The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-12
A marionette performance.
n TTIur T0TfSFN PSFFO
Professor Miyamori De
scribes Origin andC LAS
sites Types of Plays
in Island Empire, and
Tells of Actors
~, PROf. 4. My
Of krio nj, cr~ity. Japan.

'Ah''s wv 'N'AA A'FH ~ III
n japan, religion is the mother
Of the drama. For the kagura or
sacred dance which is performed dur
Ing festivals in the hin temples is
~indlsputdbly the progeuitor of all
forms of Japanese drama.
Accordins To mythology the sun
Goddess. Disguised with the violent
conduct Of her brother god. Susano-
o~no-mikoto. hid herself in "A cave and
darkness reiEned throughout the uni
verse, greatly porpleNing the myriad
gods. Then the Goddess Czumc per-
formed a comic dance IN front Of the
cave and succeeded in cutiCing the
sun Goddess out Of her hiding place.
so that the light was restored to the
universe. To the immense JOY of the
gods. Tradition says this is the Origin
OF the kaCura, at my rate certain IL
is that the sacred dance has existed
from time immemorial.
The kaEura actors wear Crotcsque
masks and dance to the aCCompani-
ment OF flutes and drums. They carry
on dialogue and reproduce the deeds
OF different deities whom they imper-
senate. The sacred dance is so primi-
tive and simple in plot that II has
no literary merit.
The literary dramas may he divided
into four classes: the no or lyrical
drama, the kyogen or comic interlude.
the kysku-hon or regular drama and
the joruri or epical drama.
The no or lyrical dramas are short
stories founded for the most part on
the Japanese and the Chinese folklore
md par,,an.,l ,r,,I, F..,ng.,, ,,,1 a,b,,
pessimistic ideas Of Buddhism. They
are metrical in their more important
parts and generally written in ex-
ceedingly beautiful language. They
are extremely aristocratic. They are
never performed in public theatres. Tor
none but the highly educated can un-
derstand their perpetual illusions to
Chinese poetry and Buddhist scrip
lures.
Their more imaginative portions are
suns or chanted 10y the soloists, and
the principal actors wear wooden
masks. There is an orchestral accom-
paniment of a flute and three drums
OF different sizes. The action is or
dinarily very slow, dignitied and
solemn.
II is said that the no dramas were
composed 10y Buddhist priests for the
entertainment of the military classes,
in the Muromachi Period l392-l603).
the Dark Age of Japan. The no actors
were regarded with high respect and
socially were on "a level with the
amurai or knights. The art of no
acting was considered u knightiy ac-
complIshment and an authentic docu-
meut states that OF a certain oCca-
sion the leading parts of a lyrical
drama were played by Hideyoshi and
lyeyasu. the two greatest statesmen
IIpan has even seen. The chanting
/ these lyrical dramas is now in much
vogue among the upper classes.
The kyogen or comic interludes are
short and primitive farces. They are
performed generally on the same stage
a. the no dramas, in the intervals be-
tween the most serious pieces, in order
10 relax the strained nerves Of the au-
dcncc. These farCes sometimes expose
in an artlcss manner the ignorance of
the uohlomen of those days; sometimes
laugh to scorn serious weaknesses of
human nature. and sometimes tickle
the fancy of the audience with an
amusing picture Of innocent follies.
The dialogue is C~olloquial and witty,
f. he kyogen are quite different from
Tho lyrical dramas from a literary
standpoint. They are a democratic lit
c]rature, but so far they have been
rarely performed in public.
The kyaku-hOn, wh.Ch are nearly
"" same in form as the European
drama, were mostly written in the mid
de and the latter days Of the iedd
Period Cl6O3-1S6O. They were and are
much used for the regular theatre
BI' most Of their authors were minor
writer's, n therefore the kyaku-hon
as q whole, do not contain much work
o. q literary value, although they are
superior as dramas to the no and the
Fypgen. The reason why the kyaku'
hon did not develop more in spite %
the fact that they are the most import
ant form Of drama, We shall learn latei
or.
The fourth class of drama, the ioruri
o. cpical dramas, which were als'
written in the Ycdo Period. are highly
va liable literature. You must bear II
MIR that there are three great periods
In tho history OF Japanese literature
to Nara Period (710-7S4), the lieiaI
Period tS00-llS6). and the above men
tlnEcl Yedo Period I6O3-ls67); and "A
the Mannyoshu or ~ Myriad Leaves
u" anthology, and the Genji Mon"ga
.frl 81 "A story OF the Prince GenJl,
romance, are respectively the represen
'''.yo masterpieces ~ the FIRST wv
poripds. So the jOruri or cplcal drama
are the representative productions "
''" irdo Period. And modern scholar
e.. agreed IN considering In" "PiCa
a"iT.a, the greatest ~ th"s" TIRE
groups Of literary masterpieces, The
are generally esteemed 81 highly tina
Tie word "ioruri' and the eNpresslo
'-.r'"tl" si~gnifying drama are con
rr'F used as synonyms.
The lorurl Is in form an epic poeI
su y a. Tennyson's "Enoch Arden ]