Sumo, Noh and Kabuki

Last night, I read about Sumo, Noh, and Kabuki. I really want to go to a tournament sometime. That would be fun. And I also want to go to see Kabuki sometime. Sumo is an ancient sport. It started as a ritual about thirteen thousand years ago. It was a dedication to the gods in hopes of a good harvest. During the Nara period in the eighth century, it became part of the Imperial ceremonies. There were held autumn. Then, during the Edo period, professional Sumo groups were organized. It became the national sport of Japan. The Sumo ring is called the dohyo. The ring is on a square atage that’s eighteen feet wide, and two feet high. A bout is won by forcing the opponent out of the inner circle. The Sumo wrestler can’t have any part of his body touch the ground. Except his feet, of course! If he does, he loses. There are 6 ground tournaments a year. Three of them are held in Tokyo. And there is one in Osaka, Nagoya, and Kyushu. Box seats are from twenty-eight thousand to forty-five thousand yen for four people. Regular seats are from thirty-one hundred to forty-seven hundred per person.

 Noh is a very old form of drama. The style of it is very symbolic. The stories are not acted out literally. It is more mythological. It is the only kind of drama in Japan that uses masks. Because you can not see the actor’s facial expressions, the emotions need to be expressed symbolic actions. It sounds interesting.

 Finality, first of all, Kabuki is only about four hundred years old. It has wonderful stage sets and costumes. There is live music, singing and dancing mixed in with the acting. Kabuki is like a Japanese musical. The most interesting thing sbout Kanuki is the Onnagata, also called Oyama. They are male actors who play female roles. Traditionally, females are not allowes to perform in Kabuki theatres. So there is special training for the Onnagata. They try to capture the essence of femininity through gestures and glances. Dramatic moments are highlighted by exaggerated poses, with the actors giving intense looks. This makes the actor look more dynamic. I want to go Kabuki stage.

 

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