Two engravings one under the other – one depicts An no Heibei, a thug from the legendary gang executed in Osaka in 1747, and the other shows the beautiful girl Ohan. These are the images of one person, the famous Kabuki theater actor Onoe Kikugoro III. He was an outstanding kaneru yakusha, a type of actor who played both male and female roles equally well. These woodblock prints by Utagawa Kuniyoshi and about 80 more are on display now at the “World of Kabuki” exhibit at Kyiv’s National Art Museum of Ukraine.
The Day has visited the exhibit and learned a lot of interesting things about this famous Japanese entertainment from the curator Yulia ZYNOVIIVA, academic secretary at the National Art Museum of Ukraine.
ANCIENT MASS CULTURE
As 2017 has been declared the Year of Japan in Ukraine, the exhibit can be called a brilliant beginning of it. The displayed ukiyo-e and woodblock prints were gifted to the museum by the Japanese Embassy in Ukraine. The abovementioned museum currently keeps 167 artworks by the masters of Utagawa, a very influential 19th-century school.
The exposition shows yakusha-e prints, i.e. depictions of Kabuki theater actors. These artworks are not just portraits of real people – actors are seen playing their star roles. Zinoviiva calls yakusha-e the mass culture of that time. “Everybody liked actors, there was no photography or posters so far, and people used to buy this kind of prints,” the exhibit’s curator explains. Two or three thousand prints could be made from one form.
WHY ONLY MEN ARE ON STAGE
The word “kabuki” consists of three components: “song,” “dance,” and “skill.” The theater’s history began in 1603. It is believed to have been founded by the priestess Izumo no Okuni. Paradoxically, only men have been playing in almost the entire history of the theater established by a woman. The point is that Kabuki was not considered very decent in the 1620s. As Zinoviiva explains, the theater’s actresses were usually courtesans. So the rulers – Tokugawa shoguns – announced in 1637 that only men were allowed to play in Kabuki. Yet there were all kinds of stories in the beginning – gossip had it that men not only danced at the theater. But, after all, Kabuki became just an entertainment.
Incidentally, women were also allowed onto the Kabuki stage in the 2000s, but this did not catch on – men in all the roles have been the theater’s hallmark for several centuries.
“SWALLOWS THAT GOT WET IN THE RAIN”
Thousands of plays were written for Kabuki. Some popular themes appeared again on the engravings of various masters. For example, you can trace at the National Museum a story of two samurais who love the same woman.
The hero of Utagawa Kunisada’s woodblock print is a samurai wearing luxurious attire with the pattern of “swallows that got wet in the rain.” Zinoviiva says only one kabuki character, Nagoya Sanza, can wear this costume. The print shows him played by Kawarazaki Gonjuro, a famous actor in the mid-to-late 19th century. He holds a green-sedge hat and takes an unsatisfied look – he has just noticed his rival, samurai Fuwa Banzaemon. Both are in love with the courtesan Katsuragi. The rivals begin to fight – as a matter of fact, the whole play is a fighting dance of sorts.
And Utagawa Kuniyoshi’s print shows Fuwa Banzaemon played by Seki Sanjuro – his attire is no less wealthy than that of his rival, with golden flowers against the green background. The play ends unexpectedly: Katsuragi comes to the samurais and suggests that they stop the fight. The men obey her.
REAL STORIES THAT BECAME PLAYS
“Almost all the kabuki stories say who, when, and under what circumstances died,” Zinoviiva says. Plays are based on both high-profile events and life stories of the common people, which caused a stir in society.
Utagawa Sadafusi’s print depicts a pair of lovers. The man stands behind the woman, untying her obi sash. Although the characters look rather calm, the artist described the moment the two of them are going to commit suicide. “Under the plot, the man falls in love with a courtesan. At the time, the women who worked at brothels were sold there. They could only be released from there if they paid what can be called a debt. This man in love has no money to buy out his beloved one. And the Japanese rather often resolve their problem by way of suicide. This double suicide is a real story that society came to know about, and it became a play just a few months later,” the exhibit curator says.
JAPANESE ACTOR AND AMERICAN DOCTOR
The Tokugawa shogunate begins to decline in the mid-to-late 19th century. In 1853, a ship with US Commodore Mathew Perry, who went down in history as the man who opened Japan to the West, arrives at Edo. Japan signs a trade agreement with the Americans, and foreigners begin to visit the country.
The Americans are also involved in the story of Sawamura Tanosuke III, a legendary onnagata, i.e., a male actor who played women’s roles. On Utagawa Yoshiiku’s print, he is a languishing lady named Sengen. The artist subtly conveys the actor’s gracefulness. “Sawamura Tanosuke was talented and popular, but he injured his foot, which provoked gangrene. The Americans had already opened trade representations in Japan and had their doctors there, and local residents knew that they knew medicine better. So, to save the actor, they turned to a foreign medic. He treated the actor for a long time, trying to save his leg, but the gangrene spread to the other limb. Tanosuke was advised to have both feet amputated to save his life, and he agreed. The actor was so popular that he went on playing on stage without feet. Kabuki has special black-clad people who perform auxiliary functions, such as moving something over the stage, changing the scenery, etc. These assistants would carry the actor on the stage,” Zinoviiva says. Sawamura Tanosuke III lived for eight years after surgery. Presumably, he died not only and not so much because of a weakened health as because his wife began to cheat on him. Sadness just swallowed him.
Yet you will also come to know a lot of optimistic stories at the “World of Kabuki” exhibit. No matter what the theme is, the mastery of Japanese artists will really thrill you, for yakusha-e has had the fickle art of theater etched on it for centuries.
The exhibit will remain open at the National Art Museum of Ukraine until February 19.
