Loading...
Please wait, while we are loading the content...
Similar Documents
Masks of East Asia
| Content Provider | IGNCA - Man and Mask |
|---|---|
| Description | Perhaps nowhere else in the world has the mask been so thoroughly integrated into theatrical practice as in East Asia. Building upon a wide-spread and deeply embedded tradition of ecstatic shamanic performance, these theatrical traditions evolved out of an active interchange between court and village, blending secular and sacred concerns; forays across the permeable boundaries between folk, festival and ritual performances on the one hand, and court sponsored theatrical entertainments on the other, are central to the history of masking in East Asia.Neolithic shell masks have been found in Korea and in Japan and rock art suggestive of masks or painted makeup in Northern China. While the narratives of the folk "operas" center around highly romantic tales of martial deeds, the performances are staged to coincide with the rice crop's flowering; the agricultural context, along with specific rituals attending these outdoor performances, serve to imbue the opening of the box of masks with an aura of sacred significance. Sarugaku, an acrobatic form of comic theatre based on Chinese and Korean models, and Dengaku, a tradition of "field play" blending aspects found in rural dramas of Korea and China, all provided elements that were drawn together in the late 14th century by the master performer and playwright Kan'ami and his son Zeami, under the active patronage of the Shogun Yoshimitsu. Now known as Noh drama, the tradition these men created brought masked portrayal to a new level of subtlety and artistic accomplishment. Zeami, especially, is credited with adding a focused concern with Zen Buddhist philosophy and a stately decorum and creating a delicate balance between mimetic portrayal of character (monomane) and a quality of transcendent grace and beauty (yugen).Stories in the Noh repertory often involve an encounter that reveals an unresolved issue in the past. Masks are worn only by the principle actor, or shite, who unfolds the tale, frequently wearing two masks in sequence-the second of which reveals the crux of the matter. This narrative structure mirrors the pattern of Kagura, in which conjuration leads to a visit by a being or beings from another temporal dimension, and thence to entertaining the both the visitor and the assembled community. Originally, there would be five Noh plays given in a performance: a god play, a warrior play, a "wig" play centering around a beautiful woman, a "miscellaneous" play based on contemporary events or incidents of madness, and a play about demons and supernatural beings. These plays about lingering ghosts and past events would be alternated with comic kyogen plays depicting actions in the contemporary world and sometimes using whimsical masks for gods, demons and clowns, offering a humanistic counter-ideology to the harsh honor-bound codes of pre-modern Japan. The entire evening and the units within it proceed by a "jo-ha-kyu" structure: opening, intensifying, and releasing. Some of the old Noh masks are among the more beautifully finished and subtly expressive masks ever made. |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Subject Keyword | Ancient Human Practice Anshun Anthropology Anthropomorphic Art Work Art History Beijing Opera Buddhist Bugaku Central Asia Ceremonies and Practices China Court Decorative Mask Dengaku Disguise Drama Theraphy Eastern Asia Garuda Gigaku Guizhou Indochina Indonesia Iran Japan Kagura Kan Korea Kwanghan Kweichow Manchuria India Mediterranean Museum Object Northern China Ornamentation Performance Performing Art Ritual Mask Sarugaku Sculpture Songp Tibet Yangju Yoshimitsu Zeami Zen Buddhist |
| Content Type | Image Text |
| Resource Type | Visual Artwork |
