The Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (KCJS)Japanese Performing Arts
(Prof. Diego Pellecchia and Prof. Cody Poulton)
Spring 2024
Class times:
Instructor Contact:k5617@cc.kyoto-su.ac.jp (Pellecchia)
mcp2156@columbia.edu (Poulton)
The course is led by Professors Diego Pellecchia and Cody Poulton
Course Description
This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the rich tapestry of traditional
performing arts of Kyoto. Over the Spring Semester, students will delve into diverse art
forms including nōgaku, kabuki, and bunraku, as well as various forms of traditional music.
Classes incorporate a combination of theoretical study, field trips to cultural landmarks, andhands-on workshops led by experienced masters, offering a unique, immersive experience.
Students will explore the historical context, aesthetic principles, and the intricate nuances ofthese performances. The course aims to not only foster an appreciation for the traditional
performing arts in Kyoto but also facilitate a deeper understanding of Japanese culture and its
historical trajectory.
Part I (Diego Pellecchia)
The first half of the course will focus on nōgaku, a multi-faceted Japanese performing art thatmerges dance, music, drama, poetry, as well as the craft of masks and costumes. Nō plays
portray a world where the boundaries of past, present, and future blur and our consciousness
of memory, the moment, and anticipation of what is to come unite. The exceptional
experience of such a moment is a primary reason for the appeal of nō. In this singularenvironment, the spirits of elegant ladies and fierce warriors, gods and goddesses, flowering
plants and demons appear and share nostalgic memories of their desires and attachments andseek for solace and redemption. In this class, we will delve into the evolution and artistic
conventions of nō and kyōgen, the comedic counterpart to nō, as a living tradition. Our
1classroom sessions involve reading and analyzing plays, contextualizing them historicallyand literarily. We will complement theoretical learning with practical experiences, dedicating
field trips to not only observe performances, but also visit the workshops of the skilledartisans who create masks and costumes.
Part II (Cody Poulton)
The second half of the course explores the two representative theatrical genres of the Edo
period, bunraku (the puppet theatre that developed in Osaka) and kabuki. We briefly examine
the origins of Japanese musical narrative in heikyoku (the musical performance of the Talesof the Heike) to establish a framework for the understanding of Japanese narrative in general.
This then serves as a parameter for approaching bunraku. Classwork includes literary
analysis of representative works and performance analysis in which the musical andperformance conventions of the theatre are examined. The contemporary themes of giri andninjō and their role in the formation of drama are also discussed. The following section on
kabuki delves into the theme of popular culture and its continual referencing of earlier
performance genres, notably nō, in the creation of a vibrant theatrical genre, one that fused
the latest trends with classical tropes—popular dance accompanied by the shamisen and thenō ensemble, the reinterpretation of classic works, such as Dōjōji or Ataka (Kanjinchō), again
from the nō theatre. The themes covered in class will then be reinforced through attending
actual performances.
Expected outcomesStudents are expected to gain a broad understanding of Japanese performing arts, their
historical progression, and their significance in modern society. Beyond classroom-based
research and discussions, students will enrich their learning with practical knowledge derived
from observing artisans at work and attending performances. This dual approach will provide
a comprehensive understanding of both tangible and intangible cultural forms explored in thecourse, creating a well-rounded appreciation and comprehension of these profound artistic
traditions.
Course requirements
Attendance
Daily attendance is mandatory. Outings are activities. In the event of illness or other absence,
please notify your instructor, the Resident Director, or the office staff as soon as possible by2

telephone or via e-mail. Performances often take place during the weekend: students areencouraged to check the syllabus at the beginning of the semester and keep those dates open.
Readings
Students are expected to prepare readings in advance. Readings and other handouts will be
provided by the lecturers in advance.
Class attendance
Please refrain using smartphones in class. Any other electronic device should be used solely
for note-taking purposes. Failing to comply to this rule may result in a penalty.
Assessment
As part of the two course assignments, students will choose topics for further individual
research after the end of Part I and Part II. Presentation formats may include academic
papers, translations with commentaries, or creative works based on research.
Part I
attendance: 5%reflection papers: 2 X 10 = 20%
outline and annotated bibliography: 5%
presentation: 5%
essay: 15%
total: 50%
Part II:
attendance: 5%reflection papers: 2 X 10 = 20%
outline and annotated bibliography: 5%
presentation: 5%
essay: 15%
total: 50%
Grading: Letter Grades are calculated on the following percentage scale:A+ 95-100

A 85-94

A- 80-84

B+ 75-79

C+ 60-64

C 55-59

D 50-54

F less than 50%

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B 70-74

B- 65-69

Course Policy
As members of an academic community, each one of us bears the responsibility to participate
in scholarly discourse and research in a manner characterized by intellectual honesty andscholarly integrity. Collaborative scholarship requires the study of other scholars' work, thefree discussion of such work, and the explicit acknowledgement of those ideas in any workthat inform our own. This exchange of ideas relies upon a mutual trust that sources, opinions,facts, and insights will be properly noted and carefully credited. In practical terms, this means
that, as students, all work submitted in this course, whether in draft or final form, must be
your own. You must be responsible for the full citations of others' ideas in all of yourresearch papers and projects; you must be scrupulously honest when taking yourexaminations; you must always submit your own work and not that of another student,
scholar, or internet agent. Any breach of this intellectual responsibility is a breach of faithwith the rest of our academic community. It undermines our shared intellectual culture, and it
cannot be tolerated.
The use of ChatGPT or any other AI tools for course assignments (with the
exception of artificial neural networks like DeepL for machine translations, duly cited)is tantamount to plagiarism. Any cases of plagiarism or cheating will be reported toColumbia Undergraduate Global Engagement and the academic advisor at your homeinstitution and are subject to the code of academic conduct there. In such cases, your final
grade will be determined by your home institution and not by KCJS.
If you are a student with a disability and have a Disability Services-certified‘Accommodation Letter’ from your home institution, please send me this letter before thefirst day of class to confirm your accommodation needs. If you believe that you might have adisability that requires accommodation and do not have an accommodations letter, you
should contact the Center for Undergraduate Global Engagement at Columbia University(uge@columbia.edu).

Schedule
Week-by-week syllabus and readings TBA. Note that the schedule is subject to change
and is contingent on the spring 2024 performance and festival schedules in Kyoto andKansai.
General reading:Brazell, Karen. “Japanese Theater: A Living Tradition.” In Karen Brazell, Traditional
Japanese Theater – An Anthology of Plays. Columbia UP, 1998. Pp. 3-43.
Part I (Diego Pellecchia)1.

Jan 19 (Fri)

Course overview

2.

Jan 24 (Wed)

What are nō and kyōgen?

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Reading before class:•Kagaya, Shinko and Miura Hiroko. “Noh and Muromachi Culture.” In A History ofJapanese Theatre. Ed. Jonah Salz. Cambridge UP, 2016. Pp. 20-45.

3.

Jan 26 (Fri)Introduction to the nō play Chikubushima

Reading before class:•

Chikubushima play text. Tr. Royall Tyler. Japanese No Dramas. Penguin Classics,
1992. Pp. 58-67.

•

Kimura, Keiko. “The Role of the Noh Play Chikubushima: An Amalgam of Shintoism
and Buddhism.” In The International Journal of the Image. 1 (2011). Pp. 11-18.

Further reading: Tyler, Royall. “Buddhism in Noh.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies.
14.1 (1987). Pp.19-52
4.

Jan 31 (Wed)Noh masks in context

Reading before class:•Pellecchia, Diego. “Masks in Traditional Asian Theatre – Japan.” In The Routledge
Handbook of Asian Theatre. Ed. Siyuan Liu. Routledge, 2016. Pp. 160-164.

5.

Feb 2 (Fri)Visit to the workshop of a mask carver in Kyoto

6.

Feb 3 (Sat)Viewing of the nō Chikubushima at Kanze Kaikan, Kyoto (17:00-

18:40)(Reflection paper #1 due Tue 6)
7.

Feb 7 (Wed)Noh costumes in context

Reading before class:•

Bethe, Monica. “Nō and kyōgen costumes and masks.” In A History of Japanese
Theatre. Ed. Jonah Salz. Cambridge UP, 2016. Pp. 62-67.

8.

Feb 9 (Fri)Visit to the workshop of a costume maker in Kyoto

9.

Feb 14 (Wed)

Utai/shimai workshop (Amherst)

Reading before class:5•The sections on “Music” and “Movement” of the jparc.online website(Reflection paper #2 due Thu 15)
10. Feb 16 (Fri)Student presentations #1

11. Feb 21 (Wed)Introduction Kasuga Ryūjin

Reading before class:•Kasuga Ryūjin play text. Tr. Royall Tyler. Japanese No Dramas. Penguin Classics,
1992. Pp. 142-154.

•

Morrell, Robert E. “Passage to India Denied: Zeami's Kasuga Ryujin.” Monumenta
Nipponica, 37.2 (1982). Pp. 179-200.

Further reading: Tyler, Royall. “The Kasuga Noh Plays.” In Miracles of the Kasuga Deity.
Columbia U.P., 2016. Pp. 139-144.
12. Feb 25 (Sun)Viewing of the noh Kasuga Ryūjin at Kanze Kaikan

13. Feb 28 (Wed)Student presentations #2(Mid-term paper due March 10)
Part II (Cody Poulton)
14. March 2 (Sat) Viewing of two scenes from “Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees”
at Kyoto Prefectural Center for Arts and Culture.
Readings and Screening before the performance:•

Gotō Shizuo, “Bunraku: Puppet Theatre.” In Salz, pp. 155-183.

•

Odanaka Akihiro, “Notes on Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees: A
Reading.”•

Act III, scenes 2 & 3 of Stanleigh Jones, tr. Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry
Trees, pp. 150-195.

•

Please watch the following as previews of the kabuki version of this play:
https://www.google.com/search?q=yoshitsune+and+the+thousand+cherry+trees&oq=yoshitsune+and+the&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCggAEAAY4wIYgAQyCg
gAEAAY4wIYgAQyBwgBEC4YgAQyBggCEEUYOTIICAMQABgWGB4yBg

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gEEEUYQNIBCDU3OTVqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:396fc51e,vid:WR1WzSc8OeY,st:913
March 6 & 8 Spring Break: No Classes
15. Mar 13 (Wed)Part II: Not Noh: Discussion of “Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry

Trees” and the puppet theatre’s relationship to kabuki.
16. Mar 15 (Fri): Introduction to kabuki and discussion of plays we will see on Sunday.
Readings before performance:•

Kabuki: Superheroes and femmes fatales.” In Salz, 102-149.

•

Chikamatsu Monzaemon, “The Woman Killer and the Hell of Oil,” in Donald
Keene, tr., Major Plays of Chikamatsu, 426-472.

•

Sam Leiter, “Beautiful Cruelty: Suicide, Murder, Torture and Combat on the
Kabuki Stage.” In Frozen Moments: Writings on Kabuki, 1966-2001, pp. 92-109.

17. March 17 (Sun) viewing of March program of kabuki at Minamiza: “The Woman-Killer
and the Hell of Oil” and Shinobi yoru koi wa kusemono.
18. Mar 20 (Wed): discussion of Sunday performance; the performance of gender inkabuki.
Reading before class:•Samuel Leiter, “From Gay to Gei.” In A Kabuki Reader, 211-229.

(Reflection paper #1 due Wed March 20)
Mar 22 (Fri): no class
19. March 24 (Sun): visit to imperial palace for a performance of gagaku and bugaku (TBD)
20. Mar 27 (Wed): onnagata and dance in kabuki: screening of Musume Dōjōji and acomparison with the nō play on which this dance play is based.
Reading before class:•Musume Dōjōji, in Brazell, pp. x-xx

21. Mar 29 (Fri): music in kabuki and puppet theatre: guest lecture-demonstration by
Philip Flavin of kabuki and classical Japanese chamber music.
Reading before class:•William Malm, “Music in Kabuki.” In James Brandon et al., eds. Studies in
Kabuki, pp. 133-175.

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22. April 3 (Wed): women in Japanese performing arts: maiko and geiko (geisha), classicalJapanese dance (Nihon buyō). Workshop by Tomomi Matsuzaki.
Reading before class:•

Debora S. Klens, “Nihon Buyō in the Kabuki Training Program at Japan’s
National Theatre.” Asian Theatre Journal, 11:2, pp. 231-241.

(Reflection paper #2 due Wed April 3)
April 5 (Fri): NO CLASS
23. April 7 (Sun): Visit to Seiryōji to see Saga Dai Nenbutsu Kyōgen, a medieval folk
performance.
24. April 10 (Wed) Reflection on Saga Dai Nenbutsu; Student presentations
April 12 (Fri) No class
25. April 17 (Wed): Student presentations
26. April 19 (Fri): Student presentations; wrap-up-----------------------Textbooks (copies of selected sections will be provided)•

Karen Brazell. Traditional Japanese Theater: An Anthology of Plays. (Columbia UP,
1998)

•

Pinnington, Noel. A New History of Medieval Japanese Theatre. (Columbia UP,
2019)

•

Salz, Jonah (ed.) A History of Japanese Theatre. (Cambridge UP, 2016)•

Samuel Leiter (ed.). A Kabuki Reader: History and Performance. (New York: M.E.
Sharpe, 2002)

Online resources
Nō and kyōgen•

jparc.online/nohgaku_top•

the-noh.com•

noh.stanford.edu•

www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/noh/en/•

kabuki21.com

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Other readings
Play translations
Bethe, Monica and Richard Emmert. Noh Performance Guides: Matsukaze, Fujito, Tenko,
Atsumori, Aoinoue, Miidera, Ema. (National Noh Theater)
Brazell, Karen, ed. Twelve Plays of the Noh and Kyôgen Theaters. (Cornell East Asia Series,
Ithaca, N.Y. 1988)
Brandon, James and Samuel Leiter (eds.). Kabuki Plays on Stage: Brilliance and Bravado,
1697-1766, Vol. 1. (Hawaii University Press, 2002).
- Kabuki Plays on Stage: Villainy and Vengeance, 1773-1799, Vol. 2. Honolulu: (Hawaii
University Press, 2002).
- Kabuki Plays on Stage: Darkness and Desire, 1804-1864, Vol. 3. (Hawaii University
Press, 2002).
- Kabuki Plays on Stage: Restoration and Reform, 1872-1905, (Hawaii University Press,
2002).
Keene, Donald. Tr. Twenty Noh Plays. (New York. 1955)- Four Major Plays of Chikamatsu. (Columbia paperback, 1961)
Kenny, Don. The Kyōgen Book: An Anthology of Japanese Classical Comedies. The Japan
Times. (Tokyo, 1989)
Shimazaki Chifumi. The Noh. God Noh, Warrior Noh, Woman Noh I,II,III. Hinoki Shoten,(Tokyo, Japan. 1973, 76, 77, 80,87).
- Warrior Ghost Plays from the Japanese Noh Theater. (Cornell East Asia Series, Cornell
East Asia Program 1993)- Restless Spirits from Japanese Noh Plays of the Fourth Group (Cornell East Asia Series,
Cornell East Asia Program, 1995)
Nō history and plays
Atkins, Paul. Revealed Identity: The Noh Plays of Komparu Zenchiku. (Center for JapaneseStudies, U. of Michigan, 2006)
Beng Choo, Lim. Another Stage: Kanze Nobumitsu and the Late Muromachi Noh Theater.
(Cornell East Asia Series, 2012).
Bethe and Brazell. Nō as Performance: An Analysis of the Kuse Scene of Yamamba. (Ithaca,
N.Y. 1978)
Bethe and Brazell. Dance in the Nō Theater. (Ithaca, N.Y. 1982)

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Brandon, James R, ed. Nō and Kyōgen in the Contemporary World (University of Hawaii,
1997)
Keene, Donald. Nô: The Classical Theater of Japan. (Tokyo, 1966, 1973)
Komparu, Kunio. The Noh Theater: Principles and Perspectives. (Tokyo, 1983)
Hoff, Frank and Willi Flindt. Life Structure of Nō. An English Version of Yokomichi Mario's
Analysis of the Structure of Nō. Reprint from Concerned Theatre Japan, Vol. 2, no. 3,4.
(1973)
Pinnington, Noel. A New History of Medieval Japanese Theatre. (Palgrave, 2019)
Nō treatises and transmission
Hare, Thomas. Zeami's Style: The Noh Plays of Zeami Motokiyo. (Stanford. 1986)
Hare, Tomas. Zeami Performance Notes. (Columbia University Press, 2008)
Nearman, Mark. translations of Zeami's Kyu'i, Kyakuraika, and Kakyo in Monumenta
Nipponica (Autumn 1978, Summer 1980, Autumn, Winter 1982, Spring 1983)
Michiko Yusa, "Riken no Ken: Seami's Theory of Acting an Theatrical Aprreciation" MN
Vol. 42, no. 3, (Autumn 1987)
Pinnington, Noel. Traces in the Way: Michi and the Writings of Komparu Zenchiku. (Cornell
East Asia Series, 2006)
Rath, Eric. The Ethos of Noh (Harvard University Asia Center, 2004)
Quinn, Shelley Fenno. Developing Zeami: The Noh Actor's Attunement in Practice.
(University of Hawaii Press, 2005)
Rimer and Yamazaki (tr.) On the Art of the Nō Drama: The Major Treatises of Zeami.
(Princeton UP, 1984)
Thornhill, Arthur H. Six Circles, One Dewdrop: The Religio-Aesthetic World of Komparu
Zenchiku (Princeton UP, 1993)
KyōgenHaynes, Carolyn. "Parody in Kyogen: Makura monogurui and Tako" Monumenta Nipponica
39 (1984)
Haynes, Carolyn. "Comic Inversion in Kyôgen: Ghosts and the Nether World," Journal of
Association of Teachers of Japanese. (1988)
Kenny, Don. The Kyôgen Book. An Anthology of Japanese Classical Comedies. The Japan
Times, Tokyo, 198911

Morley, Carolyn. Transformation, Miracles, and Mischief; The Mountain Priest Plays ofKyôgen (Cornell East Asia Series, East Asia Program, 1993)
General Japanese Theater and other Japanese Theatrical Arts
Adachi, Barbara. Backstage at Bunraku (Weatherhill, 1985)
Brandon, James. Kabuki: Five Classic Plays (Harvard University Press, 1975, University of
Hawaii Press, 1992
Keene, Donald. Nō and Bunraku: Two Forms of Japanese Theatre. (Columbia University
Press, 1990)
Parker, Helen S. E. Progressive Traditions: An Illustrated Study of Plot Repetition in
Traditional Japanese Theater (Brill, 2006)
Nō Costumes and Masks
The World of Noh Costumes, Yamaguchi Orimono, Inc. (Kyoto, 1989)
Patterns and Poetry: Nō Robes from the Lucy Truman Aldrich Collection. (Museum of Art
Rhode Island School of Design, 1992)
Takeda, Sharon Sadako & Monica Bethe. Miracles and Mischief; Noh and Kyôgen Theater inJapan. (Los Angeles County Museum, 2002).
Teele, Rebecca, ed. Nō Kyôgen Masks and Performance. Mime Journal 1984. (Claremont,
Ca. 1986.)
The Tokugawa Collection of Noh Costumes and Masks. (Japan Society. New York, 1976.)
Trinh Khanh, ed. Theater of Dreams, Theater of Play: Nō and Kyōgen in Japan. (Art Gallery
New South Wales, 2014).

Bunraku and Kabuki
Brandon, James, Kabuki: Five Classic Plays (Harvard University Press, 1975, pb 1992).
Brandon, James, Chūshingura: Studies in Kabuki and the Puppet Theater. (University of
Hawaii Press, 1982).
Brandon, James, William Malm, Donald Shively. Studies in Kabuki: Its Acting, Music andHistorical Context. A Cultural Learning Institute Monograph. (U. of Hawaii East-WestCenter and U. of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies, 1978).
Brandon, James, tr. With Miwa Tamako. Kabuki Plays: Kanjinchô and the Zen Substitute.
(New York. Samuel French, 1966).
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Brandon, James and Samuel Leiter (eds.). Kabuki Plays on Stage: Brilliance and Bravado,
1697-1766, Vol. 1. (Honolulu: Hawaii University Press, 2002).
Brandon, James and Samuel Leiter (eds.). Kabuki Plays on Stage: Villainy and Vengeance,
1773-1799, Vol. 2. (Honolulu: Hawaii University Press, 2002).
Brandon, James and Samuel Leiter (eds.). Kabuki Plays on Stage: Darkness and Desire,
1804-1864, Vol. 3. (Honolulu: Hawaii University Press, 2002).
Gerstle, Andrew, Kiyoshi Inobe, William Malm, Theater as Music: The Bunraku Play “Mt.
Imo and Mt. Se; An Exemplary Tale of Womanly Virtue, (Center for Japanese Studies at the
University of Michigan, 1990).
Gerstle, Andrew, Circles of Fantasy; Convention in the Plays of Chikamatsu, (Harvard
Council on East Asian Studies, 1986).
Halford, Aubrey S. and Giovanna M. Halford. The Kabuki Handbook. A Guide toUnderstanding and Appreciation, with Summaries of Favourite Plays, Explanatory Notes,
and Illustrations, (Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle Company, 1990).
Isaka, Maki. Onnagata: A Labyrinth of Gendering in Kabuki Theater. Seattle: University ofWashington Press, 2016.
Jones, Stanleigh H., tr. Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees (Columbia UP, 1993).
Keene, Donald, tr. Four Major Plays of Chikamatsu. (Columbia Paperback, 1961).
---------. Major Plays of Chikamatsu. Columbia University Press, 1961.
Parker, Helen, Progressive Traditions; An Illustrated Study of Plot Repetition in Traditional
Japanese Theatre. (Brill, 2006).
Background (classics)
Heldt, Gustav (tr.). The Kojiki: An Account of Ancient Matters (Columbia UP, 2014)
McCullough, Helen (tr.). Tales of Ise. (Tokyo 1968/1978.)
McCullough, Helen (tr.). Kokin wakashū: the first imperial anthology of Japanese poetry.
(Stanford UP 1985)
Sato Hiroaki and Burton Watson. An Anthology of Japanese Poetry From the Country of
Eight Islands. (Anchor, 1981).
Tyler, Royall (tr.). The Tales of the Heike. (Penguin, 2014)
Tyler, Royall. (tr.) The Tale of Genji. (Penguin, 2001).
Shirane, Haruo. Japan and the Culture of the Four Seasons. (Columbia 2012).

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Background (historical and cultural)
Araki, James. The Ballad-drama of Medieval Japan. (Berkley, 1964).
Blacker, Carmen. The Catalpa Bow. A Study of Shamanistic Practices in Japan. (The
Devonshire Press, 1975)
Goff, Janet. Noh Drama and The Tale of Genji. The Art of Allusion in Fifteen ClassicalPlays. (Princeton Library of Asian Translations. 1991).
Hall, J.W./Takeshi, T. (ed) Japan in the Muromachi Age. (Berkley, 1977.)
Hisamatsu, Sen'ichi. The Vocabulary of Japanese Literary Aesthetics. (Tokyo. 1963/1978)
Izutsu, T&T. The Theory of Beauty in the Classical Aesthetics of Japan. (The Hague. 1981.)
Lafleur, William. The Karma of Words. (University of California Press, 1983)
Matisoff, Susan. The Legend of Semimaru, Blind Musician of Japan. (N.Y. 1978)

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