著者

村島 彩加

出版者

日本演劇学会

雑誌

演劇学論集 日本演劇学会紀要 (ISSN:13482815)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.52, pp.63-83, 2011 (Released:2018-01-12)

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So far, theatre photography in Japan in the time between the end of Edo era and the end of Meiji era has received little attention in theatre research: Actors' stills have been seen good for nothing because they were not pictures taken on the stages but in the studios, where actors made up and wore costumes just as if they were having their pictures taken in performances.My assertion is that this tendency in research should be corrected, because, as in the case of ICHIKAWA Danjuro IX, it is undeniable that we can perceive certain quality of the actor's ideal of acting reflected in his stills. In this context, my paper, seemingly the first attempt to examine the still pictures of Kabuki actors at the time, discusses the significance of those pictures by way of seeing them from the intersection of media- and theatre-history.The major discussions are two. (1) Although at the beginning the photograph technology was so primitive that it could not surpass the prevailing Ukiyo-e woodcut as the mainstream to portray Kabuki actors' images, the technological developments both in photographing and printing changed the situation in such a way that theatre photographs now became a popular media “genre.” (2) In the 1890's, Kabuki was regarded as an old-fashioned theatrical form, which led to see Kabuki as a historical phenomenon whose arts should be preserved by being photographed.

著者

村島 彩加

出版者

Japanese Society for Theatre Research. Comparative Theatre Section

雑誌

西洋比較演劇研究 (ISSN:13472720)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.11, no.2, pp.80-93, 2011 (Released:2012-03-16)

参考文献数

38

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Matsumoto Kôshirô VII (1870-1949) is now remembered for his authentic rendition of kabuki classics. However, in his youth, he was interested in Western culture and learned English, Western dance and the violin. Worthy of special mention is his experiments with Western make-up, which he learned from Making Up (Witmark & Sons 1905), a stage make-up manual by American actor James Young.Kôshirô had photographs of his wearing Western make-up taken and published themin Japanese theater magazine Engei Gahô serially, under the title of “hensô”. Literally meaning “to change one's looks,” “hensô” can imply more than changing one's appearance by putting on make-up. I would argue that Matsumoto's engrossment in Western make-up prefigured the subsequent development of interest in facial expressions as an acting technique, which was advocated by theatre theorists and practitioners who had seen or studied Western theater in early twentieth century Japan. The irony with this is that, while those who emphasized the importance of “hyôjyô” - a rarely used word then meaning facial expressions - and sought guidance for Kôshirô's “hensô” series pursued a new style of acting to get rid of old kabuki, Kôshirô studied Western make-up for his acting in kabuki theater.Kôshirô's photos have not been fully appreciated because his experiments with Western make-up were considered an amateurish hobby. However, considering the influences his study had on shingeki actors - he taught Western make-up methods at Tokyo Haiyu Yôseijo, a training facility for shingeki actors - it is necessary to cast a new light on Kôshirô, who is usually understood as a superb Meiji-era kabuki actor endowed with a beautiful body suitable for kabuki classics. Certainly, he was a pioneer in modernizing kabuki acting as well as a mediator between kabuki and modern Japanese theater.

著者

村島 彩加

出版者

Japanese Society for Theatre Research. Comparative Theatre Section

雑誌

西洋比較演劇研究 (ISSN:13472720)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.11, no.2, pp.80-93, 2011

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Matsumoto Kôshirô VII (1870-1949) is now remembered for his authentic rendition of kabuki classics. However, in his youth, he was interested in Western culture and learned English, Western dance and the violin. Worthy of special mention is his experiments with Western make-up, which he learned from <i>Making Up</i> (Witmark & Sons 1905), a stage make-up manual by American actor James Young.<br>Kôshirô had photographs of his wearing Western make-up taken and published themin Japanese theater magazine <i>Engei Gahô</i> serially, under the title of "hensô". Literally meaning "to change one's looks," "hensô" can imply more than changing one's appearance by putting on make-up. I would argue that Matsumoto's engrossment in Western make-up prefigured the subsequent development of interest in facial expressions as an acting technique, which was advocated by theatre theorists and practitioners who had seen or studied Western theater in early twentieth century Japan. The irony with this is that, while those who emphasized the importance of "hyôjyô" - a rarely used word then meaning facial expressions - and sought guidance for Kôshirô's "hensô" series pursued a new style of acting to get rid of old kabuki, Kôshirô studied Western make-up for his acting in kabuki theater.<br>Kôshirô's photos have not been fully appreciated because his experiments with Western make-up were considered an amateurish hobby. However, considering the influences his study had on shingeki actors - he taught Western make-up methods at Tokyo Haiyu Yôseijo, a training facility for shingeki actors - it is necessary to cast a new light on Kôshirô, who is usually understood as a superb Meiji-era kabuki actor endowed with a beautiful body suitable for kabuki classics. Certainly, he was a pioneer in modernizing kabuki acting as well as a mediator between kabuki and modern Japanese theater.