Traditional Japanese Drama Essay

Improved Essays
People do not often listen to traditional Japanese music; but when they do, it is usually considered by most to be very smooth and peaceful. Shinto was one of the earliest main types of music ever recorded; and was also one of their main religions. This type of music was considered free; as people were able to play what they wanted to, but it became formal, as it progressed over the years.
Afterwards, the age of Gagaku came about from the Chinese Buddhists, during ancient times; and was adapted for local use. Today, it still remains as one of the most popular forms of music, and can still be seen at some theatrical performances in Japan. Gagaku music is composed of a large ensemble of traditional Japanese wood, string and percussion instruments.
…show more content…
The most traditional play performed in Japan is the Noh plays; which were developed in the mid 1300s, and can still be seen being performed in the theater in Japan even today. During a Noh play, masked actors perform various stories with carefully controlled gestures and movements; as a chorus would chant the most important lines in the play.
There are many other forms of traditional Japanese drama, such as Puppet Theater; which is also known as Bunraku, and the Kabuki play. Both of these Japanese art forms were developed and established in the 1600s. During Bunraku, a narrator would recite the story, which was then acted out with large, lifelike puppets which were being controlled by puppet handlers who quietly worked onstage; in direct view of the audience.
Kabuki plays; on the other hand, are of actual lifelike events; except for the fact that they are often performed in a lively acting style, which was loosely exaggerated to a certain degree. The Kabuki actors often wore costumes and makeup that were both colorful and breathtaking; while the scenery was usually quite spectacular and vivid. Although Kabuki; and various other traditional types of theater, remains popular in Japan today, people still have a tendency to enjoy new dramas; and all other forms of entertainment, by Japanese playwrights, as well as Western

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Theatre is the artistic expression of telling a story. Different types of stories can be used to create a dramatic, artistic, and creative ideas to correspond to a certain topic. Theatre can be used to express ideas, show a phenomena or current event, or bring insight plus entertainment to a audience. Theatre can be as simple as being told on a small stage or a production of sets, props, and costumes. Due to this diversity, theatre is very different among different productions.…

    • 208 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Japanese Period Essay

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The start of the Meiji Era and the beginning of Japan’s road to modernization, started when the 16 year old emperor Mutsuhito selected the era name Meiji for his reign. This period commenced with the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate and led to Japan’s transformation from a feudal nation into a modern industrial state. Japan emerged from the Meiji Period with a parliamentary form of government and as a world power through military expansion abroad. The Meiji regime first began as an alliance between Satsuma and Choshu, the two domains responsible for the overthrowing of the Tokugawa Shogunate, with support from Tosa and Hizen domains as well. Satsuma and Choshu faced the daunting task of imposing and maintaining national unity.…

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    David Wright Emily Lane College Writing 1 4/17/15 Vaudeville (Where theatre all began) Many people love watching musicals, and plays but they were uncertain on where it all started. The answer to that is Vaudeville. Vaudeville is defined as a theatrical genre of variety entertainment.…

    • 1877 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    While some might assume that live performances of a story and an actual story are exactly the same, they actually differ a great deal from each other. Although, these people are not completely wrong. Plays and books always keep the same general plot, characters, and all the major details, while still differentiating on several things. Live performances leave little to the imagination, while stories allow readers to imagine innumerable details. In live theater, directors get to imagine how the characters look, how the setting looks, what details are important, and etc, despite how different his or her imagery is from yours.…

    • 716 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Why Was Rome Successful

    • 846 Words
    • 4 Pages

    As we still use today, they had plays that had drama and action, although it wasn’t the most popular, but was still part of Roman entertainment. There would be huge amphitheaters where the plays would go on. It would be huge to hold many people. During plays, people would wear masks that would show emotion. The masks would also have curved mouths so that their voice would be projected.…

    • 846 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Music lyrics express emotions, experiences, and tell stories. They are used to communicate with other people and for the artist to express themselves through song. “Music is what feelings sounds like” (Georgia Gates). The lyrics of popular music shouldn’t be censored because they aren’t harmful to children’s development, lyrics have meaningful content, they help people through rough times, and they teach about the world. Many favorite artists come from unique backgrounds, “some had to deal with their friends dying … others had to deal with their mothers being prostitutes, and maybe they had to deal with not having their dad around” (University Wire).…

    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There are many different things that have to do with video game design including art, music, computer programming and playing games of course. When people think about video games they think about how hard it is or how cool that level was, but there is a whole lot more that goes along with games. Art and music are two very big things that are included with video game design but are not thought of that much because people think they are not important. They are wrong art and music can be the most important part of the game to some people who take their games seriously. Art and music can be very important in game design but they don’t even compare to the coding itself.…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Genji Classical Hero

    • 2111 Words
    • 9 Pages

    In music, a form of art, Genji exhibited his phenomenal skills by playing the lute ata court affair. SIgnificantly, music in the Japanese court was important to many celebrations and affairs making Genji’s…

    • 2111 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    African American Theatre

    • 1023 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Not only is live theatre important to the audience, but it also has many impacts on the people involved in the production of theatre. Theatre teaches valuable lessons such as teamwork and communication and is an outlet of expression…

    • 1023 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Shinto I chose the religion Shinto because as I was flipping through my textbook, this religion caught my eyes, so I lingered to read about Shintoism and this religion fascinated me and I wanted to explore more about Shinto. The religion Shinto believed in animism, the belief that all natural things were alive such as the winds, mountains, and rivers and that each has a spirit. Followers of Shinto believe the kami, the spirits, will only help if one is pure.…

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    African American Music

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The African continent is about 20% of the worlds land mass. It has about 934 million people living within the area. There are over one thousand languages are spoken by the people of Africa some estimate this number to be closer to two thousand. One-third of the worlds languages are spoken only in Africa. In Africa, 41% of children aged 5 to 14 are involved in child labour.…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Over the centuries, theatre conventions evolved from the highly presentational performances of the Greeks to the extravagance of Elizabethan productions and eventually conglomerated to produce contemporary theatre. The University Playhouse’s performance of Acting: The First Six Lessons expressed this conglomeration of Greek and Elizabethan conventions through elements of presentational theatre, a non-localized set, and a supporting cast that functioned similar to a chorus or ensemble. This performance also altered conventions through the addition of female actors, use of representational aspects, adaption of the functions of the chorus or ensemble, and lack of a raised stage. In the following sections, I will discuss the adoption and adaptation…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The presentation also differs by the fact that when a movie is produced it can have many special effects and animations. For example, on screen they can have explosions, bloody scenes, and even supernatural animations like aliens that can’t be displayed in a play. When watching a play, it is the characters that will captivate the audience even if the plot isn’t the best. However, when on screen it tends to be the opposite and it is the plot that matters the most since the characters can’t create a bond like the characters of a live performance…

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Makishi Masquerade is an example of performance because it is an event that re-arranges restored behaviors of a ritual used to initiate boys between the ages 8-12. It is popular entertainment because it shows part of the Vaka Chiyama Cha Mukwamayi culture. It appeals to an audience because it provides visual and audio images of costumes, dance routines, and music these individuals use in this initiation The accessibility of this performance is youtube videos, documentaries, and/or books Being is the Makishi Masquerade itself.…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    What does theatre mean to me? As I review the questions provided for me to include in my goal statement, I feel lucky to express how theatre is unique to me and how I structure my everyday life around the dramatic arts. Anytime I act, I relish in the opportunity to be a leader, to help people, and to accomplish my actions with confidence. I started off with this philosophy at an early age and have not forgotten about it since. In my opinion, acting is not solely about the individual’s performance, but about how an individual actor can use their confidence and passion to impact other actors, enhance a production, and inspire the audience.…

    • 1050 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays