actors, but without kabuki actors, per-

formed both traditional no

and kyo

gen and newly created dance plays

on stages ﬁtted with sets and curtains. They performed on a perma-

nent stage built in Kichizaemon’s house, giving runs that lasted from

ﬁve to 10 days. When no

came back into favor, this new form died

out.

BA. The ‘‘acts’’ of no

plays, which have one or two, the latter being

most common. The ﬁrst is the maeba (‘‘before scene’’), the second

the nochiba (‘‘after scene’’). Each ba is normally broken down into

ﬁve dan that follow the principles of jo-ha-kyu

The dan

, in turn, are

broken down into modules called sho

dan. The dan in the maeba of

a typical two-ba play (see also YO

KYOKU) would show:

• the entrance of the waki, usually a traveling monk or priest.

• the entrance of the shite, in an assumed guise.

• a dialogue between the shite and the waki.

• a long passage chanted by the shite, usually a tale (monogatari)

about the story’s background, possibly including the revelation

of the shite’s true identity.

• a resolution and the shite’s exit.

The nochiba structure is freer, but when it more or less replicates

the maeba, the waki remains on stage rather than entering in the ﬁrst

dan, and the fourth dan functions as an introduction to the ﬁfth, dur-

ing which the climactic mai is performed.

BABA

. Puppet head for ‘‘old ladies,’’ who play a vital role in many

bunraku plays. The jidai no baba

is seen in jidai mono, the sewa no

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40 • BAKUYA

baba

in sewa mono. The former has a reﬁned quality, with bobbed

white hair tied in a chasen (‘‘tea whisk’’) bun adorned with a brown

satin headcloth. The latter, used for indigent women, has pepper and

salt hair. The classic jidai no baba

are the san baba

(‘‘three old

ladies). Famous sewa no baba

include Yojiro

’s mother in ‘‘Horikawa

Sarumawashi’’ (Chikagoro Kawara no Tatehiki). See also WARU

BABA

BAKUYA. Puppet head for villainous women, named after a character.

The bakuya used for Iwate in O

shu

Adachigahara can cross its eyes

and open its snaggle-toothed mouth, and its frightening features—

especially the eyes—resemble the hannya no

mask.

BAN BAYASHI. A concert recital of no

when an entire play is chanted

with musical accompaniment but with no dance or other movement.

BANDO

MITSUGORO

. Nine generations of kabuki actors. Yago

Yamatoya.

Mitsugoro

I (1773–1831) took the name in 1799 and became one

of the most versatile actors of his day, engaging in a famous rivalry—

especially in henge mono—with Osaka’s Nakamura Utaemon III,

when the latter played in Edo. He founded the Bando

ryu

of dance.