The diagonal hanamichi had such a striking quality! I somehow feel I understand kabuki much better for seeing it. Why or why was it flattened out as today?
From what I've read, in Kamigata (Osaka and Kyoto), the hanamichi were built at a right angle from the beginning. So perhaps the actors or managers who visited the region thought it was better. Also, when a second hanamichi was introduced, I suppose it must have made sense to have them both at a right angle from the stage. But I agree with you, the diagonal hanamichi is visually quite stunning and iconic!
I’m particularly interested in understanding more about keren (I type this not knowing if you have already done so and will continue watching, but wanted to respond to the request just in case) 😊
Welcome to the channel! Yes, I ended up doing a whole video about keren. Please check it out! ua-cam.com/video/Ug3pGjAKEyc/v-deo.htmlsi=iZ9yuKBP3y86HAZ2
Amazing video. I bought a book on kabuki to read but nothing beats seeing it and learning about it through video since it's so visual. I am really curious what movie or show the clip is from at 1:31-1:34!!
I'm glad you enjoyed it! The clip is from the 1955 film Ejima Ikushima, starring Ichikawa Danjūrō XI (at the time Ichikawa Ebizō IX). I haven't found the complete film, but this bit in which he appears in the play Kuruwa Bunshō was uploaded to UA-cam a while back.
Could you( apologies if you already have) explain the exits some arigoto characters make on the hanamichi? Where they stamp/hop from one foot to another? Does this come from Noh or Bunraku convention? I find this fascinating and thank you for the videos
Thank you for your kind words and support! The idea of stomping the ground as a way to drive away bad spirits is very common in Japanese culture. It could be seen in religious rituals, folk dances and noh theatre long before kabuki even existed. But beyond that general concept, the concrete influence for the famous roppo as it exists in kabuki seems to be the tanzen roppo, a fashionable style of walking used by people of the city of Edo during the 1680s, which was later picked up and exaggerated by the actors onstage. I hope to cover this and other topics related to aragoto acting in a video at some point!
Yes! It is a stage trick known as honmizu (本水) which can be seen in a few plays, such as Kaidan Chibusa no Enoki (the one seen on the clip) and Meigetsu Hachiman Matsuri. Apparently it was fairly common during the Edo period, as a way to cool the actors and audience during the extreme heath of the summer months.
Just wanted to say thank you for this content! I never saw the black, white, and red curtain before, it kinda blew my mind for a sec lol
It looks quite impressive, right? Particularly after being so used to the iconic black, green and brown colors.
Thank you so much for this series of videos 🙌
Having played Mystical Ninja 64 as a kid, this is putting so much of my childhood in context.
The diagonal hanamichi had such a striking quality! I somehow feel I understand kabuki much better for seeing it. Why or why was it flattened out as today?
From what I've read, in Kamigata (Osaka and Kyoto), the hanamichi were built at a right angle from the beginning. So perhaps the actors or managers who visited the region thought it was better. Also, when a second hanamichi was introduced, I suppose it must have made sense to have them both at a right angle from the stage. But I agree with you, the diagonal hanamichi is visually quite stunning and iconic!
Thank you
amazing
I’m particularly interested in understanding more about keren (I type this not knowing if you have already done so and will continue watching, but wanted to respond to the request just in case) 😊
Welcome to the channel! Yes, I ended up doing a whole video about keren. Please check it out! ua-cam.com/video/Ug3pGjAKEyc/v-deo.htmlsi=iZ9yuKBP3y86HAZ2
Amazing video. I bought a book on kabuki to read but nothing beats seeing it and learning about it through video since it's so visual. I am really curious what movie or show the clip is from at 1:31-1:34!!
I'm glad you enjoyed it! The clip is from the 1955 film Ejima Ikushima, starring Ichikawa Danjūrō XI (at the time Ichikawa Ebizō IX). I haven't found the complete film, but this bit in which he appears in the play Kuruwa Bunshō was uploaded to UA-cam a while back.
Could you( apologies if you already have) explain the exits some arigoto characters make on the hanamichi? Where they stamp/hop from one foot to another? Does this come from Noh or Bunraku convention? I find this fascinating and thank you for the videos
Thank you for your kind words and support! The idea of stomping the ground as a way to drive away bad spirits is very common in Japanese culture. It could be seen in religious rituals, folk dances and noh theatre long before kabuki even existed. But beyond that general concept, the concrete influence for the famous roppo as it exists in kabuki seems to be the tanzen roppo, a fashionable style of walking used by people of the city of Edo during the 1680s, which was later picked up and exaggerated by the actors onstage. I hope to cover this and other topics related to aragoto acting in a video at some point!
Is it true that kabuki Was the first to use the revolving stage?
It is! It was introduced in non-kabuki theatres only a century and a half later (in 1896 at the Residenz theatre in Munich, from what I've read).
The last video has real water?
Yes! It is a stage trick known as honmizu (本水) which can be seen in a few plays, such as Kaidan Chibusa no Enoki (the one seen on the clip) and Meigetsu Hachiman Matsuri. Apparently it was fairly common during the Edo period, as a way to cool the actors and audience during the extreme heath of the summer months.