TOKIO.- Mayuko Kashiwazaki, dressed in a kimono, delivers her lines in a guttural tone and dances gracefully on stage in the lead role of a play. teatro japons Noh, in which, strangely, most of the artists they are women.
Noh, with its elaborate costumes and handmade masks, is a theatrical style that dates back to the 8th century, one of the oldest still in force in the world.
Unlike kabuki, another style of classical Japanese theatre, or sumo wrestling – both firmly masculine – Noh has been open to artists of both genres for more than a century.
Artist presences
But the presence of women remains rare in the traditional Noh world, where fathers often pass the vocation on to their sons.
Women represent only 15% of the 1,039 actors and musicians registered with the Nogaku Artists Association.
“And their opportunities to appear on stage are relatively limited,” Kashiwazaki, 43, told AFP. “One reason is that Noh audiences tend to be older and tend to see it as a male art form, but now is the time for women to reflect on their future in Noh and play a role in building that future.”
Kashiwazaki played the main character in Dojojia famous drama about the revenge of a betrayed woman, last weekend at the National Noh Theater in Tokyo.
Wearing a kimono embroidered with crane motifs, the masked artist delivers her lines in an archaic croon.
After hiding behind a prop Buddhist temple bell, she emerges transformed into a demonic, serpent-like character with wild, fiery locks of red hair.
Dramas lricos
Kashiwazaki, encouraged by her mentor, tried to find as many women as possible for the production.
“Dojoji “It is an extremely important piece for Noh actors and you have to be very lucky to be able to perform it even once in your life,” Kashiwazaki explained. “As I was lucky enough to have this opportunity, I thought it would be great to stage it with other women artists.” , said.
Yoko Oyama, who played a hand drum in the piece, indicated that it was rare to see so many women in the chorus and among the musicians on stage.
But for some characters, including the supporting actor or waki in Noh – often a monk or priest character – there were no women available, so he was played by a man.
“Women don’t play ‘waki’ (…) It always has to be like that,” Kashiwazaki’s mentor, 72-year-old Yasuaki Komparu, told AFP.
Komparu, a descendant of one of the five families from which generations of Noh actors have come, discovered Kashiwazaki when he was studying Noh.
She loved lyrical dramas and stylized acting on minimalist sets.
“I was fascinated by how cool this Japanese art form looked and I thought I could only understand it if I participated myself,” she said.
vicious circle
Kashiwazaki’s first mentor tried to dissuade her from doing Noh, after experiencing the difficulties that women experience in this ancient art.
Recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, Noh developed its current form in the Muromachi era, 1336-1573, a period in which there were women among its artists.
In the Edo era, from 1603 to 1868, the support of the shoguns allowed the popularity of Noh to increase.
But women were prohibited from appearing on stage due to official rules of morality that repressed individual freedoms.
Only at the end of the 19th century were women again admitted to Noh, but they had to wait until 1948 to be recognized as professionals.
“There are non-extraordinary actors, men and women, but the public tends to look for a certain type of Noh, with a fixed idea of what it should be,” said Kashiwazaki.
“This lack of opportunities creates a vicious circle because they cannot accumulate experience to advance their careers,” he added.
After Saturday’s presentation, spectator Kazuaki Ieda, 40, said he was very interested and excited about the presentation. “I think this may be the future of Noh in Japan,” Ieda said.
FUENTE: AFP
