The herald., 1895-11-28
AT A JAPANESE THEATER

AT A JAPANESE THEATER
YOKOHAMA. Japan, June %. Though
the terms of peace are arranged, the war
is still vivid reality to the Japanese,
as was strikngly shown by performance
OF one of the native theaters which 1 re-
| Gently attended and which is indelibly
| stamped on my mind.
We started gayly off in the rain with
the bctto to act as Interpreter, guide and
general protector TO us, three forlorn wo-
men. Our way lay through miles, as it
seemed, OF narrow, muddy streets. Slow
ly we ploughed along, the continual
"hai'' of the betto warning the dozens
| of small children swarmiDg the streets to
take themselves from under the horses
feet, and finally reached the entrance Of
an extremely muddy and narrow lane,
which being impossible for carriage,
! neuessitated our taking to our feet and
walking, or rather wading, its length,
thinking all the while longingly of Xix
| shas This brought us TO one OF the
| many teahousss near the theater, where
we were received by smiling, rosy faced
| young nesan, who took our um brellas,
| presented us with our tickets and guided
US through the crowd OF loungers OF
every description to the entrance OF the
| theater.
Following our guide we turned down a
narrow passage lined with rows of the
| poorer classes, reached our box and
entered BY the sliding screen door. And
box it was in reality. literally square
pen, just large enough 10 hold four
stools, on which we planted ourselves
and tried TO take in our surrounding as
our eyes gradually grew accustomed to
the semi-darkness.
This theater, Minatoza by name, is
not new or modernized in the least, and
is, / suppose, typicslly japanese. 1t is
a square building, low, ana of implanted
but polished wood with smooth paneled
ceiling and walls, ana dimly lit by win.
dows near the ceiling. Just below ran a
SORT OF gallery. divided on the sides into
the same pen-like boxes, which, owing
to the low studding of the building, could
easily be touched by standing up in our
J box.
Beyond the hama MICH. so lamed from
the custom of strewing flowers along
them as a popular actor advanced, is tn Q
pit, with sloping floor, and divided into
little pen-like boxes of about four feet
each. by ratings, within which the au-
dience sit, Or rather kneel, on mats laid
on the fuor. The stage stretches the full
width of the building, and while there is
always u curtain it does not gull down
but is always drawn from right to left.
Generally the property of the star, it is
as G rule covered with tiattering notices
of lin, nut on this occasion it belonged
to the theater and was decorated with
many and picturesque advertisements.
Arriving ut the end OF the first act, a
strange and novel scene met our eyes
a drama OF real life was going on before
us, and | became SO absorbed in it that
| | scarcely needed the fact that the real
play was for a moment at standstilj
At first it was difficult to distinguish any
thing through the clouds OF soft, blue
smoke blown upward from the hundreds
OF tiny pipes (for the whole audience.
men and women included, was smoking)
which hung in soft, vapory mass nearly
on a line with the windows, beyond
/ which were to be seen the gabled roofs
OF the neighboring houses and the steady
downpour. OF the never ceaslng rain. -,
A iar-off gong or bell struck, and all
was SILENT the children scampered to
theii places, there freshment vendors dis
appeared, all eyes were bent on the stage
| and an absorbed interest was at once
| displayed while the curtain slowly parted
amidst the most profound stiffness
parted and revealed q scene that trans
ported us in minute to bloody battle
field of Corea. In the dim, uncertain dis
| lance, crouch!ng behind, and within a
grove OF stately pines, glimmered the
white clothes of band Of Coreans.
Presently there appeared a column OF
| pig-tailed Cinnamon. armed with mus
kets and huge swords. moving with the
| stealthy, cat-like tread peculiar to that
| race when suspicious of danger. Suddenly
they are surprised and attacked by a
rapid onslaught of Japanese soldiers who
charge in two lines, from the rear along
the flower walks, thus truly giving the
| effect OF surprise.
Remarkable were the valiant japanese
| from the ease with which one or two of
their mum Der could kill or put to figh t
dozens of the heather Chinee, whose
shrieks and cries rising bove the general
din and tumult were heartrending.
l FINALLY tho mark and at In At
only the ftful glare of the rude footlights
lit up the desolate battlefield, throwing
patches of light and shade on the bodies
OF the dead Cinnamon, and bringing out
with startling reality the quivering forms
and white blood-stained faces of a couple
of wounded Japanese, for whom presently
Il search party, consisting of surgeon
and couple of soldiers bearing a
| stretcher, came stealing back over the &C.
serted Hama Michi.
This was followed by the sinking OF
the battleship kowshing. amid cannon
! shots, tossing of waves and shrieking OF
| drowning Cinnamon, who were tossed
headlong over the bow into the water in
most ruth less fashion. This brought the
general excitement 10 the highest pitch ;
so that when at the end OF the scene a
| bona tide newsboy rushed into the thea
| ter singing right and left the latest eX-
| press of recent victory, just printed and
hardly yet dry from the press. the audi.
ence burst all bonds OF self control. and
the burning of Pekin was accomplished
amidst general stampede and shouting
! of "BanZaI, Banzai, " a cry equivalent to
long live the Dlperor, rising above the
changing music of the band, which were
struggling with the national anthem.
AS we elbowed our way through the
| crowd looking back into the smoke-flled
tneater, we saw Pekin disappearing amid
a blaze OF flames, flashing of swords. fir.
| of q nd
| Cinnamon over the falling walls, theiI
pigtais waving wildly behind them; and
we felt that if the same patriotism. en-.
thusiasm and determination existed of
the stage as on there would be little
doubt that the japanese would reach the
real Pekin Of their ambition.