Timeless Art Of Laughter: Japan's Izumi Kyogen
With knees slightly bended and body leaning forward, Izumi Machi dragged onto the stage and gifted the theater a burst of laughter. This is the charisma of a timeless art - Japanese Kyogen.
"Laughter is a universal language, and Kyogen is common people's art of laughter," said Izumi Machi, the 20th head of the 500-year-old Izumi school of Kyogen, after an exclusive show at the ongoing 7th Asia Arts Festival held in Foshan, south China's Guangdong province.
Kyogen is a unique comic drama with a history of 600 years. It strictly preserves the original performance mode either in contents, languages or in costumes. In traditional Japanese dramas,Kyogen is the only clean-face (no make-up) art.
"We use contemporary daily expressions and comic body language to reflect people's sorrows and joys, the struggle against the upper and ruling classes and the sympathies towards lower classes," Izumi Machi elaborated.
The stage for Kyogen show is a square space with a column in each corner and against a wall of pine tree painting. Performers act out the different humorous stories through their singing, bodymovements and simple props.
Izumi's show was made up of three short dramas: "Sleeping Music," "Stick Binding" and "Bonsai."
"Bonsai" is a humorous tale about a man who steals a bonsai andin order to escape from the scene of his crime, imitates the soundof many kinds of animals.
"It's funny and remarkably lifelike. I used my imagination to the fullest extent and found I was there back in the 15th century," said an audience surnamed Zhao with great satisfaction.
"Imagination will make the small stage boundless and people forget about the time," Izumi Machi acknowledged.
"Things that make people laugh have not changed much over years. Kyogen can be readily understood and thoroughly enjoyed by modern audiences, even if they don't understand a single word of Japanese," He added.
Izumi was born into a prestigious Kyogen family, which is one of the two representative Kyogen schools in Japan. He began studying Kyogen when he was just one and a half years old, and made his stage debut at age three.
His sister Izumi Junko is the first female Kyogen performer in the Kyogen history.
Kyogen, like many other traditional art forms in Japan, has close ties with the Chinese culture. It developed from a certain type of Chinese folk music that was transmitted to Japan about 1,200 years ago.
"I hope more and more people will become interested in Kyogen,"Izumi said. "And I hope Kyogen, as well as the Chinese intangible cultural heritages such as Beijing Opera and Shaoxing Opera can flourish through strengthened exchanges and cooperation." Enditem
"Laughter is a universal language, and Kyogen is common people's art of laughter," said Izumi Machi, the 20th head of the 500-year-old Izumi school of Kyogen, after an exclusive show at the ongoing 7th Asia Arts Festival held in Foshan, south China's Guangdong province.
Kyogen is a unique comic drama with a history of 600 years. It strictly preserves the original performance mode either in contents, languages or in costumes. In traditional Japanese dramas,Kyogen is the only clean-face (no make-up) art.
"We use contemporary daily expressions and comic body language to reflect people's sorrows and joys, the struggle against the upper and ruling classes and the sympathies towards lower classes," Izumi Machi elaborated.
The stage for Kyogen show is a square space with a column in each corner and against a wall of pine tree painting. Performers act out the different humorous stories through their singing, bodymovements and simple props.
Izumi's show was made up of three short dramas: "Sleeping Music," "Stick Binding" and "Bonsai."
"Bonsai" is a humorous tale about a man who steals a bonsai andin order to escape from the scene of his crime, imitates the soundof many kinds of animals.
"It's funny and remarkably lifelike. I used my imagination to the fullest extent and found I was there back in the 15th century," said an audience surnamed Zhao with great satisfaction.
"Imagination will make the small stage boundless and people forget about the time," Izumi Machi acknowledged.
"Things that make people laugh have not changed much over years. Kyogen can be readily understood and thoroughly enjoyed by modern audiences, even if they don't understand a single word of Japanese," He added.
Izumi was born into a prestigious Kyogen family, which is one of the two representative Kyogen schools in Japan. He began studying Kyogen when he was just one and a half years old, and made his stage debut at age three.
His sister Izumi Junko is the first female Kyogen performer in the Kyogen history.
Kyogen, like many other traditional art forms in Japan, has close ties with the Chinese culture. It developed from a certain type of Chinese folk music that was transmitted to Japan about 1,200 years ago.
"I hope more and more people will become interested in Kyogen,"Izumi said. "And I hope Kyogen, as well as the Chinese intangible cultural heritages such as Beijing Opera and Shaoxing Opera can flourish through strengthened exchanges and cooperation." Enditem
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posted by Davor Novakovic @ Sunday, November 13, 2005
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