the great Japan empire Emperor who holds heavenly help and takes the post of the grade of the Emperor of the 10,000th one system -- clearly -- loyalty -- the people, brave you, are told I declare war here to a North Korean people democracy republic. Promise my land-and-sea army soldiers taking out the best, and being engaged in a battle, the government official of everything of mine making an effort, and performing a job in response to a command, and the man of everything of mine rendering the duty, mentioning the national aggregate power, and attaining the purpose of this war to prevent mistakes. first of all, the stability of an Asian area -- securing -- the world -- Emperor Meiji also being said, contributing peacefully being greatly clear and it greatly inheriting from the Taisho Emperor, and inheriting predecessors' achievements or carrying out -- the place which is a plot by the far future and I always continue having in the heart This and an empire are just always going to use to promote the exchange with every country in the world, since that is right,
and to share both pleasure of world peace as the indicator of diplomatic relations. Now, it is made a misfortune and came to begin North Korea and war. Although it is very unavoidable, it is not my real intention. The North Korea government did not understand imperial real intention, but things were established indiscriminately, the peace of an Asian area was disturbed, and it came to make an empire perform arms at last. It as newly [ an empire ] also fortunately as the North Korea democratic government went into friendship. Although an empire contracts a peace treaty with the new government and is beginning to tie up mutually, the Kim Jong-il Administration which remains in Pyongyang does not change fighting in response to secret protection of the People's Republic of China. North Korea supports "terrorism" and "kidnap activities", promotes the uneasiness of an Asian area, shows off the beauty name of peace, and strengthens ambition of domination of an Asian area further. The countries which it did not come out [ countries ] so much and had "the axis of evil" named were invited, armaments were reinforced around the empire, our country was challenged, all disturbance was further done to imperial peaceful exchange, economical rupture was carried out at last, and the serious threat for imperial fate was added. Although I wished that the government recovered this state of emergency to the inside of peace and negotiation was repeated tenaciously, North Korea does not have the completely conceded intention, is meaningless, tended to solve the situation to extension, tended to increase economical and the military threat conversely in the meantime, and tended to make our country obey.
Thus, if it changes, years of efforts of the empire about the stability of an Asian area will finish vainly entirely, and will lapse into a state with imperial dangerous fate. In this way, all were decided. Just now, for homeland self-defense, an empire will opt for preparedness and will smash all obstacles. The spirit of the dead of the ancestor of Emperor successive generation is on people. Carry out bravery reliance and I need to push national loyalty and the unfinished work to which the sovereign of ancestor each generation was left behind, and eliminate uneasiness promptly more widely, ensure an Asian area or world peace, and pledge to protect an imperial glory based on it.
The Japan Arts Council is managed and operated by an executive board consisting of a president, an executive director, managing directors (no more than five persons), auditors (maximum of two persons), and a staff of 321 persons. A Board of Councilors is set up to serve as the council president's advisory body, whose function is the deliberation of important issues pertaining to the management of the Japan Arts Council. The Board of Councilors consists of less than 20 persons of high academic standing, appointed by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.Furthermore, the president of the National Theatre entrusts matters of special importance or matters requiring specialized advice to expert committees consisting of individuals of high academic standing such as the Japan Arts Fund Management Committee, New National Theatre Reserch Special Committee, National Theatre Reserch Special Committee, the Engei Hall Management Committee and National Bunraku Theatre Management Council.
which is operated by three manipulators is about a half life-size. The puppets seen on stage are elaborately costumed in traditional Japanese style. The Chief Manipulator (Omodzukai) holds the puppet and moves it's head (Kashira) and body using his left hand in the body through the opening at the back of the puppet. He also controls the puppet's right hand with his right hand. Only the Chief Manipulator shows his face in most scenes (Dedzukai). The Second Manipulator (Hidaridzukai) moves the puppet's left hand and assists the Chief Manipulator. The Third Manipulator (Ashidzukai) moves the puppet's legs. Usually, a female puppet has no legs as a rule, so the Third Manipulator moves its skirt and creates the illusion of moving legs. Imagine three individual people moving one puppet, even a simple movement, like clapping hands, is difficult to accomplish. Learning manipulate a Bunraku puppet requires hard training for many years. A Ningyo operated by skilled manipulators looks as if it has life.On an elevated platform at the right side of the stage, two people in formal dress (Kamishimo) are sitting. They are the Joruri reciter (Tayu) and the Shamisen player (Shamisen). Tayu is the only person who makes vocalization in the play. He recites special music (Gidayu Bushi), tells the story and takes charge of the puppets' voices. He is a singer, a narrator and a vocal player (provide various kinds of voices of characters). Tayu often plays the role of a conductor by reciting Joruri because Bunraku consists of three parts (Ningyo, Joruri, Shamisen). The play is called Joruri and is usually recited using the Kamigata dialect.The Shamisen is an orchestra made of one person. It is not only accompaniment music, the largest body and the thickest strings, which make a dramatic resonant sound. Another kind of music which uses the Hutozao, the Tsugaru Shamisen is also famous. But, the mood created is very different from BUNRAKU.
The Bunraku Puppet Theatre,which is the most refined form of puppetry in the world, is a combination of three skills each of which requires many years of training to master──puppet manipulation, joruri recitation and samisen music.The dolls of the Bunraku Puppet Show are about half life-size.Their eyes move. their eyebrows rise in surprise, their mouths open and shut and their hands and arms gesture gracefully and realistically. Each of the principal dolls is operated by three manipurators who work in perfect unison. The manipurators carry the dolls on to the stage and are visible throughout the play. The chief manipurator holds the puppet from the back with his left hand by a special grip in the figure's chest and directs the puppet's right arm with his right hand. The second operator moves the left hand and the third,the legs. As a female doll has no legs as a rule, the third operator moves its skirt in such a way as to create an illusion of moving legs. The joruri reciter, who tells the story which the puppets act, and who chants, shouts, whispers or sobs the dialogue for all characters appearing in the play, sits with his samisen accompanist, each resplendent in the traditional kamisimo dress, in full view on an elevated dais at the right side of the stage.
The samisen accompanist is no less important an element in the puppet show. The samisen provides not only a musical accompaniment to the joruri recitation but also an indication, where apprpriate, of the sound of rain or wind or other effects to heighten the atmosphere of the scene.Most of the plays in the Bunraku repertoire are classics written in the 18th century. Though about 50 new plays have been presented after World War U、most of them are not likely to be staged again, where as most of the classics are certain of constsnt repetition. The Goverment is giving great support to the Bunraku Puppet Theatre, designating it as an important intangible cultural asset. In 1984 the National Bunraku Theatre was established in Osaka, the birthplace of Bunraku. At this theatre six series of Bunraku performances, each lasting about two weeks, are scheduled to be held every year.
The narrator sits with his shamisen accompanist, each resplendent in traditional kamishimo dress, in full view on an elevated dais at the right side of the stage. The shamisen accompanist is no less important an element in the puppet show. The shamisen provides not only a musical accompaniment to the joruri narration but also an indication, where appropriate, of the sound of rain or wind or other effects to heighten the atmosphere of the scene. Most of the plays in the bunraku repertoire are classics written in the l8th century. Although about 50 new plays have been presented since World War II, most of them are not likely to be staged again, whereas most of the classics are certain of constant repetition. The Government is giving great support to Bunraku puppet theater, designating it as an important intangible cultural asset. In 1984 the National Bunraku Theater was established in Osaka, the birthplace of bunraku. Six series of bunraku performances, each lasting about two weeks, are scheduled to be heldevery year at the theater.
Already in the Heian period (794-1185), itinerant puppeteers known as kugutsumawashi traveled around Japan playing door-to-door for donations. In this form of street entertainment, which continued up through the Edo period, the puppeteer manipulated two hand puppets on a stage that consisted of a box suspended from his neck. A number of the kugutsumawashi are thought to have settled at Nishinomiya and on the island of Awaji, both near present-day Kobe. In the sixteenth century, puppeteers from these groups were called to Kyoto to perform for the imperial family and military leaders. It was around this time that puppetry was combined with the art of joruri. A precursor of joruri can be found in the blind itinerant performers, called biwa hoshi, who chanted The Tale of the Heike, a military epic depicting the Taira-Minamoto War, while accompanying themselves on the biwa, a kind of lute. In the sixteenth century, the shamisen replaced the biwa as the instrument of choice, and the joruri style developed. The name joruri came from one of the earliest and most popular works chanted in this style, the legend of a romance between warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune and the beautiful Lady Joruri. The art of puppetry combined with chanting and shamisen accompaniment grew in popularity in the early seventeenth century in Edo (now Tokyo), where it received the patronage of the shogun and other military leaders. Many of the plays at this time presented the adventures of Kimpira, a legendary hero renowned for his bold, outlandish exploits.
It was in the merchant city of Osaka, however, that the golden age of ningyo joruri was inaugurated through the talents of two men: tayu (chanter) Takemoto Gidayu (1651-1714) and the playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon. After he opened the Takemotoza puppet theater in Osaka in 1684, Gidayu's powerful chanting style, called gidayu-bushi, came to dominate joruri. Chikamatsu began writing historical dramas (jidai-mono) for Gidayu in 1685. Later he spent more than a decade writing mostly for kabuki, but in 1703 Chikamatsu returned to the Takemotoza, and from 1705 to the end of his life he wrote exclusively for the puppet theater. There has been much debate as to why Chikamatsu turned to writing for kabuki and then returned to bunraku, but this may have been the result of dissatisfaction with the relative position of the playwright and actor in kabuki. Famous kabuki actors of the day considered the play raw material to be molded to better display their own talents. In 1703, Chikamatsu pioneered a new kind of puppet play, the domestic drama (sewa-mono), which brought new prosperity to the Takemotoza. Only one month after a shop clerk and a courtesan committed double suicide, Chikamatsu dramatized the incident in The Love Suicides at Sonezaki. The conflict between social obligations (giri) and human feelings (ninjo) found in this play greatly moved audiences of the time and became a central theme for bunraku. Domestic dramas, such as Chikamatsu's series of love-suicide plays, became a favorite subject for the puppet theater. Historical dramas, however, also continued to be popular and became more sophisticated as audiences came to expect he psychological depth found in the domestic plays. One example of this is Kanadehon Chushingura, perhaps the most
famous bunraku play. Based on the true story of the 47 ronin (masterless samurai) incident of 1701-1703, it was first staged 47 years later in 1748. After drawing his sword in the Edo castle in response to insults by the Tokugawa shogun's chief of protocol (Kira Yoshinaka), the feudal lord Asano Naganori was forced to commit suicide and his clan was disbanded. The 47 loyal retainers carefully plotted and carried out their revenge by killing Kira nearly two years later. Even though many years had elapsed since the incident, playwrights still changed the time, location, and character names in order to avoid offending the Tokugawa shogun. This popular play was soon adapted to the kabuki stage and continues to be an important part of both repertoires. Throughout the eighteenth century, bunraku developed in both a competitive and cooperative relationship with kabuki. At the individual role level, kabuki actors imitated the distinctive movements of bunraku puppets and the chanting style of the tayu, while puppeteers adapted the stylistic flourishes of famous kabuki actors to their own performances. At the play level, many bunraku works, especially those of Chikamatsu, were adapted for kabuki, while lavish kabuki-style productions were staged as bunraku. Gradually eclipsed in popularity by kabuki, from the late 18th century bunraku went into commercial decline and theaters closed one by one until only the Bunraku-za was left. Since World War II, bunraku has had to depend on government support for its survival, although its popularity has been increasing in recent years. Under the auspices of the Bunraku Association, regular performances are held today at the National Theater in Tokyo and the National Bunraku Theater in Osaka. Bunraku performance tours have been enthusiastically received in cities around the world.
One-half to two-thirds life-size, bunraku puppets are assembled from several components: wooden head, shoulder board, trunk, arms, legs, and costume. The head has a grip with control strings to move the eyes, mouth, and eyebrows. This grip is inserted into a hole in the center of the shoulder board. Arms and legs are hung from the shoulder board with strings, and the costume fits over the shoulder board and trunk, from which a bamboo hoop is hung to form the hips. Female puppets often have immovable faces, and, since their long kimono completely cover the lower half of their bodies, most do not need to have legs.There are about seventy different puppet heads in use. Classified into various categories, such as young unmarried woman or young man of great strength, each head is usually used for a number of different characters, although they are often referred to by the name of the role in which they first appeared.The omozukai (principal operator) inserts his left hand through an opening in the back of the costume and holds the head grip. With his right hand he moves the puppet's right arm. Holding a large warrior puppet can be an exercise in endurance since they weigh up to twenty kilograms. The left arm is operated by the hidarizukai (first assistant), and the legs are operated by the ashizukai (second assistant), who also stamps his feet for sound effects and to punctuate the shamisen rhythm. For female puppets, the ashizukai manipulates the lower part of the kimono to simulate leg movement.
In Chikamatsu's day, puppets were operated by one person; the three-man puppet was not introduced until 1734. Originally this single operator was not seen on stage, but for The Love Suicides at Sonezaki, master puppeteer Tatsumatsu Hachirobei became the first to work in full view of the audience.Today all three puppeteers are out on stage in full view. The operators usually wear black suits and hoods that make them symbolically invisible. A celebrity in the bunraku world, the principal operator often works without the black hood and in some cases even wears a brilliant white silk robe.Like the puppeteers, the tayu and the shamisen player were originally hidden from the audience but, in a new play in 1705, Takemoto Gidayu chanted in full view of the audience, and in 1715 both the tayu and shamisen player began performing on a special elevated platform at the right of the stage, where they appear today. The tayu has traditionally had the highest status in a bunraku troupe. As narrator, he creates the atmosphere of the play, and he must voice all parts, from a rough bass for men to a high falsetto for women and children.The shamisen player does not merely accompany the tayu. Since the puppeteers, tayu, and shamisen player do not watch each other during the performance, it is up to the shamisen player to set the pace of the play with his rhythmic strumming. In some large-scale bunraku plays and extravaganzas adapted from kabuki, multiple tayu-shamisen pairs and shamisen ensembles are used.
Bunraku puppets History of Bunraku//Puppets and Performance//A Bunraku Play: Sonezaki shinju (The Love Suicides at Sonezaki) BUNRAKUPuppet theater brings old Japan to lifeBunraku is Japan's professional puppet theater. Developed primarily in the 17th and 18th centuries, it is one of the four forms of Japanese classical theater, the others being kabuki, noh, and kyogen. The term bunraku comes from Bunraku-za, the name of the only commercial bunraku theater to survive into the modern era. Bunraku is also called ningyo joruri, a name that points to its origins and essence. Ningyo means "doll" or "puppet," and joruri is the name of a style of dramatic narrative chanting accompanied by the three-stringed shamisen. Together with kabuki, bunraku developed as part of the vibrant merchant culture of the Edo period (1600-1868). Despite the use of puppets, it is not a children's theater. Many of its most famous plays were written by Japan's greatest dramatist, Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1724), and the great skill of the operators make the puppet characters and their stories come alive on stage.History of BunrakuPuppets and Performance//A Bunraku Play: Sonezaki shinju (The Love Suicides at Sonezaki) Already in the Heian period (794-1185), itinerant puppeteers known as kugutsumawashi traveled around Japan playing door-to-door for donations. In this form of street entertainment, which continued up through the Edo period, the puppeteer manipulated two hand puppets on a stage that consisted of a box suspended from his neck. A number of the kugutsumawashi are thought to have settled at Nishinomiya and on the island of Awaji, both near present-day Kobe.
Scene I: Making the rounds of his customers, Tokubei, clerk at a soy sauce dealer, meets his beloved, the courtesan Ohatsu, by chance at Ikutama Shrine in Osaka. Weeping, she criticizes him for neglecting to write or visit. Tokubei explains that he has had some problems, and at her urging he tells the whole story. Tokubei's uncle, the owner of the soy sauce business, had asked him to marry his wife's niece, but Tokubei refused because of his love for Ohatsu. However, Tokubei's stepmother agreed to the marriage behind his back and took the large dowry with her to the country. When Tokubei again refused the marriage, his angry uncle demanded the return of the dowry money. After finally managing to get the money from his stepmother, Tokubei lent it to his good friend Kuheiji, who is late paying it back. Just then a drunken Kuheiji arrives at the shrine with a couple of friends. When Tokubei urges him to return the money, Kuheiji denies borrowing it, and he and his friends beat up Tokubei.
When Kuheiji has gone, Tokubei proclaims his innocence to bystanders and hints that he will make amends by killing himself. Scene 2: It is the evening of the same day and Ohatsu is back at Temma House, the brothel where she works. Still distraught at what has happened, she slips outside after catching a glimpse of Tokubei. They weep and he tells her that the only option left for him is suicide. Ohatsu helps Tokubei hide under the porch on which she sits, and soon Kuheiji and his friends arrive. Kuheiji continues to proclaim Tokubei's guilt, but Ohatsu says she knows he is innocent. Then, as if talking to herself, she asks if Tokubei is resolved to die. Unseen by the others, he answers by drawing her foot across his neck. (Since female puppets do not have legs, a specially made foot is used for this scene.) Kuheiji says that if Tokubei kills himself he will take care of Ohatsu, but she rebukes him, calling him a thief and a liar. She says she is sure that Tokubei intends to die with her as she does with him. Overwhelmed by her love, Tokubei responds by touching her foot to his forehead. Once Kuheiji has left and the house is quiet, Ohatsu manages to slip out. Scene 3: On their journey to Sonezaki Wood, Tokubei and Ohatsu speak of their love, and a lyrical passage spoken by the narrator comments on the transience of life. Hearing revelers in a roadside teahouse singing about an earlier love suicide, Tokubei wonders if he and Ohatsu will be the subject of such songs. After reaching Sonezaki Wood, Ohatsu cuts her sash. and they use it to bind themselves together so they will be beautiful in death. Tokubei apologizes to his uncle, and Ohatsu to her parents, for the trouble they are causing. Chanting an invocation to Amida Buddha, he stabs her and then himself.
The high caliber of English on business means the ablity to speak English on a daily conversation level to the full, not being well-versed in the business terms or having the experience and the knowledge on business. When you are talking with your friends and if you don't know a word, you can ask "What does it mean?" and get the meaning of the word so that keep conversation going. In business, however, you don't have a moment to do that. I mean, there are few peope who graduated from Kansai Gaidai University and who have good command of English covering business category as well as a daily situation. We call this sort of fancy picture an Ideal; and the policy of forcing individuals to an act on the assumption that all ideals are real, and to recognize and accept such action as standard moral conduct, absolutely valid under all circumstances, contrary conduct or any advocacy of it being discountenanced and punished as immoral, may therefore be described as the policy of Idealism. Get a regular deck of cards (BICYCLE IS BEST) and shuffle it. Then have a spector choose and card he/she wants. While he/she is doing this FINGER BREAK the top two cards of the deck. Then take the card and slip it in between the little gap you left it adds an extra depth to it, to make it look like you put it in the middle of the deck. Then do a DOUBLE LIFT of the top two cards and flip them over. It then shows their card on top. Flip it back over and do once again the DOUBLE LIFT and slip the supposed card in the middle really not in between the cards. The real signed card is already on top.
There are many reasons for returning to study: to get a qualification, improve your knowledge and skills, change direction, further your career or simply for enjoyment. Goldsmiths offers full-time and part-time courses at a range of levels. Full-time undergraduate degrees generally take about 30 hours per week for three to four years. Part-time degrees take less time per week but are spread over a greater number of years; the number of hours varies between subjects. Access courses, certificates and foundation courses need less time per week. The amount of time you spend in the classroom depends on your subject. Most of your time will be spent studying, in the library or in studios so there is some room for flexibility. You don't necessarily need A-levels to study at Goldsmiths. We offer courses at a range of levels including undergraduate and postgraduate degrees, certificates, Access and foundation courses. You can join a certificate, Access or foundation course with few formal qualifications. If you complete the programmes at the right level, you can apply to do a degree at Goldsmiths or another university. Undergraduate degrees require A-levels, an Access course or equivalent qualifications or experience. You may have life or work experience which is relevant to your studies which can be taken into account when you apply. Goldsmiths offers courses in a wide range of subjects. Contact the admissions tutor for the course if you have further questions; you'll find their name in the course description in the Undergraduate Prospectus (or online under the various programme descriptions), or talk to staff at our Open Day in June. If you are uncertain about the qualifications you need for your chosen career, visit your local
New Cross station: turn right out of the station, and right again into New Cross Road. For the Main Building, cross New Cross Road at the pedestrian crossing into Amersham Road, keeping on the right hand side. Follow the road round to the right into Parkfield Road. The Main Building is straight ahead, at the junction of Parkfield Road and Lewisham Way. For Deptford Town Hall Building, keep straight ahead on New Cross Road. Deptford Town Hall Building is on the left hand side after about five minutes' walk. New Cross Gate: turn left and cross the road at the pedestrian lights. Deptford Town Hall Building is just to the left of you; for the Main Building, turn left and follow New Cross Road, past Laurie Grove onto Lewisham Way, and past the Rutherford Information Services Building, and Dixon Road. The Main Building is on the right immediately after this. From Heathrow Airport (LHR): Piccadilly Underground Line to Central London, change at Green Park onto the Jubilee Line to Canada Water, then the East London Line to New Cross or New Cross Gate From Stansted Airport (STN): train to Liverpool Street, then by Hammersmith and City Underground Line to Whitechapel. Change onto East London Underground Line to New Cross or New Cross Gate. From City Airport (LCY): the airport is five miles from Goldsmiths. Take the shuttle bus to Canning Town. Catch a Jubilee Line tube westbound to Canada Water, then the East London Line to New Cross or New Cross Gate. From Luton Airport (LTN): shuttle buses connect the airport to Luton station, from where you catch the hameslink to London Bridge, then travel to New Cross or New Cross Gate stations. From Gatwick Airport (LGW): train from the station in the airport to East Croydon station. Change there and take the first train to New Cross Gate. he journey time is about one hour.
Major delays on A2 at New Cross Gate March 2001 - May 2003 (estimated finish date). On the A2 by New Cross Gate Station, Railtrack is currently strengthening the road bridge and there are lane restrictions resulting in severe disruption to traffic on all approach roads - especially at peak times, but also throughout weekends. We advise you to travel on public transport by rail or underground to either New Cross or New Cross Gate Stations, whenever possible. Alternatively, park in adjacent streets and walk to Goldsmiths. T he main streets are on a red route and it is not possible to park at any time. Please park considerately and be aware of local restrictions in force. If you have mobility difficulties, please contact the person at Goldsmiths who you are meeting, for advice. A major section of the A2 (Blackheath Hill) has been closed in both directions near its junction with the A2211 (Greenwich South Street and Lewisham Road) following subsidence. It is likely to remain closed until mid-June 2002 at least.The closure has meant that all traffic including some bus routes has been diverted, resulting in heavy traffic and delays along the diversion routes, in Greenwich and Lewisham town centres, in Blackheath Village and on local roads.London Buses have also re-scheduled certain routes including the 53 - Plumstead/Oxford Circus, which travels via New Cross. For further informtion please call Transport for London on 020 7941 7335 for details on road works and traffic diversions.
Noh developed into its present form during the 14th and 15th centuries under the leadership of the distinguished performer -playwrights Kannami and his son Zeami. Zeami, in particular, wrote numerous plays which are still performed in today's classical reper-tory of some 250 plays. He also wrote a number of secret works which explain the aesthetic principles governing Noh and give details on how the art should be composed, acted, directed, taught, and produced. Noh flourished during Zeami's time under the patronage of the mili-tary shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. Later during the Edo period (1603-1868), Noh became the officialperformance art of the military government. Feudal military lords throughout the country supported their own troupes and many studied and performed the art themselves. With the societal reforms of the Meiji period (1868-1912), Noh lost its govern mental patronage and was leftto fend for itself. a lthough it nearly died out, enough performers regrouped, found private spon-sors, and began teaching the art to amateurs so that i t slowly began to flourish again. Today, like many classical performance forms throughout the world, Noh cannotbe described as a popular art among the Japanese people as a whole. Yet its supporters are enthusiastic and its professional per-formers are highly trained and extremely busy performing and teaching throughout the country. There are today approximately 1,500 professional performers who make their living
Instrumentalists known as hayashi sit at the back of the stage. They consist of a transverse flute (nohkan), an hourglass-shaped drum held at the shoulder (kotsuzumi), a slightly larger hourglass-shaped drum placed on the lap (okawa or otsuzumi), and a barrel-shaped drum placed on a small floor stand and played with two sticks (taiko). The rhythms and melody of these instruments follow highly prescribed systems. One particularly unique feature is the use of drum calls (kakegoe), the shouts or cries of the drummers which serve as signals between the drummers as well as between the drummers and singers. These drum calls also add an important element to the sound texture of the performance. A performance of Noh is not a performance of realistic theatre. Rather, its movement is highly stylized and prescribed. While some gestures have specific meaning, others serve as an abstract aesthetic expression to convey the emotions of the main character. All of Noh can be described as dance. Sometimes there is very little movement as dramatic tension is built mainly through narration. At other times there is strong, vigorous movement. Movement takes place sometimes to the singing of the chorus or sometimes to purely instrumental music. In general, deliberateness, brevity, suppression and abstraction are important features of Noh movement.
Makeup is not used in Noh. Rather, delicately carved masks are usually used by the shite main character and/or the tsure attend-ant. These masks are considered objects of superb beauty as well as powerful means of expression. Any character being portrayed which is not a middle aged man living in the present will wear a mask. There-fore all characters portraying women and old men wear masks as well as supernatural beings such as ghosts, deities, demons, and divine beasts. In general, masks either have a more or less neutral express-ion or portray a very strong emotion. The former in fact allows the mask a variety of expression with the play of light and shadow on it as the actor changes slightly the tilt of the mask. Even in roles in which an actor does not wear a mask, the sense of a masked face is evident. This is called hitamen, literally “direct mask." For this, the actor does not use his face for realistic expression but rather for mask-like expression. Costumes in Noh are elaborately made with gorgeously dyed silk. These costumes reveal the type of character being portrayed and follow prescribed conventions as to their use. Still, there is much variety. The detail of design, the color combinations, the rich-ness of texture, and the strength of form give noh its visual impact. All characters, whether rich or poor, young or old, male or female, are all beautifully costumed. The costuming process is complex. Rather than the actor putting on his own costume, two or three costumers are needed to sculpt the costume on the actor
1.Curtain 2.Third Pine 3.Bridge 4.Second Pine 5.First Pine 6.Shite pillar 7.Eye-fixing pillar 8.Flute pillar 9.Waki pillar 10.Cut-through door 11.Back panel 12.Main Stage 13.Moat Steps 14.Pebble Moat 15.Side Stage 16.Rear Stage 17.Mirror Room The curtainless stage used in Noh is square with a bridge-way leading to it from backstage over which the characters make their entrances and exits. Stages were traditionally outside and covered with a long sloping roof. During the last century they have been moved inside. These inside stages are open on two sides in a kind of semi-theater-in-the-round. There is no attempt at designing a realistic stage set. Rather, only symbolic stage properties are used. The pine tree painted on the back wall of the stage represents the tree through which Noh was, by legend, passed down from heaven to mankind. In Japanese culture, the evergreen pine has come to be an important symbol of longevity and unchanging steadfastness. In general, the use of space and time is not portrayed realistically. Rather, there is a freedom of portrayal which requires the audience members to use their imaginations. Characters take only a few steps and through their song or that of the chorus, the audience knows that they have travelled a great distance. Two characters may appear on the stage nearly side by side but again the audience comes to understand that they are not yet in each other's prescence.While this may be confusing for the first time viewer, for many people who come to understand these and other conventions, Noh creates a much more powerful theatre than realistic theatre. (Associate Professor, Noh Research Archives, Musashino Women's College, Tokyo)