The morning call., 1891-01-11
THE THEATER AS
seen In JAPAN.
Its Origin, There as Elsewhere, From a
Religious Source.
Interior Arrangements of Auditorium and
Stage-Fidelity to Nature Unknown Here.
Word About the Actors.

Is gone forever. Inc story oI tHe past Is
only partly known to the world as yet, but
in the romantic history of the olden time are
embalmed examples of honor and loyalty,
tales of cour geous deeds, and legends of
the doings of the mythical heroes.
This is imperfectly revealed IN the super
fetal accounts of travellers and in the more
exact researches of Orlentalsts, but the
great store-house of japanese life and story
is the stage.
And this stage has elected from so COM
petent an observer as Mr. PerciYal Lowell
the highest praise. In his book on Corea,
"Chosen," he says: "In Japan the result
has been one of the finest stages the world
has produced. In fact, it is not going too far
to rank the ShintomiZa, great theater of
Toxic, as but little inferior to the Theatre
Francais with which, of all theaters, it is
most worthy to be compared"
The origin of Japanese dramas is, as else
where, religious, asserts writer in the New
York Times. Early in the ninth century
there was an earthquake which caused a de-
| preston in the ground at Nasa A poison
| Gus smoke issued from the ground and pco-
| pie were made i'll thereby. Fires, the male
| principle of Chnese-Japanese mythology,
| were lighted to dispel ito unite with the
| evil, SMOKE, the female principle, and
| dance called the Sambaro was performed
upon the grass before the temple of Kofu-
| kuji. The gods were pacfied and the isSu-
| ing vapOr ceased.
Three centuries later woman named
| IsOnozenj postured and danced before the
| court mobiles. She has been called
THE MOTHER OF JAPANESE DRAMA.
| At the beginning of the seventeenth GEN.
| fury troops of stroling players appeared,
| and in 1924 the first recorded theater was
-, Mi, -
| Other play-hOuSes followed, and in 1851 all
the theaterS were removed to the Asakusa
| District, and there they are, with the eXcep
ton of the Shintomiza, TO this day.
| Up to comparatively recent years Osaka
| was the seat OF the principal theaterS of the
| country. But OF late years the tide Of
amusement has followed that of business,
| and the rule of the drama has passed to the
| capital-Tokio.
| The theater has always been the favorite
| amusement OF the common people, who have
| been indeed, up to very recent times, its
only patrons Actors have always been
| rated very low in the social scale. The
| higher classes have never been and are not
| yet patrons of the theater. They have had
in their lyric drama, the No" the substi-
tute for the "shibaiya" of the people.
There are innumerable theaters in Japan's
| gay capital, but the chief of them all is the
| Shln-tohli-Za, meaning new wealth seat"
| Tickets for admission are procured from tie
| nelghboTlng tea-houSes.
On entering, the first thing that strikes
| the strangers eye is a vast rack, upon which
hang gela, the wooden clogs of the specta-
| tors. There Is one gallery extending
| around three sides of the square auditor ium.
| The main floor is divided into stalls ABOUT
| five feet SQUARE, carpeted with mating and
| separated from each other by railing about
loot high. The stage is raised yard
above the floor, and its principal feature is
| a revolving circle. On this two scenes are
set at once, back to back, and a revolution
! of the table shifts the scene speedily and
| without drawing the curtain.
THE POLICE AND ORCHESTRA.
On one side of the proseenium is a box
| reserved for the police. aud on the other is
| a raised platform Tor the orchestra A full
| orchestra is composed OF nine members
! two drummers, two fiie-playerS, TWO fiageo-
| let-piayers, one samisen-p player and TWO
| singers-though sometimes there are only
| five performers The music consists of a
| series OF duets, beginning with the tlageolet-
| players, who are followed by the filters, and
! these by the drummers. and ending with q
| SeXtet by the performers on the three in
! stTumentS These selections are iutersperSed
| with songs from the two singers, the motif
| OF which is at times part of the play ITSELF
| and at others only bears relation to some
| particular action in it.
Extending through the audience from the
| back ana on the left side of the auditorium
| to the stage is broad open way raised
| about two feet above the main floor This
| way is employed as an entrance when the
| actor is supposed to come from long dis
| tance, or enters in kagO or jinrikisha, or
| in haste, or is knocking at the outer gate for
| Ambulance. On the opposite side of the au-
| ditorium is another way. employed for SIM
| liar purposes.
| The curtain runs on guiding strings from
right to left. One curtain the writer saw at
1 the Shlntoml Iheater was of white silk and
| painted all over with exquisite representa-
| tions of the human eve.
| While the Japanese do not employ the me-
| chanlcal accessories and extensive scenes
| which characterize our theRters, in the
| minor details the accuracy of the imitation
| IS remarkable in its realism beyond any,
| thing we see at home. When an actor
| enters on rainy day his umbrella and his
| clogs are wet; if he falls into lake or river
when he reappearS on the stage the fact that
| he Is soaked is evident. | can recall a
certain swamp scene which was
THE MOST COMPLETE SETTING
| ever saw on any stage Almost all the ac-
/ cessorles were reai-the ruShes, the reeds
grass, trees-all except the distance, which
| was painted. The leaves were stirring and
| the blades Of grass waving to and fro in the
gentle breeze The croaking Of the frogs
was so well done as TO be impossible to be
| distinguished from nature. Then was heard
| the wailing note of a certain bird whose crv
| in Japan always betokens rain. In a few
minutes it became darker, the pattering of
| the falling drops was heard, and then it
rained actual water. Murder on the Japan
! ese stage is peculiarly real and horrible, and
IN cases OF decapitation the iilasion is per-
| feet, with all its bloody details
In costuming the stage of Japan has no
| superior Some of the robes of the great
actors are very old and of priceless value.
| The aim OF the actor is TO identify his own
| personality with the character he portrays.
| and he will shrk from no hardship or study
! to make it real.
When man is supposed to be killed in
battle 1t Is ell regle for him to turn so mer-
sault when he receives his death blow.
| Children never speak in a natural voice.
| always in high, affected, piping monotone
| absolutely withoutintlrction. On every stage
| is to be seen black figure, always crouch
| ing. and with hood entirely covering the
head, and who seemingly has no connection
whatever with the play. He is called Ku-
rombo, black man, and is supposed to be
invisible. He is the prOmpter and performs
all manner of trivial services for the actors.
Performances generally begin in the fore
noon and continue without interval until
evening and sometimes go up to within an
| hour OF midnight.
The entr' acte is an interesting scene. The
little lads play game of tag up and down
the hana-micht on the stage, running in and
out behind and before the curtain with merry
shouts and laughter. Their elders mean
| while blow up the glowing Goals in the hi
bachl, and soon the hot water is ready for
the infusion of fragrant tea. In and around
tne audience, hawking their wares, go the
| sellers of foods and candies and of those in
numerable little messes, dainty to look at
but not toothsome, that the natives are SO
| fond of. And so il goes until the sounding
| of the two sticks of wood. sharply raped
| together, gives signal that the play is about
| to begin again.
UNINvITING INTERIORS.
The interior of all the theaters are rude
and unsightly The somberness of the
| blue that Is the characteristic color of The
dress Of the mass of the playgoers is re-
| lieved toward evening by bits of bright