The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1896-04-21
beang everywaere in evil.

1 denCe. iilal
There are hundreds Of impoverished
theatres made OF mating with the ma.
ture of the show indicated by gaudily
painted pictures over the entrance. ON
entering the auditor passes the stage
which Is next 20 the street. This ar
rengement enables the proprietor to rx,tss
q curtain which forms the front and
Tor moment reveal to the crowded
street part of some feat of daring. a
sort OF persuader or appetizer, and n
unique method OF advertising. In thes.
places can be seen swora-swallowers
necrsmancers, acrobatic feats, wire
walking, and the best juggling in the
world.
Each place has Its God of Luck. /" ana
salt is always sprinkled before each per-
former I'm order to ,pacify any stray devil
that may be in the neighborhood ON
evil bent.
Girls swimming in cement tanks are
among the chief attractions. One cent
Is the admission fee to natives and fer,
times as much for foreigners. PuhlIc
story telling was long In vogue before
theatrical performances. 1t Is still one
OF Inc most popular and cheapest forms
OF amusement. and is patronized largely
by the mass Of daily toilers who are
unable 10 Visit the comparatively expen
siVeplay houses except at rare intervals
1T Is in STORYTELLING halls instead of
oooKs that the artisan gets his knowledge
or legendary lore, history, and the nota~
BILE events of his country.
Up 10 century ago theatres We're
patronized Inly by the lower classes
me actor was Il social outcast In the
census the same numerals were appliec
to him as used in counting animais-a.
most degrading insult ito the Japanese
mind.
The restoration has changed all this
ACTORS and story-tellers ara ostracised
no longer andtheir eligibility 10 society
depends upon themselves
EVOLUTION OF THE JAPANESE
DRAMA.
The evolution of the Japanese drama
Is not entirsly without interest. EARLY
III the hfteenth century there existed n
religious dance called the mo" u deeen-
eracs form of which may still be seen
in the Shinto Temples at Nara and
Nikko> With bodies held rigid as sta
tutes young priestesses go through a Sc
ries gestures and gracefully play with
rams and bells. whila priests chant an
explanatory poem. 1t Is mere q dance of
arms than the feet. Then came CEN
fury oDpuppet shows, figures worked by
wires. for which the first dramas were
written. and singularly enough, there
still exists on the Japanese stage, far
advanced in realism. many of the cruder
methods used In these marionette shows.
Then. as now. the various emotions of
character ware interpreted by gidayu
singer from an elevated cage on one side
of the stage
In the days of puppet shows newspa-
pers were unknown and the news of an
important happening was transmitted
from mouth to mouth alone.
smart man. Takemoto Gidayu of
Osoka. In 1900. was the first to put a
price on news. He paid u pittance for
tr,f. to-,
occurrence and by giving free play to
his imagination would quickly construct
drama around the principal events
TWO women, O-kuni and O-Tsu, are
| credited with having founded the cur
rent form of drama. In 1864 O-Kani. a
SIKH as dancer. went to Kyoto TO col
| iect FUNDS for shrine. Her beauty soon
won for her the approval OF the Shotgun
| (ruler) and she became immensely popu-
| lar. In the royal household was u re-
tainer named Nagoya Sanzuymon,
who wrote for her brief sketches after
| the manner OF the puppets, They eloped
and for SO doing he was dismissed Lat
er. while supporting her husband by
| playing in dry river beds. second man
became enamored of her. Sanza killed
him and the dead mans face never
ceased to haunt the girl. When Sanza
died 0-kun shaved her head. became
| a nun and spent the remainder of her
whom her beauty had ruined. So bad
was the precedent O-Tsu and her asso-
ciates set. and to lax the morals of the
, women of the stage that q ban was set
. against them. and to-day the stage has
no place for its founders This Is why
, boys and effeminate men play women's
kparts In Japan as they did in Shakes
Ipeare's time in Europe.
The first theatre proper was built In
Tokyo Chen Yeddo) In 1924 To-day
there are twentythrce each supporting
! a stock company of fifteen or twenty
. members. Chicago. only about a NH
ffarger In population than Tokyo. ant
supposedly theG<ce-loving community
boasts of only eighteen of all sizes. Her,
they are cheaply built. Even the prin
cipal ones are fiimsy wooden structures
with little pretensitons to architecture
beauty. The trent is covered with pic
lures depicting scenes from the play run
, ming the names of the actors and
truthful statement of their artistic
standing.
JAP ACTORS RISE BY MERIT
ALONE
Al In Japan every actors rank and salar,
is determined by guild of his elders
lMerit alone succeeds. Bridge jumpln,
and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. court record:
| are not used as claims for recognition
> The walls of the foyer are lined will
piles of clogs, for with the usual Jap
anese perverseness checks are given fol
!, | shoes instead of hats Tho MANAGE,