ACTING STYLES OF KATHAKALI AND KABUKI
Transcription
ACTING STYLES OF KATHAKALI AND KABUKI
ACTING STYLES OF KATHAKALI AND KABUKI - A COMPARATIVE STUDY. Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN PERFORMING ARTS BY THULASEEDHARA KURUP SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTS DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA & THEATRE PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY PONDICHERRY- 605014. NOVEMBER- 2011 Prof (Dr.) K.A.Gunasekaran Dean School of Performing Arts Department of Drama & Theatre Pondicherry University Pondicherry -605014 CERTIFICATE This is to certify that the thesis entitled “Acting Styles of Kathakali and Kabuki- a Comparative Study” submitted to Pondicherry University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy is a record of the original work done by Mr. Thulaseedhara Kurup during the period of his study 2007-20011 in the School of Performing Arts, Department of Drama & Theatre, Pondicherry University, under my supervision and guidance and that the thesis has not formed before the basis of the award of any Degree, Diploma, Associate ship, Fellowship or any other similar titles. Signature Signature Head of the Department Prof(Dr.).K.A.Gunasekaran Pondicherry Date: 1st November 2011 i Thulaseedhara Kurup Research Scholar School of Performing Arts Department of Drama & Theatre Pondicherry University Pondicherry-605014 DECLARATION I hereby declare that the thesis entitled “ Acting Styles of Kathakali and Kabuki- a Comparative Study” submitted to Pondicherry University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy is a record of the original work done by me under the supervision and guidance of Prof(Dr.) K.A.Gunasekaran, Dean, School of Performing Arts, Department of Drama & Theatre, Pondicherry University and that it has not formed before the basis for the award of any Degree, Diploma,Associateship, Fellowship or any other similar titles. Counter signed Signature Prof(Dr). K.A.Gunasekaran Thulaseedhara Kurup Pondicherry: Date: 1st November 2011 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT There have been many individuals who lent their support and cooperation in different way to me to reach this stage in life. From the bottom of my heart, I express my profound thanks to my supervisor Prof (Dr). K.A.Gunasekaran, Dean, School of Performing Arts for his generous help in providing, well experienced, rich in academic guidance in this task of my thesis with a long experience of teaching and research, his help with academic excellence, in all the stages of designing the thesis are highly valuable. My gratitude to his kindness knows no bounds. I am also thankful to all those in the School of Performing Arts, Pondicherry University who helped in my research work. I am also very grateful to my wife, Bindu, for her support and help for this research. I am gratified to Japan foundation, New Delhi for their co operation and support for providing research materials. I am thankful to Central Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi for their support and providing books and other research materials from the library. My sincere thanks to the people who helped me in my research like leading scholars in Indian classical dance and theatre Sri.G.Venu, Smt. Kapila Vatsyayan, Sri V. Ramamurthy and others. I am very thankful to all the students and teachers and non teaching staff of the School of performing arts for their kind support and help. Several others who have encouraged or supported me in one way or another, I am extremely thankful. iii CONTENTS Certificate Declaration Acknowledgement List of Illustrations and Photographs List of Annexure I II III V VII CHAPTERS Chapter 1: Introduction 1- 13 Chapter 2: South Indian Drama Traditions with 14-49 Special Reference to Kerala’s Kathakali and its Acting Styles. Chapter 3: Japanese Drama Traditions with 50-78 Special Reference to Kabuki and its Acting Styles Chapter 4: The Aesthetic Aspects and Character Structure 79-123 In Kathakali and Kabuki Acting Styles Chapter 5: Conclusion 124-136 Bibliography 137-145 Annexure 147-206 iv List of Illustrations and Photographs Figure 1 : 24 Basic Mudras………………………………………...…………...155 Figure 2: Navarasam by Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair……..…………………164 Figure 3: Pataka....................................................................................................166 Figure 4: Mudrakhya ……………….…………………………………………..167 Figure 5: Kataka ………………………………………………………………...169 Figure 6: Mushti ………………………………………………………….….….170 Figure 7: Kartarimukha. ……….………………………………………………..171 Figure 8: Sukatunda …………………………………………………………….171 Figure 9: Kapittha……………………...………………………………………..172 Figure 10: Hamshapaksha……….………………………………………………173 Figure 11: Sikhara……………….………………………………………………174 Figure 12: Hamsasya……………………………………………………………175 Figure 13: Anjali ………………………………………………………………..176 Figure 14: Ardhachandra ……………………………………………………….177 Figure 15 : Mukura ………………………………………………………..……178 Figure 16: Bhramara ……………………………………………………………178 Figure 17: Suchimukha………………………………………………………….179 Figure 18 : Pallava ………………………………………………………..…….180 Figure 19: Tripataka …………………………………………………………….181 Figure 20: Mrigasirsha ………………………………………………………….181 Figure 21: Sarpasiras …………………………………………………………..182 Figure 22: Vardhamanaka……………………………………………………….183 Figure 23 : Arala ………………………………………………………………..184 Figure 24: Urnanabha …………………………………………………………..185 Figure 25: Mukula ……………………………………………………………...186 Figure 26 : Katakamukhha ………………………………………………….…..186 Figure 27 : A Kathakali Performance ……………………………………..........187 Figure 28: PACHA (GREEN) Make-up ………………………………………..188 Figure 29:Kathakali Chutti (Make-Up)……………………………………....... 189 Figure 30: ICHIMARU Manjirô II transforming into a Woman ………….........190 Figure 31: ICHIMARU Manjirô II ………………………………………….….191 Figure 32: A mie in Just a moment……………………………………………...192 Figure 33: Wicked Magician in The Famous Tree at sendai ………………..…192 Figure 34: Edo Theatre ………………………………………………………....193 v Figure 35: The Saga Confrontation ………………………………………….…194 Figure 36: Kabuki Character Make-up …………………………………………195 Figure 37: Kabuki Performance Photos …………………………………......….196 Figure 38: ARAGOTO make-up ……………………………………………….197 Figure 39: The Onnagata role …………………..………………………………198 Figure 40: Bandô Hikosaburô V (left) and Arashi Kichisaburô IV (right) …….199 Figure 41: Actor Bandô Hikosaburô II ……………………………..…………..199 Figure 42: Bandô Hikosaburô III ……………………………………….………200 Figure 43: Bandô Hikosaburô IV ………………………………………...……..200 Figure 44: Bandon Hikosaburô V …………………………………..…………..201 Figure 45: Bandô Hikosaburô VII ……………………………………..……….201 Figure 46:Actor Ichimura Uzaemon XVII …………………….……………….202 Figure 47: Ichikawa Ebizô V ……………………………………………….......203 Figure 48:Nakamura Shikan II …………………………….………...…………203 Figure 49:Arashi Kichisaburô III …..……………………..…………………….204 Figure 50: Kawarazaki Gonjûrô I …………………………………………........204 Figure 51: Researcher‟s Participation in A Kabuki Workshop …………..……..206 vi List of Annexure Annexure 1: Glossary …………………………………………………………..148 Annexure 2: 24 Mudras in Kathakali ……………………………………..…….153 Annexure 3: Kathakali Characters ……………………………………………...156 Annexure 4 : Navarasam ………………………………………………..………163 Annexure 5 : Gestures in Kathakali ……………………………………….……165 Annexure 6 : Kathakali Performance …………………………………...………187 Annexure 7: Make Up …………………………………………….…………….188 Annexure 8 : Kabuki Make up for a Woman character …………………….…..190 Annexure 9: A Mie……………………………...……...……………………….192 Annexure 10 : Theatre Layout ……………………………………...…………..193 Annexure 11: The Saga Confrontation …………………………………………194 Annexure 12: Kabuki Character Make-up…………………….…………….….195 Annexure 13: Kabuki Performance Photos …………………………………….196 Annexure 14: Aragoto Make-up ……………………………………………….197 Annexure 15: Make up for Onnagata role…………………….……………… 198 Annexure 16 : Kabuki Actors …………………………………………………..199 Annexure 17 : A Kabuki Workshop …………...……………………………….205 vii Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Kathakali and Kabuki – A Linear Perspective viii CHAPTER- 1 INTRODUCTION Kathakali and Kabuki – A Linear Perspective Introduction This thesis aims at presenting the aesthetics approaches, the evolution and the impact of the changing socio-political dynamics of the two great classical eastern dance-drama forms - Indian Kathakali and Japanese Kabuki. This chapter looks at the formative years of the dance-drama forms. One needs to understand the historical context of both the dance-drama forms to understand the way in which the performance has evolved over the years and the threat to such cultural forms in the modern world. The researcher has taken this as a hypothesis and has explained in this chapter. Besides this, the methodology adopted is also explained. Overview Versatile and sanctified from most are the two great Classical Eastern forms of dance–drama which include Japanese Kabuki and Indian Kathakali. They have their own multifaceted history, their own customary audience and their own societal role; but certain fundamental aesthetic and religious factors make comparisons between them of the utmost interest. Stylization is the key element in both of these art forms, which in turn sets an ingenious gap between the audience and performers so much so that the eastern traditions have had great impact on the western theatre during the twentieth century. 1 In both the Western theatre and the Eastern, synchronized gesture is highly essential and shares equal importance with texts although at times, texts can be dispensed with completely while gestures cannot. The performers take on the roles of both a singer and an actor and at other times a dancer while at times combining all three to form complex yet, mind-blowing combinations. It is combined with the appearance of feelings, attitudes and an idea which takes us to the deepest and most significant aspects of mans nature. Simplicity, humor, sardonic and a naturalistic side is maintained in each of these theatrical genres. Several of India‟s fine arts like dance, music and architecture spread far and wide into the East while she was at the pinnacle of artistic glory. Japan was one of the Asian countries that was influenced by India‟s artistic glory and has been known to have adapted and incorporated some of these influences. The South of India is famous for its rich theatrical tradition that has crossed over from many centuries. Ancient Sangam literature, especially works like Silappathikaram1, guides us to the rich culture of the theatre in Southern regions of India. It has been proven that Sanskrit theatre reached the shores of southern India during the 8th century. This led to Kudiyattam, the local style of Sanskrit plays being incorporated into the temple theatres of Kerala since the 10th century. The plays of kalidasa, Bhasa and others have survived as Kutiyattam performances and Natya Sastra‟s Bharata has remained alive. Bharata has been known to be attached to sophisticated temples of south India and has been used in Devadasi dances. It can be noticed that there are two vivid dramatic traditions in Southern India. One being the Koothambalams which is the classical tradition that is confined to theaters and the other is folk tradition which is manifested in ritualistic and non- 1 Written by Ilango Adigal, it is one of the epic in ancient Tamil literature. 2 ritualistic forms of theatre like Kali‟s dance Teyyam and Bhuta dances.These classical and folk rituals at many times combined to create new forms like Bhagaveta Mela, Kuchupudi, Therukkoothu, Yakshagana and Kathakali. These forms reached various stages of development by constantly innovating, adopting, discarding, transforming and revolutionizing aspects of the early theatre which they borrowed. They sometimes created new forms to adapt to the then current situation demands and to meet the taste of the audience of that period. A).KATHAKALI – The genesis and evolution. Kathakali, one of the ancient theatre forms of the world bring about the southernmost state of India, called Kerala. Katha means story and Kali stands for play. Thus it is a combination of literature music, acting and dance propagating the wisdom in the form of stories and legends. This form of dance were confined only to the festival stages in temples over the years, the changing traditions and culture, has influenced Kathakali in a big way. The popular stories from the great Indian epic such as Ramayana and Mahabharata are enacted in general. The Katha (story) of Kathakali is as interesting as the dance form itself. The Malayalam compound of Katha and Kali (play/enactment/performance) is self-explanatory. Blending dance and theatrics to chiefly narrate stories drawn from Hindu mythology, Kathakali evolved to become an integral part of keralite consciousness over a period of time. This spectacular classical genre of dance which originated in ancient Kerala is one of the most celebrated dance forms in India today. As we course through time to trace the origins of Kathakali, the social crucible that gave birth to it begins to unfold before us. It goes back to the ancient days 3 when what is today known as Kerala was home to the Dravidian race. To the animist Dravidians the earth was Bhagvati or mother Goddess, a deity they worshipped. She was the source of life and life-sustaining supplies. Dance was an integral part of their life. They worshipped their deities through dance. History tells us that Kathakali is a fusion of Dravidian and Aryan dance forms that harmonized the religious consciousness and practices of the two races. The Dravidian dances had a cylindrical percussion instrument called Chenda, held upright and worn around the shoulder by fastening it to a strap, drummed with two sleek, slender cane sticks for accompaniment. Kathakali borrowed the same and made it an essential part of its musical ensemble. It is also known that Dravidians revered and worshipped snakes. The Dravidian snake worship gave birth to Pampin Thullal (snakes‟ dance), one of the oldest dance forms of Kerala. Famed for snake dance festivals, a place called Mannarsala in the state of Kerala stays a snake worship center to date. It is believed that Kathakali originated as a result of Aryan and Dravidian cultural confluence, borrowing heavily from the Dravidian Snakes‟ dance. Kathakali stands out for vividly ornate costumes and the spectacular mask painted on the face of the players, hemmed with a milky white fix running from one ear lobe to the other making its way through the cheeks and jaw, punctuating the eyes, nose and lips which turn extensively communicative in the act. Besides, the outfit and paraphernalia helps to create a larger-than-life aura around the mythical characters that Kathakali portrays. Traditional Indian dance continues to influence the art form on its evolving journey as Kathakali maintains its universal and timeless personality by continually adopting new and classical styles and rituals to its fusion form. The dramatics of Kathakali set it apart from any other art form. It contains a striking dramatic element that cannot be compared or familiarized with. The performance displays an array of heroes, gods, kings and queens and their appearance is 4 portrayed surreally. They generally dominate the stage with their costumes and headgears that transport the audience to an awe-inspired state. These surreal, true-to-the-illusion qualities of Kathakali make it difficult if not impossible to compare or find precise differences between it and any other art form. Bharatanatyam and Kathak have often been compared and clear distinctions in dance styles and form can be identified. This demarcation cannot however be done with Kathakali since it is a well-combined fusion of styles and forms from various rituals and art forms of various South-Indian genres. It is not a solo dance like Bharatanatyam neither is it a court dance like Kathak or a lyrical like Manipuri. The evolution of Kathakali‟s dramatic individuality can be traced back to the south-western coastal regions of India. This region of India is rich in tradition and once combined with the Kathakali style, enriched it further more. From ancient times, Kerala has been known to be the home of the performing arts. Some of these art forms are ritualistic by nature. The drama invokes spirits, heroes of the past and deities. The performers are adorned with palm-leaves; costumes made from areca nut and painted faces to enable their transformation into demons and Gods. Sometimes, it is Kali who kills Darika in Mudiyettu and at other times it is Goddess Bhagavati and her various forms who appears in astounding attire as in the forms of the Teyyams. At some other times, the floor is painted with the deity and the performers enact the story with the accompaniment of musical instruments like drums and pipes. While Cannanore and other adjoining districts of Kerala are home to the Attams, the Bhagavati, the forms of Kali and the Kuttus, there are various special locations where Aiyappan rituals, the Teyyams and other rituals are performed. The rituals and art forms of these regions can be richly categorized for their distinctive style of make-up that includes a heavy use of paint on the faces of the actors. The vivid 5 style of color and make-up in Kathakali can thus be traced back to the style of this region. B). KABUKI - The Classical Japanese Theatre. All the way from 6th century, Japan received a great deal of cultural determinative from other parts of Asia, especially China and Korea. The earliest imported dance was a form of masked dance-drama called Gigaku, which came to Japan from Korea in 612. There is a tremendous diversity in traditional Japanese dance, from court and religious dance to the ritualistic Noh dance-drama and theatrical kabuki dance. In modern times, Japans artistic movement Butoh2 dance has also pulled international interest. Japanese classical theatre contains few forms of performances – Noh, Kyogen – lyrical drama, Bunraku - Puppet theatre and Kabuki – which is the popular theatrical form. The word kabuki is also believed to derive from the verb kabuki, meaning to lean or to be out of the ordinary. So Kabuki can be in the other way interpreted to mean avant-garde or bizarre theatre. The rise of a mercantile urban culture in 17th century Japan gave rise to the development of popular theatre, notably Kabuki and Bunraku Puppet theatre, and a style of dance that reflected Kabuki's love of gaudiness and spectacle. Shosagoto dances (originally for the roles of Onnagata female impersonators) became the most important type of kabuki dance, differentiated according to whether a lyrical or narrative style of music was used to accompany it. 2. Butoh was a movement that began in Japan in the late fifties. It was rebellion against Western dance and Japanese Traditional dance. 6 Kabuki dance was practiced in its own right by townspeople. The term Nihon buyo today refers to Kabuki dances especially adapted for separate stage performance. In the modern era, Fujikage Shizue (1880-1966) established the Shinbuyo (New Dance) movement under the influence of Western dance, which gave ordinary people the opportunity to perform kabuki dance as an independent art form. This led to a proliferation of dance schools (more than 168) where pupils are mostly women. The oldest Japanese form of classical theatre is Noh, Kabuki and Burnaku are younger art-forms. Kabuki performers during the earliest years of the genre were primarily women. This theatrical form is thought to have originated in the dances and light theatre first performed in Kyoto in 1603 by Okuni, a female attendant at the Izumo shrine. Because an important side business of the onna (women's Kabuki troupes) was prostitution, the Tokugawa shogunate disapproved, banning the troupes in 1629 and making it illegal for women to appear on stage. Wakashu (young men's Kabuki) then became popular, but in 1652 it was also banned because of the adverse effect on public morals of the prostitution activities of the adolescent male actors. With both women and boys banned, Kabuki became a theatre of mature male performers, although before yaro (men's Kabuki) was permitted to continue performing, perchance the most famous aspect of Kabuki is its use of onnagata, male actors in female roles. The ideal for the onnagata is not to imitate women but to symbolically express the essence of the feminine. In the century following the legal mandating of male performer‟s onnagata roles became increasingly sophisticated. Attempts to introduce actresses into Kabuki in the modern era have failed. The onnagata are such an integral part of the Kabuki tradition that their replacement by actresses is extremely unlikely. Kabuki is not only the theatre Kabuki, like all of Japanese classical forms of art are really 7 highly-developed and organized till the last detail. However, even though it is like one inseparable organism, every of various element of Kabuki play, such as music, decoration, costumes, might be a total art form, due to the fact that like Kabuki itself, they reached high point of professionalism. All of them follow their own, unique rules. “Models of theatrical expression are much more varied and diverse in Kabuki than in Noh and Kyogen – because of the long – four-hundred year history. Since the time when Izumo no Okuni created kabuki odori in 1603, Kabuki has continued to grow and evolve freely, even wilfully, as the entertainment of ordinary people. The same opinion shares Masakatsu Gunji1, who writes about Kabuki theatre that its beauty “is too complex and comprises too many different elements to be easily summarized”. C). Hypothesis / the Research Problem The researcher has arrived at the following hypothesis with wide theatrical structure in mind. Culturally acclaimed and traditionally based, the forms of Japanese Kabuki and Indian Kathakali are now struggling to cope with the modern day innovations. The folk rituals and traditional beliefs that they are made of are not accepted as widely as before because of the effect of the westernization on the mind of the audience. In the new age audience, lack appropriate or conventional knowledge of our history or the values that these art forms thrive on. This makes them, ignorant to the aesthetic qualities that distinguish classical art from current day innovations. Television, computers and modernized movies have replaced the theatre that has been passed down for generations. This leaves artists of Kabuki, Kathakali and various other cultural art forms unemployed and unable to survive a livelihood in current eras. This made many of the cultural artists seek other forms of employment, thereby leaving the arts as just a hobby or personal interest. 8 Art being at the state that it is in requires the concentration of skilled, trained and passionate cultural drama lovers to preserve the few strands of it that are left. This is mainly due to the inexistence of appropriate cultural bodies or governmental authorities that seek to conserve our rich history. Hence this research will give an account of, and the most popular reasons for the decline of cultural art and why it should not be. This research is particular tries to find out the conventional acting training system of the Kathakali and Kabuki, causes of their decline in varied stages of history, the present situation of the Kathakali and Kabuki artists. It also includes reasonable suggestions that could work to bring about a change in the position of the dance drama in the society today. It mainly focuses on the lack of a healthy training system for the few interested artists of today. It compares our conventional training system with the new and points out the variants that could be improvised upon. The above mentioned suggestions and variants were centered on Kabuki and Kathakali among other cultural forms. This research basically raises questions that should have been raised a long time ago. It questions the decline of the cultural ancient theatre and the lack of interest for preservation. The few answers that were received to these unanswered questions have been listed in this research together with their valued suggestions of promotional measures. Various strategists, art organizations and agencies centered on culture have also been generous with their promotional strategies. D).Methodology Ethnography is the technique of research adopted in this investigation. The collection, analysis and interpretation of the data were performed by a further adoption of social science and humanitarian methodologies. While most of the data was collected from direct interviews with artists and knowledgeable and resourceful people, secondary data sources were 9 newspapers, books and journals, research done in the past as well as websites and television. Ideologies and concepts conveyed in seminars, conferences and workshops were also studied, interpreted and included in the research. Following methodology were adopted duing the research (1) Comparative research method (2) Descriptive research Method (3) Analytical Research Method (4) Artistic approach method E).Objective/Relevance of the research For our culture and traditional history to survive the almost extinct state that they have become, drastic effort should be applied to the theatre to lift it up from its stagnant post. With the current state of globalization, economic feasibility of an ancient performance is not an easily explainable theory if the economical value of these arts i.e., Kabuki and Kathakali of Japan and India has to be maintained at their original stance, thus maintaining their aesthetic, traditional and ritualistic grades. F).Research Area The researcher conducted extensive study and research during the period of 20072011.In the year 2008 the researcher got an opportunity to participate in Kabuki workshop organized at hunter College, City University of New York under the Fulbright Research Fellowship Programme . As a faculty and ex alumni of Thrissur School of Drama the researcher has participated in discussions, workshops and training in various aspects of kathakali acting. Being a Keralite the researcher has seen many kathakali performances. As a student the researcher has 10 collected various information through formal and informal meetings with kathakali artists. G). Structure of the Thesis The Research study divided in 5 Chapters including introduction footnotes and conclusion. The Introduction chapter gives a brief outline of the present study. Being the first chapter it provides the conceptual framework of the study and outline the content. In this chapter include the background and origin of the two great Classical Eastern forms of dance –drama which include Indian Kathakali and Japanese Kabuki In the 2nd chapter SOUTH INDIAN DRAMA TRADITIONS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO KERALA‟s Kathakali and its Acting Styles focuses Kerala‟s Classical theatre tradition of Kathakali and its acting styles. The language of Kathakali reveals its rare form and it tells the back ground, the context, the subtext the very lexicon and the detailed vocabulary of kathakali‟s unique language. In this chapter includes convention and styles of kathakali acting. This chapter also deals with one of the most refined means of expression in this theatre art form is the use of Mudras or hand gestures. In this chapter analyze kathakali as an admixture of nritta (pure dance), Nritya (expressional dance) and Natya 9 incorporate both Nritta and Nritya and has in addition and element of drama).This chapter explains abhinaya (Acting) which is histrionic expression and representation is the very soul of kathakali. In the 3rd chapter JAPANESE KABUKI ACTING TRADITIONS AND STYLES deals with the origin myth and traditions Kabuki the classical 11 dance theatre form of Japan. It analyses the styles of Kabuki acting, fundamentals and characteristics of Kabuki acting, theatrical conventions in Kabuki acting, Types and themes of Kabuki. The exclusivity of Kabuki art and also one of the most noteworthy points is the total exclusion of actresses in any play which keeps up the rarity of the art form. The principal performers of the art form were women however as it gained more reputation, unnecessary attention from male admirers towards the female actors led to making the authorities feel a threat of serious dejection from the public. In the 4th chapter The Aesthetic Aspects and Character structure in Kathakali and Kabuki acting styles explains the fundamental similarity between the Indian classical dances like Kathakali and Japanese kabuki. Usage of stage devises in actor training methods of kathakali and kabuki. The elements of music and costumes in both forms. To acquire a representation of characters portraying moods and particular aspects of life instead of appearing human or as an imitation of men‟s actions, the dramatic tradition of India and their Asian counterparts developed a complex and stylized costume and make-up system. Although we do not see much of the stylized costuming in India as in other Asian countries, Kathakali brings a highly stylized make-up tradition to India. This make-up style that Kathakali embodies may remind some of the Chinese opera or the Japanese Kabuki. However, if noticed closely, the Indian distinction is hard to miss. In the 5th chapter concludes the thesis. This chapter explains further research and suggestions for the survival of Kathakali and Kabuki. 12 Conclusion There are some fundamental similarities between two dance-drama forms yet there are differences too. Both these have evolved from a rich cultural traditions and it‟s interesting to see the performances, the stage devices used, make-up and the styles in both these dance-drama forms. The further chapter explores these aspects. The annexure contains a detailed bibliography, references from web, various illustrations and photographs of kathakali and kabuki. This will definitely provide a source of information for researchers interested in further research in these areas. 13 CHAPTER – 2 SOUTH INDIAN DRAMA TRADITIONS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO KERALA’S KATHAKALI AND ITS ACTING STYLES. 14 CHAPTER -2 SOUTH INDIAN DRAMA TRADITIONS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO KERALA’S KATHAKALI AND its ACTING STYLES. Introduction In this chapter the scholar explores the evolution of Katahkali and the traditions and rituals that formed the foundation of this theatre form. Kathakali is an ancient popular classical traditional theatre of Kerala, has its own multifaceted history. Several South Indian drama traditions and rituals has had an influence on Kathakali and its form as we see today, yet this dance form has a clear distinction in terms of its aesthetics, dance form, gestures and the overall style. The emergence of Kathakali as a formal, stylized dance-drama during the 17th century was also due to the influence of the then rulers of Travancore who were devotees of Krishna and Rama and the plays were designed to portray lives of them. The concepts were later revolutionized and no longer were restricted to Krishna and Rama‟s life, rather were depictions from Bhagavata Purana and Mahabharata. This chapter takes us through the evolution of this dance form. It also explains in detail the acting traditions and rituals followed in Kathakali. The details about the types of acting or Abhinaya such as Angika, Vachikam Satvika and Aharya followed in this dance form should be understood to appreciate the intricacies of this dance form. This chapter also explains the basic hand gestures or mudras. Kathakali follows the concept that the language of gestures is concentrated on the palm of the hand as detailed by Nandikeswara in his Abhinaya darpana:15 “Where the hand goes, there the eyes follow; Where the eyes go, the mind follows; Where the mind goes, the mood (bhava) follows, and Where the mood goes, there arises the sentiment (rasa)”. A). Kathakali an ancient popular classical traditional theatre of Kerala – evolution and a brief history. Kathakali creates a world of illusion unmatched by any other form of theater. With its captivating dramatics, its independently stylish grandeur and its transformational theatrics, Kathakali dominates the theatre. Though the art has been defined by its theatrics, Kathakali manages to encompass „theatrics‟ alone. The presentation has been known to constitute painting and narrative artistry therein creating a supernatural display. While enveloping itself with modernity in demonstration and a spirit unbiased by region, Kathakali remains true to its origin. Part of the illusion created by this mystical art is its portrayal of mythical ancientness. This illusion has been known to transport the audience to a mythical era where art was worship and vice versa. However ancient in portrayal, Kathakali evolved during the reign of Shakespeare. In 1600 a form of dance called Ramanattam1 came into being. Still in its sprouting age, Ramanattam was adopted in the north as an infant art to be nourished and reformed into a new art form. Production of the art was given the name “Aattam”. The art developed over time and by the late 1700s took individual form and shape. 1- A Kerala temple art. It presents the story of Rama and it is a dance drama of eight plays and it was formed under the support of Veera Kerala Varma (AD 1653-1694) alias Kottarakkara Thampuran. 16 The art continued in its development with the help of professional choreographers. The 1800s saw the emergence of a stylized and transformed art form, known to us today as Kathakali. The form therefore, unlike the illusion it creates, is barely 300 years old. The foundation of Ramanattam owes itself to various social breakthroughs in history. During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Bhakti (devotion) movement took upon itself the righteous task of tearing down any and all differences in caste and class that were existent at that time. This social upheaval made sacred and sanctified scripture available to all men. To add to the now available sacred literature, Stalwarts‟ Ezhuththachchan2, created another literary revolution. This further cleared the path that was on its way to attaining the democracy of knowledge. The Europeans, mainly the Portuguese, were constantly present during this period. Their presence added assistance to the development of art. All this development led to the establishment of the Printing press. History‟s mural paintings, Chavittunatakam- musicals on Biblical stories, and the Krishnanattam innovations; are all exemplary examples of the artistic effects of social deviation on society. Violence and rebellion have been known to be effective catalysts of art. The human need to face and rebel against challenges and obstacles are expressions of art in its own unique form. This desire for expression brought on the need for a new theater form. This form needed to consist of all integrally passionate elements- music, drama, strikingly colorful costumes, and dance. 2- Renowned Malayalam poet regarded as the father of Malayalam language. 17 While speculation that Ramanattam was formed to challenge Krishanattam was fairly true, it also had negligible influence from the Brahmins, thus earning itself the title of being a „Soodra‟ act, essentially catering to the non-Brahmins. Apart from the Brahmins, Ramanattam was also treated contemptuously by the literati and conservatives. It was then that theatre decided to define Kathakali as an art form that excluded the temple. In its true modern, yet mythical form Aattam had its roots deeply planted in Natyasasthram bases. Though Ramanattam had its roots in Natyasastharam and was classically Indian with its Kerala-base, Kathakali eventually evolved into a revolutionary art form that did not enumerate Natyasasthram as its whole rule. Various rules of Natyasastharam were modified in Ramanattam as the situation demanded. Some of them were the involvement of scenes of blood, delivery of babies, and bodies covered in blood. Caricature and comedy were also avoided. The art form took liberation in its own hands. Defying the shackles of a closedwall theatre within a temple (Koothampalam), Kathakali was performed to masses devoid of boundaries. Performances were made on locale stages, surrounded by walls only built by the art‟s illusion. As it grew in popularity and artistic spirit, the art‟s form of expression took on new shape by absorbing new genres. The folk ritual genres „Thira‟ and „Theyyam‟3 which were famous in Northern Malabar were taken on by Kathakali. Kathakali was now becoming theatre itself by establishing individuality where there was already a firm theatre foundation. Its individuality boasted of innovative infrastructure, new and conceptual designs in clothing and styles of make-up, differential patterns in songs, and a whole personality of crafted ritual and folk art to suit its individual style. 3: It is a ritual and folk form, a pattern of hero worship performed in Kannur dist, Kerala 18 Serving a devotional purpose by applying Mahabharath stories in its form and meeting a devotional purpose, soon became a thing of the past in Kathakali. Maintaining revolution as its main focus, the art adopted an analytical approach in its demonstration, therein prioritizing subtleties. Part of the act included paying homage to rituals and deities at the start. This devotional act later became a ritual to call on the spirits and powers of the theatre thus losing its religious significance. Kathakali conceptualized freedom. Ancient characters that have gone down in history as villains or anti-heroes were given fresh images. Ravana, Duryodhana or Narakasura of mythology were placed under the same category. Though stories of heroism and gallantry were portrayed, the villains won the show. The anti-heroes were given dramatic superiority. This change put fresh light on the styles and concepts of drama. Kings and rulers remained patrons of Katahakali while the villainous characters of history that mythology so carefully created, took on new shape and form. Thus, drifting away from what was conceptualized of them and gaining new significance. Aattam was now safely embedded between common man folk rituals and Brahmanical bhakthi art. Revolution, rebellion, aesthetic and socio-political factors were key elements of this breakthrough. Passion for innovation drove Kathakali to new heights. By combining styles from various ritual performances, the art created for itself a design of „fusion‟. This fusion style aggregated styles, forms and patterns from various genres of dance, thus making Kathakali the best example of fusion style dance among the performing arts of India. This desire for fusion arose from the need for Kathakali to detach other dance rituals from their originality so as to take on a distinctive Kathakali style while contributing to Kathakali‟s individuality. While turning independent of any one style or tradition, this fusion act also required balance. A balance that required detachment from originality while retaining familiarity. This balance was crucial to Kathakali‟s relationship with its sources. The success 19 of the fusion of dance rituals led Kathakali to seek fresh combinations. Music, musical instruments, and elements of drama were also incorporated. One of the famous stylized rituals Kathakali absorbed is, the „Kalarippayat‟4 martial art the heart of Kathakali‟s technique. This style gave the art form its required suppleness and body rigor. „Kalari‟ created common ground for martial arts and Kathakali, thus creating a balance between the two. While Kalarippayat provided body movement a structure over which other ritual dances were framed, both Kathakali and Kalarippayat required body movements that were motivated by inner rhythm. Kathakali choreography was also influenced by „Velakali‟ another branch of martial arts that emphasized on dance. „Padayani‟ a martial dance yet again also contributed a great extent to Kathakali. Make-up color and designs, „Thaalam‟- rhythmic patterns and various syllables of dance were some of Patayani‟s contributions. The jewellery patterns and costume designs together with the essential units of dance-„kalaasams‟, were contributed by Mutiyet, a Kali, a cult based ritual. Styles and modes of music used by Kathakali could also be traced back to Mutiyet. The significant combinations of Mutiyet, the Chenta a highly pure and resilient Dravidiandrum and the use of it effectively, gave Kathakali a bounce in its step to further revolution. Credit for some of the designs and patterns of jewelry and costumes were also owed to Thira and Theyyam. 4„Kalarippayat‟-One of the oldest martial art systems survived in the state of Kerala 20 To pacify the fertility goddess, a ritual called Theeyaatt was adapted alongside its styles of make-up colors (green), the stereotyped expanded skirt, and its need for headgear and crowns. While Mohiniyattam was utilized to give feminine movements their softness and grace, Gandharvan Paatt known to be a fertility ritual was also utilized to embody its facial make-up details, and certain definitive motifs for the characters that depicted violence. Garudan Thookkam‟s styles were adapted for individual characters like swans or birds that required special definition. This adaptation provided these characters with appropriated movements and costumes. B) Kathakali -Acting Traditions and rituals. It is said that Kathakali‟s inner soul experienced rebirth with the influence of Kootiyaattam. Essential elements of aesthetic profoundness, formed structures, and attributes of extrinsic and intrinsic value, gave Kathakali renewed height. Kootiyaattam contributed 18 essential elements to Kathakali. Some of them included the integration of meaningful hand gestures-„Mudras‟. Added to the list was the technique of elaborately demonstrating a staged or sung portion of the performance. Detailed stylization of costumes and acting were also part of the influence. “Pakarnnaattam” the method of a single actor transitioning characters was also applied after elaborate modification. The 1800s proved to be an ultimate synthesizing period with the application of Kaplingaa T Nampoothiri‟s mastermind to Kathakali. Being a famous choreographer, Kaplingaa further revolutionized Kathakali by adding elaboration to Kathakali‟s dramatic and mimetic elements of dance. To focus on the element of music, Kathakali enhanced the progression of its music and musical instruments thus making itself an independent music genius. Maddalam and Chenta, two important instruments of music, were prioritized to 21 provide accentuation to rhythmic syllables, subtlety to the sound effects and operate in unison with the Mudras. To add the ever-prevalent element of fusion to the music as well, Kathakali used a blend of the native Karnatic and Sopanam styles. All these areas of revolution only enhanced Kathakali‟s image as a modernized performing art. The community of Brahmins‟ denial was no longer a matter of importance. Kathakali continued to freely incorporate elements from classical and ethnic art. Kathakali‟s unbound; free-spirited form added sovereignty and liberty to its style, leading it to focus on dramaturgy as its next experiment. Unlike conventional movies and theatre, the rule of the actor „becoming‟ the character was not enforced in Kathakali. On the contrary, the dramatics enforced a separation between the actor and the character he played thus enabling the audience to understand the moods of the character and maintain an emotional distance. A segment of dance is often included in the act to further enable the actor to shed the role of his character and transform into a pure dancer. This involved the transformation of the actor into the character only momentarily. This „alienation‟ concept was later adopted by modern theatre in the 1930s with Berthold Brecht used it in his plays. His „open stage‟ theory was another concept that Kathakali had already employed in its form centuries before. Brecht5 attempted to destroy the boundaries between the audience and stage so the story surpasses the spectator‟s physical self. This concept was already a successful element in Kathakali and was utilized in two effective ways. The characters were given use of a live, mobile curtain that would enable them to break the barrier of time and space and enter the spectator‟s world. 5 Brecht-German theatre director and play wright. 20th century’s one of the most influential figure in theatre. 22 The second way was the application of the ancient folk style of an „open stage‟, where the audience and the performers were at the same level physically. This enabled the characters to come across as „near‟ to the spectators. Most of Kathakali drama does not involve boundaries or a wall-surrounded stage. The climatic scenes usually transgress into the physical world. To stay true to the illusion created, realism is totally banished right from the start. This maintains the illusory impression from getting away while reiterating the verity of the perceived illusion. C). Characteristics in Kathakali Acting Kathakali shared evolution with another form of theatre called Kudiyattam. This theatre form originated in Kerala during the ninth and tenth centuries and is considered to be the vital link of the techniques used in Sanskrit plays. It was also one of the innovators of important and new styles in the Indian theatre. Spanning across bygone eras of Kulashekar, to famous performers like Mani Madhava Chakyar and Ammnur Madhava Chakyar from the twentieth century, Kathakali has been sustained as a family tradition. Vidushaka evolved as a prime character from Kudiayattam in Sanskrit Theatre. Unlike other characters Vidushaka used Malayalam, the local language while the hero and heroine chanted Verses and also communicated in Sanskrit. It was Vidushaka‟s role to make the connection between the past and present along with arching that gap between classical Sanskrit that was spoken by the hero and the regional dialect understood by the audience. Like other theatrical forms, the movement of the body sometimes preceded the lines spoken, sometimes paced and sometimes followed. 23 Like a Veda6 chant, the pronunciations of words were systemized and slow and priority was given to intonation. Angika abhinaya was performed to the phrase, line or word by the actor. The Vachika, the verbal, was sometimes elaborated or interpreted. The actor was given total freedom to interpret basic poetic lines into any number of interpretations and this led to performances being carried out for more than a day. The actor also had the freedom to move freely between his incarnations, thereby enabling him to switch to a past performed reference or indicate the future. In evolutionary terms, this meant the art had developed a revolutionized language for itself which focused on gestures. The difference between the act and the gesture was sometimes mistaken for the act. One of the examples of this technique was a depiction of the famous character Chakyar who was portrayed throwing a rock at his opponents. It has been said that the audience present at this display fled in fright. The Kudiyattam traditions were highly effective in influencing Kathakali‟s application of gestures. The use of masks and face paints were incorporated from Teyyam and Tirayattam rituals. These forms used paint and masks to depict goddesses and was most famously found on Mudiyettu and the Kolum rituals. These adoptions only added to the list of influential elements that Kathakali individualized from these art forms. Another important source was martial arts. Kerala till this day has remained famous for its Kalaris (gymnasium) and its innumerous martial dances. They are famous because of the excellent physical skill, acrobatics, the massaging system and the leg projections that involved jumps and leaps displayed and many of these elements were greatly used in Kathakali. 6-Veda – in Sanskrit means "knowledge" is a large body of texts originating in ancient India 24 Although Kathakali had revolutionized theatre and became evolution in itself, the main emergence of Kathakali as a formal, stylized dance-drama was only during the 17th century and due to the influence of two kings. The Zamorin of Calicut was famously known for the plays he wrote as devotion to Krishna. These plays were patterned on the lyrics of Gita Govinda by Jayaveda and were named Krishnattam. The plays were designed to be played on 8 consecutive nights and each day was known to depict a different day in Krishna‟s life. Legend has it that the King of Kottarakara sent a request to the Zamorin of Calicut requesting him to go down to Travancore and perform Krishnattam. This request was refused by the Zamorin causing the King of Kottarakara to begin writing a similar 8-day inclusive play about the in devotion to Rama. These plays were then named Ramanattam. These plays were performed at the court for the King during the latter half of the17th century. This episode added seed to the growth of Ramanattam into Kathakali. While Krishnattam made profuse use of Sanskrit, Ramanattam used Malayalam. The Malayalam however, was highly sanskritized. Manipravala was used and the mixture was well-credited. It has been speculated that the actors of Ramanattam initially spoke their lines together with singing them like their counterparts of Kudiyattam. It is also of scholarly belief that the actors wore wooden masks, spoke their lines and the actions were in gesture form like the performers from Krishnattam. These theories however were contradicted when the actors were later restricted to miming (angika abhinaya) and the musicians sang the lyrics. This technique was further refined to become the Kathakali we see today. A special libretto was included in the music and was further accompanied by percussion and instrumental music. This vocal and instrumental combination later became the defining elements of the music. Unlike the Bharatnatyam style where 25 music determined the drama and passages of dance were introduced in full measure, the Attakathas or the dramas determined the dramatic structure of a performance in Kathakali. This unique concept was further revolutionized by writers like Iryaman Tampi who wrote individual dance dramas that is now contained by Kathakali. The themes of these dance dramas were no longer depictions of Krishna or Rama‟s life. They were chosen from the Puranas therein the Bhagavata Purana, the Siva Purana and from the Mahabharata. Basically, the themes did not adhere to one devotion or scripture but took on the forms of various characters and stories that mythology had provided in special Kerala versions. The collection amassed by Kathakali also included writings by various other writers and not just the King of Kottarakara or Kottayam. Some of these notable writings were by Ashvati Tirunal of Travancore, the Unnayi warrior, Vidvan Koel Tampuran and Kartik Tirunal. Iryaman Tampi‟s play Kichak Vadham, Sita Swayamavaram and Daksh yagna are some famous written works that are danced to even today. Two distinctive Kathakali schools were built with the patronization contributed by Rama Varma, Swati Tirunal and the Maharajas of Travancore. These schools were divided to serve the north and south. This new theatre form had now evolved from being a dance drama performed within temple walls to being a strong stage performance. D). Aesthetics of Kathakali. The Kathakali gestures form a complex system of signs with attributed meanings, not symbols of incarnated meanings. By first folding the hand and then slowly spreading out the fingers, it is possible to indicate an opening flower. gesture stands for several things. 26 Each The distinction between the opera and Kathakali is the identification of the singer or the performer. In the opera, the performance is given more priority while the character that is performing the act takes a back seat, whereas in Kathakali the act, the character and the performance are all equally important. This makes Kathakali unique in its approach and gives it a diversified and evolved outlook which sets it apart from other styles of similar dramas. For the opera or ballet, this aesthetic quality is not considered a defect and nothing is said to be lacking from the performance unless the aesthetic qualities are compared the difference is noted. Imagery and diction are conventionalized in Kathakali. The erotic appeal of the hero through his speech, song or dance is therefore similar to the appeal of the villain when he makes an urgent impact. The make-up is thus what creates the distinction in characters alongside the story and its enactment. While the dialogue does help in the differentiation, the differences made visible are subtle in nature and these subtleties do not aim at disclosing much in relation to the character. Though instrumental music is used to arouse moods and feelings and this does not necessarily require dialogue or speech, Kathakali prefers to include text. The language used becomes an instrument of artistic communication only to the extent that it relies less on the strong concreteness of denotation and more on the indefinable power of connotation which Ananda Vardhana and Abhinava Gupta from India called dhvani or resonance and Mallarme and French symbolists called suggestion. The study of Charles Darwin on the physiology and history of behavioral expressions made known the fact that acts of trembling, blushing, etc, are based on the endocrine system‟s chemistry which the nervous system triggers and this in turn triggers discharge from the glandular system and this increases the respiratory rate and the circulation of blood which finally amounts to the changed in 27 expression. The mere thought of these changes in another person can induce the same on the thinker due to sympathy. Unlike the above, gestures are not linked to the body‟s chemistry although there are some that have a good intelligent significance. The Kathakali gestures are not symbols of incarnated meaning and are on the contrary a system of complex signs with credited meanings. When the actor folds his hand and slowly releases his fingers, the meaning of the gesture is invisible to the audience. This therefore is the reason Kathakali employs gestures that are not mimetic in this manner and each gesture are made to signify something different. The Pataka Mudra is therefore formed by the actor holding his hand up with the ring finger bent inward and the rest of the fingers stretched outward. When this gesture is shown, the meaning could be perceived in various ways. The average number of ways has been known to be 36. This tells us that the relation between the denotation of a word and the word itself is not inherent. The word is therefore not a symbol but a sign. Kathakali has therefore reversed the aesthetic transformation direction and enabled the growth of an extensive gesture language. This process therein includes the actor‟s skill in transforming the verbal text into a code for gesture and the audience is relied upon to decode this code. This gesture language therefore hinders smooth and swift poetic stimulation. The metaphor and the simile of poetic figures has the former being swifter in evocation because of its capacity to blend images in the mind just like film when doubly exposed blends images visually. The simile on the contrary, starts with pure separation and goes on to a comparison which has never been known to turn into a blended identity. The difference between classical drama and Kathakali therefore is its aesthetic organization. Classical drama employs an organization that is pyramidal by nature. The dominant flavor of the play is the apex and this is one of the nine rasas of 28 classical aesthetics. This embodies a system of doctrine that is strongly based on psychology. The rest of the feelings generated through various phases of the episodic stream evolution is ancillary to the dominant feeling and will eventually serve to highlight and nourish it. To state it in simple terms, it can be concluded that Kathakali plays are dominated by heroic sentiment (raudra rasa or vira). Classical drama‟s fine orchestration is not in existence here. The grosser action of the play‟s overall pattern creates an impression of focal organization. The emotional tonality that prevails in each episode is usually autonomous. It is therefore not the Sanchari bhava of classical drama which has been known to correspond to McDougall‟s derived emotion. This derived emotion gains color from the sentiment and always reveals an abiding persistence of the latter and is in fact a modification of the sentiment in a new episodic nexus. A romantic situation in classical drama involves a distinction in the reactions of the libidinous type and the heroic type although the reactions will have a basic romantic essence to suit the situation. This difference is however unavailable in Kathakali. The literalism of the mimetic transcription of the text and a text loaded with conceits that are conventional has the actor involved in plenty expressive sallies which are segmented and forging no stable links with the prevalent emotional temper of the pay as a whole, though brilliant . For classical drama the transformation of the actor into the character is a victory that is celebrated. For Kathakali however, the actor solves the issues of complicated mimesis which is set before him by the liberalist and remains the genius virtuoso. Reading through the libretto one can see that this is the perfect solution to the problem as the liberalist is constantly creating piquant problems which the actor embraces as a challenge. An example of this is the work of Irayimman Tampy. In his work, homage is paid to the beautiful and moon-like 29 heroine in a conceited way. This chakaraka bird pair is supposed to come together only during the day and separate during the night. The passage of text states “Mistaking your face for the moon, and in anguish at the imminence of separation, the female Chakravaka looks with one eye filled with wistful longing at her mate and with the other flaming with anger at you” This is conceit in its purest form because the whole performance is unreal. The actor however has to master the mimesis which will have him controlling one eye and one half of his face to look sorrowful and the other half will have to display anger. This is control unbeknownst to most actors and dramas. In yet another spectacle of this concept, Ravana is displayed portraying ten different emotions on his face simultaneously. This originally will include serial expressions but the audience will only see them as one because of the swift change in expressions and the radical transformation employed. Kathakali therefore not only includes the detailed gesture languages we have analyzed but a whole lot of other techniques and tactics without which it would not have reached its level of supremacy. In Kalidasa's Shakuntala we see the heroine being bothered by a bee and Dushyanta using it as an excuse to reveal himself and chase the bee away. In Kathakali we see the same with Dushyanta turning into a demon at the end. This principle of Kathakali to involve combat on stage is unlike any other form known. Mortal combat is one of the presentations usually kept away from the stage but Kathakali cannot do without it. Romance and beauty are given the stage as well but the overall atmosphere kathakali creates is one of violence and disturbance. Even the dances include violence as its tempo. While the actors use no words and only movements dominate the dance, villainous characters are always a part of it and are seen bursting in at the scene with demonic cries. Their appearance is also violent and extremely dramatic in nature. They have been known to tear away the 30 curtain held by the stage hands and throw it away so they can be seen. Fire is also another common characteristic. The demonic characters use a lamp or resin dust and whip up flames that cast an eerie glow over the stage. These turbulent performances end with demons mutilated and fallen with blood all over them and exposed entrails. These scenes are given extra tending to in the make-up department so even the most professional spectator will find the scene terrifying. Sometimes these ghastly characters chase the good ones off the stage and through the audience. These conventions and innovations kathakali embodies take the normal responses of approval from the audience to a whole different level and leave them in a wideeyed, semi-religious, semi-magical state. E). Artistic transmission- Actor preparation. Kathakali actors begin their training at a very early stage in life. They start off young when they leave home as children to dedicate their lives to the art. Training for these young aspirers begins at 4 am in the mornings starting with facial and eye exercises and followed by play learning. The monsoons bring on a whole different set of difficulties that include exercises for the body and a special oil massage called Urachil. This makes them agile and physically fit to portray the characters required. Many years of quality training and experience is required to create a Kathakali artist. Each one is respected for the specialized skills that they bring to the stage to present some of the most moving and unforgettable experiences of all. 31 F). Types of Acting in Kathakali There are four types of acting also called Chaturvidha Abhinaya. Angika Abhinaya: This includes an elaborate combination of mime, gestures, appropriate movements, poses, attitudes, facial expressions and basically the whole body of the actor. Kalasams are dance passages that have an important significance on the performances of Kathakali. While retaining a pure dance it attempts to enhance and utilize appropriate bhavas. Hand gestures are another significant involvement in Angika. This is because the interpretation of text is conveyed through the gestures. The regional text on the Hastas (hand gestures) mainly used in Kathakali is the Hastalakshna Deepika. Vachika Abhinaya: One of the many distinguishing elements of Kathakali is the lack of speech and the text in the form of songs and verses (Vachika) is sung and recited by vocalists. These texts are interpreted and performed by actors by the use of an innovative method called Angikabhinaya. Sopanasangeetham, a regional style of music has been developed by Kathakali although most of the vocal music employed in it is based on the Carnatic system. The main ambition of this style is the establishment of the appropriate moods and sentiments. Satvika Abhinaya: The Rasabhinava, a highly stylized technique to invoke Bhava has been developed by Kathakali. Natya Sastra lists out another 8 moods called Satvika 32 Bhavas. These are more subtle in comparison to Angikabhinaya. The actor maintains a strong internal discipline which helps him go deeper into the characterization of the role and enables him to master the action technique. Aharya Abhinaya Aharya is the name given to the make-up, stage props and costumes used. These are the most important elements that facilitate the transformation of the actor into the most beautiful characters ever seen in the world of theatre. The Aniraya is the dressing room. It is the place where the artists prepare themselves for the performance. It is given divine importance and to show reverence to the divine presence, the actors prepare themselves in silence. A brass lamp called Vilaku is lit and a prayer is said before the actors begin any make-up procedures. The same is done before they go out to the stage and also at the end of the performance once their make-up has been removed. These acts only prove the divine respect Kathakali holds for the Gods. It is called an act of devotion and an offering to the Gods and hence requires sincerity and focus before the actor can embark in his psychological journey on stage. G). Form in Kathakali Acting The three stages of the Acting (Abhinaya) presentation are: 1. Word to word synchronization 2. Full-line interpretation and 3. Abhinaya of the dancer following the singer. 33 Another aspect of Abhinaya in Kathakali is the dancer using the words of the line as a starting point and improvising a full movement sequence. The elaboration of the word relies on hand gestures in this aspect. This is called Choliyattam and is the most imaginative degree to which an actor can extend to through his own improvisation. To state an example, the actor while presenting the line ' Bhima went through the forest' can improvise on it to display a lush, scenic display of the forest, thereby accentuating the effect of the line. Kalyana Sougandhikam is a good example of this creative display by the actor. The act basically includes a scene where Draupadi sends Bhima to get her flower. This scene is enacted in Abhinaya to include a fight between a cobra and a panther, swift running of deer, peacocks dancing, and herds of elephants moving while Bhima is still in pursuit of the flower. Abhinaya uses the Ekaharya principle which is one of the main characteristics of Bharatanatyam and Kathak as only one of the many strong characteristics it employs. The portrayal of Vyabhichari or Sancaribhava is also modified by Kathakali to bring out a dominant mood called Sthayibhava. This again is portrayed by the actor with his own variations. The portions of Abhinaya in Kathakali set the hatas with the highest priority. This is again contrary to other dance forms which do not give hastas as much importance. The 24 basic hastas that are used are accumulated after breaking down the Hastalakshana Dipika. 34 Alphabet representing the 24 mudras of Hasthalakshanadipika. 1.Pathaka 8.Hamsapaksha 15.Suchimukha 2.Mudrakhya 9. Sikhara 16. Pallava 3.kadaka 10. Hamsasya 17.Tripathaka 4.Mushti 11.Anjali 18.Mrigasirsha 5.Kartharimukh 12. Arthachandra 19.Sarpasiras 6.Shukatun 13. Mukura 20.Vardhamanaka 7.kapitha 14.Bhramara 21.Arala . 22.Urnanabha 23.Mukula. 24.Katakamukha 35 36 Hand Gestures. Alphabet representing the twenty four basic mudras 37 H). Dominant Features of Kathakali and Kathakali Character Types. Unlike other dance forms Kathakali is again unique in its style of portraying characters. The actors are given a type and that type is used to represent that actor in the drama so he does not only play the role of a narrator. Although Kathakali incorporates various genres and traditions, the theme is purely Hindu. The existence of Buddhism in Kerala at the time also influenced Kathakali to a minor extent. While most dance dramas following the Hindu tradition portray the heroes and the villains as results of the performed nataka, Kathakali took heroes and villains from the puranas and the epics and enacted their characters. After various studies were done on the existent folk rituals and similar dance dramas of the time, Kathakali was estimated to have had 6 types of characters while the others did not go beyond 3 or 4 characters. The first type is the heroes or the demi-gods who were identified as sattvika characters of the Ramayana and Mahabharata or the dhirodatta heroes of Sanskrit drama. The Gods also fell under the category of 'good characters' and Rama and Krishna were categorized as good heroes and Gods. These characters are usually seen devoid of disgust or fear and only as calm, heroic, good-humored people. Moods of anger are only portrayed when the characters are portray.ing the Raudra rupa tradition which usually results with the death of the enemy. The second type are the villains and anti-heroes both demon and human. They are made to depict negativity and usually portray anger, treachery and aggressiveness. Their methodology is adopted mostly from the Mahabharata and puranic stories and not too much from Sanskrit drama. This type is further divided into subdivisions because the villains could be female demons, gods or kings. The evil they portray could be simple or of the higher degree that includes treachery or cruelty. 38 Vidushaka, a character from Kudiyattam of Kerala was surprisingly removed from Kathakali. The scenes that included Hanuman were known to be portrayed with humor. While Vidushaka portrayed the drama Kalyana Soungandhikam which basically depicted the meeting of Bhima and Hanuman and the capture of the royal horse by Kusa and Lava, ironically and with satirical undertones, Kathakali portrayed the scene with humor. The monkey deity Hanuman, the half man-half bird in Hamsa and the half lion-half man in Narasimha (Prahlada Charitam) characters are also included in Kathakali. Characters that live in the woods and forests are also portrayed as tribal people and aborigines. Siva disguised as Kirata is one such example. Tadi Types. The beard (Tadi) is used for villains and anti-heroes or demons in conventional Kathakali. The red, black and white beards are traditionally used. Red is used to signify evil and destructive deeds. With a red base, the upper portion of the face is painted black and the lower portion red. Instead of giving the eyes the elongated lotus look, a black collyrium is used to give the eyes a frightening look. The white paste or Chutti is also not applied along the jaw line and the paper cut-outs are attached to the nose horizontally to cover either sides of the face. The chin is elongated with a false flat beard to add to the ominous appearance of the character. Two fangs are also used as protrusions from the lips. These characters typically scream and utter curses or cries so the choice of appearance if made to perfection. To represent the aborigines or the tribal people, a black base and a black beard is used alongside various designs in white and red colors. The Kari characters are also known to use the black beard. 39 Veluppu tadi or the white beard is the third type of half-human gods like Hanuman. White is used as the basic make-up. These characters are usually docile by nature although they can take ferocious forms occasionally. Yellow is used to represent a different category of characters like Narasimha- The lion God. Yellow is used because it represents wonder or adhbuta. These are the most significant types of make-up used for significant characters. The other characters are not given much decoration and simple pink make-up is used with no attempt at masking. These are typically women, Brahmins, rishis or messengers and are known as Minukku. Mudis Headgear is what highlights the make-up. The headgear used in Kathakali is made out of wood, papier-mache or fiber from cane and are called Mudis. Krishna, kusa, lava and other princes and children of the Sattvika types use a different crown-shaped headgear made out of cane. The good characters use a low conical crown with a small disc. The common characteristic of these mudis are inset mirrors. The characters with the red beards wear head dresses similar to that worn by noble characters, the crown is however higher and the disc is larger while the demons and the villains use headgears of huge sizes. Narasimha, Hanuman and hunter-disguised Siva use different types of headgear. The costumes follow the same symbolism as the colors, the facial make-up and the headgears. The good characters usually wear purple, yellow or blue jackets. The white beards wear white jackets and the red beards wear red jackets. Scarves are also used to hang on either side of the shoulders and they take the color of the make-up combination. The lower torso is usually adorned with the same kind of attire excluding the Minukku characters. Heavily plaited skirts are used with the 40 aim to enlarge the actor‟s proportionate size. Underneath all this make-up, headgear and costume is a slim, lithe and well-trained figure. I). Classification of Kathakali Characters: Set apart from all the other dance forms of India, Kathakali rules as the classical-dance drama of Kerala. The unique styles it embodies are distinctive and pleasing to the eye. To mention some, the mudras or the hands signs which are eloquent and dramatic in nature, expressive and impressive by way of gestures, lithe and graceful in movement, perfect in choreography and highly imaginative. These are some of the qualities that Kathakali has been described by. For thematic glory, Kathakali acquires its themes from the ancient Puranas which is like a box of treasures that once opened, brings to us the beautiful lives of the Gods and goddesses, and the conflicts and disputes that good had over evil and its mastery in the end. Though Kathakali stands apart not only for its revolutionary demeanor but also for its uniqueness in style which has been described by some as weird or unreal, this uniqueness is not something Kathakali is ashamed of. It has in fact been acquired through hard work and tireless effort. Being completely from a mythological background, the characters of Kathakali and the basis of their make-up cannot be logically explained. Based on their real characters or qualities the make-up and attire and adornment are classified into five main types. Based on the principal color applied to the face forms the classification criteria: 41 These classifications are pacha or the color green, kathi meaning a knife, thadi – meaning a beard, kari –the color black and minukku meaning polished to shine. Righteous and dignified characters are in pacha or green. Proud belligerent and unrighteous characters belong to the kathi type. The bearded type known as thadi are of three varieties. -The most violent and demoniac are known as chuvanna thadi (red beard), -Mythical and marvelous beings like the monkey-gods are known as vellathadi (white beard); The lowest types of beings like the assailant are classed as kari (black). The gentle and spiritually leaning character (like women, sages, Brahmins etc) comes under the type known as minukku (polished). The elaborately designed costuming and ornamentation are intended to intensify the superhuman effects. Creation of enlarged figures that are well suitable to produce tremendously impressive impersonations is achieved with the hefty overcoats, the elegant scarves, the spherical skirts, the antique ornaments, the outstandingly opulent head dresses with streaming hair flowing down to the waist and covering the back. J). The Kathakali Performance Thodayam This is a dance ritual that is performed at the front of the stage, behind a satin curtain called tereshiela that is held up by two men. Two junior actors perform a composition of pure dance accompanied by the Suddha Madalam which is drumsolo Madalam. 42 The Vandana Slokam is a prayer and follows Thodayam to bless the stage and to evoke the Gods. Before the first actors make their way to the stage, they will visit all their senior artists and touch their feet. This evokes their blessings. They will also pray to the lamp-Valaka which is situated in a green room. They finally go on to the stage-which has now been transformed into a holy place. The actors then travel from this world into a Godly world and are embodied with dignity and humility. Purappad This means „starting point‟ and represents the beginning of the Kathakali performance. This performance is traditionally performed by students to develop their skills. The actors represent the main characters of the story-Krishna or Balarama. They perform a piece of pure dance and are sometimes accompanied by their female partners. Melappadam This is a musical masterpiece. Senior singers and drummers are given an opportunity to perform and showcase their outstanding skills. These singers express dedication and devotion to Jaya Deva who wrote the Geetha Govindham poems in the 11th century. The performance of these poems creates a beautiful harmony. People from all over the country travel to these destinations to witness the exquisite performances of Melappadam. It is a piece of melodious music by itself. 43 Actor on stage The Kathakali play begins at the conclusion of the Melappadam. This is done to accentuate the effects that Melappadam created on the minds of the audience. The audience had by then been bathed in a surreal illusion by the spectacular drumming, and the harmonious singing. This prepares the stage for Kathakali to begin its depiction of great Hindu mythology. On a normal basis, two to three plays are performed through the night. They usually start with a love story or a family drama so the last play is the most influential. The last play is usually a violent enactment of a battle that has good conquering evil. This again is done so the effect of the battle still remains on the audience‟s mind while the sun rises to signify a new beginning of a new day. While the temples conduct annual festivities and encourage the communities to participate so that love and concern for each other is shared, the Kathakali plays contribute their own shares by taking the audience on journeys throughout the universe where only goodness prevails because it has conquered evil. Danasi This is a dance ritual performed usually by Lord Krishna or Lord Siva or one of the other good characters in the story. This ritual is performed at the end of the plays that have been performed throughout the night. The character prays for God‟s blessings and gives thanks to the Gods for the night just passed. For the audience it is a time to socialize. They bathe themselves in the nearby river or tank, eat breakfast and move onto the nest temple performance. 44 The Eyes: A small seed from the Chundapoo flower is used to make the dye for the eye. The color red is thus attained and this makes the character look like he is from a different world. An hour post the performance the seed is removed so the eye of the actor returns to normal color. K). Performance texts of Kathakali. Textual evidence found proves the existence of various regional styles that had departed from the Bharata tradition. The commentaries on the Silappadikaram and Sangitaratnakara also indicate reforms in dramatic forms. Another conclusion that was drawn from this evidence was the maintenance of a clear difference between the pure dance forms and the natya forms. Various dance texts written in South Indian languages during the 13th to the 17th centuries included words like desi lasyanga, desi karana, desi nritya and Koottu. While these contribute to evidence on Kathakali‟s origination, various texts like Balarama Bharatam by Balarama Varma1 and the Sangita Saramritam by Tanjore‟s Maharashtrian ruler Tulaja, contribute no evidence on Kathakali technique. The text that proved most beneficial in this context was the Hastalakshana Dipika which shows considerable departure from both the Sangitaratnakara and Natyasastra traditions. To add proof to conviction, it has been proved that the positions employed in Kathakali were taken from the Mattancheri temple, the basic temple structures of Kerala and the Padmanabhaswami frescoes. The usual combination of cymbals and drums, the extended lata arms and the kshipta position of the knees are styles prevalent in Tamil Nadu and have been proven to be akin to the prevalent style in Kerala. 1. Ruler of Travancore (1724-98) 45 It was only later during the 16th century that the rectangular positions-mandala sthana, the sari and headgears appeared especially in the Mattancheri frescoes. The period between the 17th century and the 19th century experienced a lot of change and dramatic evolution in Kerala. While stylized performances were performed in temple courtyards and sophisticated theatres like Kuttamabalam, age-old tribal and folk rituals continued to be performed in lush vegetation and forest areas. A variety of forms ranging from the Ottanthulal martial displays to annual festival related performances for Onam with the Christians, Portuguese and other settlers were performed on streets and processions. The writings of the period reflect this complex mixture of tradition in the performances. With the dawn of the 20th century rituals of Kudiyattam, Kathakali, Ramanattam and Krishnattam shrunk and became of lesser significance while ritual drama traditions like the Teyyams and the Bhagavati cult dances continued. In the 30s of this century, Poet Vallathol from Kerala once again gave Kathakali a new identity. He created Kerala Kala Manadalam in 1932 which was established formally in 1936. He gave Kathakali its current form by gathering the great gurus, Kunju Kurup, Ramamuni Menon and others and renewed the existence of poetry and literature in Kathakali. The once ancient art was given a modern outlook by the employment of scripts of plays by Unnai warrior and Irayumman Thampi and the use of a brand new format. 46 K). Make-up and costumes: The illusionistic outcome of Kathakali and its ability to transport the audience to a surreal world owes itself to the make-up used. The colorfully vibrant costumes further added to its appeal. The make-up has been known to have a mask-like power although there is no masks used and the paint is applied directly to the faces of the actors. The actors apply the make-up on themselves with the assistance of a trained specialist known as a Chutti artist. This artist skillfully applies a wellproportioned three-dimensional figure on the actor‟s face. It would be completely unfair to talk about Kathakali make-up and not mention its master of make-up Kalamandalam Govinda Variyar Ashan. He revolutionized the application of make-up and especially the use of chutti and the technique of attaching the structure on the face of the actor. The methodology he used was a three-dimensional technique. He also familiarized the importance of the paper shapes used and their accurate proportions because after the shapes are attached and the make-up is done, the audience should be able to see the facial expressions and the eyes of the actor. His designs and proportions were excellent and unmatched. The colors used for the make-up are made by a combination of coconut oil and ground rocks. This takes the actor about 4 hours to prepare. Once the actor is done painting the background on its face he is made to lie down on the ground for the Chutti to be painted on his face. 47 The Chutti painting is no easy task. It requires a skilled artist who has patience and a keen eye for detail. The presentation of the performance and the outcome of it are dependent on the Chutti artist because he is responsible for the visual representation of the actor. Even one mistake cannot be tolerated as that one mistake will have the actor displaying it throughout the performance and its entire duration. A line of rice paste is applied on the actor‟s face and that is carefully spread on all over the face to acquire the right shape. Layers and layers of the paste are applied until the accurate height is achieved. While the rice paste dries, the paper shapes are attached to it so the paper dries alongside the paste. To ensure the paper shapes staying on the actor‟s face throughout the performance and not falling off, other methods are used for the affixture. This is essential because the use facial muscles in their entirety are one of the essentials of a Kathakali performance. Once the Chutti is applied, it is cross-checked with other Chutti artists and the actor himself to ascertain satisfaction. This check is a tense moment because the result is a step in the actor‟s direction towards becoming the character. The artist of Chutti is a highly trained professional who undergoes years of training and ample experience is hired to prepare the characters of the Kathakali play. The visually unique characteristic of the Kathakali play owes itself to the Chutti. Conclusion Kathakali literally means acting out a story. There are many dance forms that act out a story. What is unique about Kathakali is that the word itself evokes images of magic and mystery, of dark nights lit by the incandescent glow of the flame of the oil lamp, actors that morph as gods and demons transforming into 48 images of divinity and emerge out of the most wondrous human imagination. The mudras make it possible for the actor both to narrate and to act, to embody. In the hands of skilled actor the various expressions of various mudras merge into a theatrical language that consists of pure poetry. Although one needs to understand the intricate mudra-language to appreciate this dance form fully, the vigorous movements, expressive gestures and dramatic sequences keeps the viewers spell bound. The unique language of signs is not only an inspiration of those who research the oldest theatre forms, but also for those who dream of theaters‟ regeneration in the twenty-first century. A lot of change is taking place to the hand gestures in Kathakali today. Instead of using symbolic and stylized gestures, today emphasis is on realistic gestures. The Indian cosmology always pointed at the belief that dance is not only a sacred act, a offering to the divinity within , but a deep revelation of life and unique of transcending its limitations. 49 CHAPTER-3 JAPANESE DRAMA TRADITIONS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO KABUKI AND IT’S ACTING TRADITIONS AND STYLES. 50 CHAPTER -3 JAPANESE DRAMA TRADITIONS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO KABUKI AND IT’S ACTING TRADITIONS AND STYLES. Introduction Kabuki has been compared to Shakespeare‟s plays and its involvement in the Opera. While some say it is similar, others say Kabuki ranks higher with more entertainment, vigour and colour added to all its elements. All encompassing and accumulative theatre is one other characteristic of Kabuki, it integrates all the previous forms of theatre preceding 16th Century Japanese art form .Kyogen play and Noh drama are among the conventional art forms form which kabuki was drawn for stage techniques or the comic interludes similar in Noh drama. Noh plays which were culminated into Kabuki still enjoy high regard and still form an indispensable portion of the Kabuki collection. In this chapter the researcher explores the acting traditions and rituals, the art of movement in a Kabuki performance, typical layout of Kabuki stage. A) Kabuki an ancient popular classical traditional theatre of Japan- evolution and a brief history The word Kabuki when broken down comprises of „ka‟-„songs‟, „bu‟dance and „ki‟-„skill‟‟. These are three characters of the Japanese culture and like Kabuki identified itself with the lower sections of society than the higher. The origination of Kabuki thus owes itself to the Edo period. The evolution of theatrical arts in the eastern part of Asia mainly Japan all the way back from the later part of the 16th century led to Kabuki .This led to excellence 51 and perfection in a more refined way to its present day form. It still doesn‟t fail to encompass an audience not as vast as it used to be but for being an ancient art form still holding onto a large audience. From the Edo Era, the period to which Kabuki„s foundation could be traced, came most of Kabuki‟s evolution. This was the period where distinction between the commoners and the warrior classes was of common existence. The merchants of those days belonged to the commoner classes and had to remain socially inferior although they were strong economically. It was to these merchants that Kabuki owed its origin. Kabuki helped these merchants to express their emotions under the duress that they had been through .Significantly this led to conflicts between humanity and feudalistic system being the primary theme of Kabuki. Kabuki gained a very loyal audience among the crowd owing to its classicistic quality of the art that holds on up until to this day. The exclusivity of Kabuki art and also one of the most noteworthy points is the total exclusion of actresses in any play which keeps up the rarity of the art form. The principal performers of the art form were women however as it gained more reputation, unnecessary attention from male admirers towards the female actors led to making the authorities feel a threat of serious dejection from the public. Eventually all the theatrical appearances of women were banned in 1629 .This led to all female roles in Kabuki being performed by male impersonators popularly known as Onnagata. Ever since the ban, men took over Kabuki completely as the art form in itself had gained acceptance by general public and continues till the present day. By the time the ban on women in theatrical performances was lifted which took almost 250 years, the art of onnagata had almost reached perfection. Onnagata had reached a level where this privileged element if removed would make Kabuki lose its charm forever. 52 Along with other genres of theatre, Kabuki has also sourced part of its rich heritage from the puppet theatre also known as Bunraku, which more or less evolved at the same time as the earlier versions of Kabuki. The actor in Kabuki has always held more significance than the literary value of the play. Monzaemon Chikamatsu also referred to as the "Shakespeare of Japan" one of the most famous writers of early 17th century deserted Kabuki and moved onto Puppet theatre because creativity was more focused in puppet theatre than the actor himself. This de-prioritization of the actor's domination resulted in a period of Kabuki actors losing their audiences to puppets. Eventually leading to a time when most of the puppet plays were incorporated into Kabuki. This accounted to more than half of the traditional kabuki plays with an exception to few dance-dramas being of Bunraku origin. By the end of the 19th century Kabuki became an all embarking art form which brought forth literary realism. Colourfulness, glamour, exhilaration and a new sense of magnificence of the highest order was brought to the keen eyes of Japan through Kabuki. These extra ordinary qualities and the added drama of Kabuki could not be mastered by any other theatre in the world. B). Acting Traditions and rituals. The Kabuki we see today as a crystallized and final art form is an accumulated sum of three hundred years of development and growth. The successive fashions and tastes of various historical periods have affected Kabuki for good as well as for ill. Some of Kabuki's past has vanished entirely; some has continued exactly as it was originally conceived and initiated on the stage of yesterday; some has been refined and improved, even modernized beyond all 53 recognition. However, the overall appearance of Kabuki today is fundamentally and aesthetically the same as it has always been throughout its history. The „onnagata‟ is one such significant part of Kabuki‟s theatrics. It is significant for its improvisation of female roles played by men. This was because of the ban on actresses that was enforced in 1629. Although women were the pioneers of Kabuki, it was later believed that they disheartened the public of its morals. Men were then given the priority and since Kabuki was already famous at the time, the loss of women was not deeply felt. C) Characteristics in Kabuki Acting. Variations in acting, occurs based on the type of play. Acting in Kabuki is exceptionally stylized in case of historical plays and comparatively down to earth in cases of contemporary drama. The „rough‟ style of aragoto and „soft‟ wagoto styles are very important. In a historical play, it is only after the narrator has informed the audience that a certain character in the play is about to weep that the actor in the role will actually do so with the appropriate gestures and sounds. Contemporary plays require a more realistic approach than a historical play, but there are still certain conventions and patterns of acting that must be adhered to. Examples of such would be a murder or fight scene, perhaps they would look quite gruesome if presented realistically, and hence they are customarily highly stylized. „Roppo‟ is another feature of the Kabuki actor‟s art of movement, according to which an exit is performed along the hanamichi in a series of leaps and bounds. The literal meaning of roppo is six directions, but there are various opinions as to the real significance of this curious term. Theories that are mentioned about roppo: The actor‟s hands and feet actually move‟s in six directions. 54 Roppo derives from the unusual posture and gait of the roppo-gumi (roppo gangs) bands of ruffians who were common in Edo at the end of the 17th century. Another theory traces the term roppo to roppo-shu(roppo associations) a class of low ranking priests who practiced an arrogant strut. The roppo now exists in various forms: - he kitsume (fox) roppo, the oyogi (swimming) roppo, the katate (one-armed) roppo, etc.The tanzen can also be thought of as a type of roppo, however strictly speaking the latter is performed along the hanamichi as an exit, whereas the former is likely to occur during an actor‟s entrance on the hanamichi. Example would be in Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura (Sukeroku, Flower of Edo). The term mie refers to the pose that is one of the most remarkable features of Kabuki and which is most likely to occur at a climatic movement in a play or dance. The action comes to a temporary halt as the actor assumes a fixed pose, making, as he does so, a rotating, nodding movement of the head and crossing one eye. The mie pose is customarily performed to the bearing of two wooden blocks on a board at the side of the stage. During a historical play, at points of heightened emotion a speech is delivered in a distinctly rhythmic fashion timed to the accompaniment of the shamisen. This is called nori literally meaning of which is riding (the shamisen strings), this particular style of delivery in customarily adopted by messengers who arrive on the scene to report on the advancement or at times outcome of the battle. A single speech may be shared by a number of actors, which is peculiar only to Kabuki. In this case each of the actors speaks a part of the whole. In case where only two or three actors are involved in such, it‟s called divided speech (warizerifu). In cases ,where more than three actors are involved and each one speaking in turn as if it was a part of a chain –it‟s referred to as Passed-Along speech 55 (watari-zerifu). D) Performance Styles and Forms in Kabuki acting Danmari, Aragoto, Wagato, Maruhon and Shosagoto form the five general performance styles in Kabuki .They arose in succession in different historical periods so usually are described as historical styles by and large. Danmari It is one of the oldest historical styles although not proven by records; its simple nature suggests great age. Danmari means wordless. It is typically an inconspicuous five to ten minute pantomime in which members if the kabuki troupes successively enter the stage and showcase themselves along with their costumes and their special acting idiosyncrasies. This particular scene is always set in outdoors and in particular at night hence its also known as kurayami meaning darkness. Once the complete cast is on the stage is usually concluded on a mass tableau, in most cases expressing violent opposition among the characters. Characters engage in a slow motion pantomime struggle for possession of some object after the initial entrance in some of the developed danmari scenes. The term danmari was first noticed to have been used in 1780 but sixty years before this, Night time pantomime scenes were established as a standard form. It seems probable that the simple parading of individual actors in danmari is a relic of the earliest kabuki . During those days performances were more or less a way to advertise the physical attractiveness of the prostitute performers. Depending on various factors a danmari pantomime could be an independent piece or a scene in a longer play. The introduction to the audience was carried forward with a danmari piece at each location up until this century. Danmari was a way to showcase the debut of young actors or at certain times promotions to new names 56 which signified higher rank It was customary to perform an introductory (kao mise) danmari within an historical play to introduce to the audience the new acting company for the coming theatre season. Danmari was also performed in domestic plays too along with new theatrical twists to ensure that the audience is not tired of seeing the same danmari piece year after year. Because of the more sophisticated tastes of the contemporary play goers, danmari is not often performed. Because it shows us kabuki acting in its plainest and probably oldest style is the very reason Danmari has been of a very important interest to us. Aragoto Literal meaning of aragoto is rough style .Aragoto has a bravura style and it projects power and masculine vigour. Elocution, movement, costuming, make-up everything is exaggerated in aragato to produce a dazzling theatrical effect. The martial and raw spirit of 17th century Edo is reflected in this form. Aragato is Edo style in its wildness, vitality and lack of refinement. Ichikawa Danjuro I (1660-1704) is the creator of aragato acting. He was the leading Edo actor of the Genroku period. He founded the Ichikawa family acting tradition which has continued through eleven generations and Ichikawa Danjuro XI died in 1965. In 1673 Danjuro XI made his first stage appearance, he played the role of Kimpira, a superhero from the most famous puppet performances with the hero‟s name. He had a pompous style of moving. The play‟s title from the puppet theatre was Children of the Guardians of Buddha (shiten-no Osanadachi). The Four guardians of Buddha are customarily depicted in Japanese culture as ferocious deities with bulging musculature, glaring eyes, bared teeth and defiant men. 57 Danjuro‟s acting approach seems to have evolved and owes its style to both kimpira puppet plays and the Buddhist concept of frightening guardian deities. Danjuro XI aragoto style has been refined by his son Danjuro II (1688 -1758) even then it still remains a rough dynamic style. Kumadori or following the shadow is a striking form of makeup used for many aragoto roles. It consists of red, blue , black or grey lines in bold. Kumadori does not mask the expression unlike ching painted face make up in Chinese opera as the lines follow the natural musculature of the face. This form of make-up projects the expression with great clarity and force. To act aragato style it is said that the actor must imagine the virility and self confidence of a sixteen year old. The actor who performs with the required degree of physical force the play demands in examples such as The House of Sugawara (Sugawara Denju Tenari Kagami) in the role of matsuomaru is generally warned that he may suffer stomach cramps during the run. Skill in elocution is cherished in aragoto. It‟s a necessity in aragato that the voice of the hero is high pitched and reverberates strongly. All the physical resources of the actor must be channelled toward powerful expression of heroic action in aragoto. Danjuro IX was known for his powerful pitch that could be heard from couple of blocks away during his performances. Abstract sound and not sentences is used during the hero‟s highest emotional peaks. “yattoko tottcha na! “ which is the final line from the play “Wait a Moment” is a fine example of this scenario. This line or phrase doesn‟t have a particular meaning literally but allows the actor to demonstrate through sound his heroic presence as the curtain closes. 58 Wagoto Unlike Aragoto which is rough style Wagoto is a soft style performance. KyotoOsaka actors brought forth the style of wagoto and it reflects especially the gentle refinement of imperial Kyoto. Wagoto hero is delicate to the point of weakness through over refinement or an absence of vigorous qualities similar to that traditionally associated with women or girls. He is spineless, penniless, irresponsible, yet immensely attractive as a lover. Sakata Tojuro (1674-1709) a great Kyoto actor is credited for creating wagoto acting in his portrayal of the beautiful young man who visits a prostitute. He came to fame in 1678 when he played the role of a disinherited merchant Izaemon who loved the prostitute Yugiri. He played this role a total of eighteen times in his entire career. Izaemon and Yugiri constitutes most of the Kabuki plays written for Tojuro by Chikamatsu Monzaemon(1653-1724) He was Japan‟s greatest playwright. Realism forms the essence of wagoto acting and is most suited to dialogue drama. Rooted in the youthful beauty of the leading actor it is surprisingly also a comic style, the term hando or half comic was used to illustrate wagoto acting. The contrast between the actor‟s physical attractiveness and momentary pitiful condition gives rise to humour in such acting. The Hero‟s imprudence is laughed upon by the audience because it seems like he need not seriously pursue the woman he is meeting .The wagoto leading man in kabuki served as model for townsman lover of the many love suicide plays written by Chikamatsu for the puppet theatre. The woman pursues this merchant in spite of his lack of money and status and his pouting bad manners only because of his beauty. The feminine quality can be seen today in the way wagoto actor stands with his feet close together and toes pointing very much like a Japanese woman rather than a broad masculine stance with feet at a ninety degree angle. The conventional style 59 of conversation is least affected by aragoto but again taken as a whole the manner of portraying the wagoto hero became more feminine. Laid-back and pleasing to the eye love scenes known as nuregoto came to be the specialty of wagoto acting unlike the violent fighting scenes of aragoto. Between 1800 and 1840 wagoto love scenes were infamous for their lewdness. The true wagoto fusion of comic and erotic is largely lost .Much of the outer form of wagoto acting style still remains in the elegant mannerisms of movement and in the special wagoto vocal style not thin and high but soft and sounding like the second string of the shamisen. Maruhon Maruhon or puppet style originated outside of kabuki unlike Danmari, aragoto and wagoto which were all pure kabuki acting styles that were created within kabuki by kabuki performers. During the middle decades of the 18th century is when this style developed. This development occurred when a large number of new and immensely successful Joruri or puppet plays were incorporated into Kabuki by the actors. Before Maruhon actors in Kabuki always thought of themselves as collaborators in creating a play text. They were not self conscious in changing lines of dialogue that the troupe‟s resident play wrights had written for them. However this was not the case in Joruri as the text was held sacred to even deviate a little bit from. The text was set to music and the performance began with the fully composed text. The puppets were manipulated to exemplify and act out the meaning of the text. The complete meshing of the movements of the puppets with the rhythm of the chanted text and the accompaniment of the shamisen forms the essence of the art of the puppet theatre. During the performance a chanter could not improvise new words to the text because that could throw off the prearranged puppet movements 60 and vice versa the puppeteers could not add any new actions because that could throw off the chanter. Similarly when Kabuki actors started performing to these Joruri texts, they realized that not only did they have to conform to already established patterns of physical actions that were taken from the puppets, but also they had to time their acting to match the music and chanting of a newly imported team of Joruri chanter and Shamisen play. This team was called “chobo” and soon this became a part of the Kabuki troupe. This led to a new Kabuki acting style. The term Maruhon refers to the “full script” of a puppet play that was used as the basis of for a kabuki adaptation. Narrative comment enjoys the most emphasis in a maruhon performance style. The chobo chanter provides extensive exposition of past events, descriptions of time and place to set the scene along with delineation of character traits and sometimes even omniscient commentary on the probable consequences of a character‟s actions. These functions were absent in Danmari, Aragoto and Wagoto style performance because there was no narrator. Maruhon style added a completely new dimension to Kabuki. This style of performance was denser, more reflective and also slower in tempo. In case of usual Kabuki, the action begins when the curtain is run open , a few bars of offstage (geza ) music sets the scene and the actors enter and start performing. However in case of a maruhon act, when the curtain is run open a lengthy passage of chobo narration describes the situation and the scene in weighty drawn out phrases with musical elaboration. The play only begins after several minutes. Descriptive passages require more time than the tempo of the actor‟s movements hence it is greatly slowed down. Furi is a generic term in Kabuki meaning „pantomimic movement‟, In case of maruhon acting Furi movement plays an important part. More emphasis is placed on everyday gestures of eating, drinking tea, opening doors, combing hair, 61 dressing and many others. It is based on the gestures of the puppets. Furi movements are generally accompanied by narration which describes either action directly or the emotion underlying it. It is performed by male characters and by actors playing female roles, the onnagata. The puppet like quality of movements may be deliberately emphasized by the onnagata in a technique called ningyomi meaning body of the puppet. A movement easily recognized as ningyomi is when a woman turns her back on the audience, and then lowers her body slightly and looks over her shoulder. This is ushiroburi or back movement and is intricate and stunning movement for a puppet to make. It may be very easy for an actor; however they are enamoured by the human actor moving like a puppet. In ningyoburi or puppet movement the actor is manoeuvred on stage by an acting aide just as if the actor were a puppet. Ningyomi is fundamental and is quite often seen in plays done in maruhon style, ningyoburi however is used only in definite dance plays and then for the most part as a device to demonstrate an actor‟s mastery of skill. In Joruri every line is taken by the chanter, but in maruhon performance the actors themselves speak many and sometimes all of the dialogue lines. Shosagoto Dance style in Kabuki is referred to as Shosagoto. The most complex of the performance styles is Shosagoto because it takes in three distinct types of dance namely Odori, Mai and Furi. Odori is the main dance strain. Kabuki gets its name from Kabuki odori which Okuni created out of great array of dance forms which existed as popular, street and folk dances towards the end of 16th Century. These were referred to as furyu odori meaning dances of fashion. They were the most happening dances of that period. 62 Basic distinctiveness of odori is its liveliness and that it involves leaping in the air. Within shosagoto dance form, individual dances which express each dancer‟s personality and group dances (soodori) are important segments. Namba, in which the arm and leg on the same side of the body move in unison, is a characteristic odori dance step. Mai is dance derived from noh and to a lesser extent from other related dance forms. Buddhist ennen no mai or the longevity dance; rustic ta mai or field dance; popular shirabyoshi mai performed by troupes of professional girls and others are some of the types. By the time of Kabuki, mai indicated a wide variety of folk or religious and classic dance in which deliberate movement and turning or pivoting, rather than lively leaping as in odori, were central to dance technique (Gunji suggests mai is related to the verb mawaru meaning turn) . The mai at rest posture places the weight equally on both feet which contrasts with the typical kabuki posture in which one foot is thrust strongly forward of the other and the weight. Apart from these five major performance styles, there are other forms and acting techniques that form the Kabuki performance as mentioned below: Kata Actors in Kabuki created a rich vocabulary of acting techniques that gradually crystallized over the years into codified customs of performance .The literal form, pattern or traditional model in performing are called Kata. The central element of kata involves the actor‟s vocal and movement techniques. Production elements such as costuming, make -up and scenic effects are considered as extensions of the Kabuki actor‟s technique and they are usually discussed as part of kata or acting. Kata of „patterned acting‟ has been polished and perfected over generations and has formed the foundation of kabuki performing art. Traditional kata performed by 63 the best actors strongly reminds us of ukiyoe woodblock prints with respect to economy of means, strong visual design and vividness of execution. Popular cultures of Tokugawa Japan are manifested in both Kabuki and ukiyoe as they both are bravura arts. Kata exist in such vast numbers and vivid variety that it is no easy task to segregate them into rational and understandable system. On a general level, Japanese writers discuss kata on two levels: Broad overall styles of performance Specific performance technique In addition to this most actors have created individual kata that are personal variations of specific performance techniques. Furi The aspects in Kabuki that are pantomimic are identified as furi. The pantomimic sequences in dance plays have a fan, small towel, hat, cane, drum or other small musical instrument used a property. The actor performs a number of dance variations of the movements associated with the property. Furi in dance plays is more abstract, less realistic unlike furi in puppet derived plays where in it tends to be a literal step by step pantomime of realistic actions. Maruhon furi is narrative or story telling in aim, shusagoto furi tends to be lyric and aesthetic in aim. Ateburi is an extreme form in which each syllable is accompanied by miming an object of the same sound. Fuseiburi or elegant furi complements a verbal image with a visual image which is related to it without duplicating that image. Fuseiburi demands a subtlety of expression that is not required in ateburi. Onnagata actors like Ukon Genzaemon as early as adult kabuki were staking out dance style performances as the exclusive province of the performer of female 64 roles and establishing reputations in kabuki by their dancing . Hengemono or change piece in particular provided exceptional opportunity for the onnagata actor to display his personal attractiveness and his technical skill the most and hence became extraordinarily popular. In hengemono , the leading onngata actor changes costume during performance, the number of times determined by the theme of the play (the three beauties, the four seasons, the five colours , the six mountains , on up to the twelve months). Actor Mizuki Tatsunosuke danced the first multiple change play in Kyoto in 1697, this was a seven change performance. The development of true dance-dramas or buyogeki had to wait almost another century. Nakamura Nakazo from 1780‟s and excellent dancer was the one to create a number of male roles in dance plays. He played the role of the onnagata‟s antagonist. Tokiwazu and kiyomoto, new styles of dance music were being developed at the same time. In the year 1840 the famous shosagoto play The Subscription List was first performed. Benkei, the leading role was a male role created by Danjuro VII and in the total cast of eleven there was no female role at all. The Subscription List was closely modelled on the Noh play Ataka. Noh style enunciation, mai dance movements, Noh style costumes and Noh dramatic structure are all apparent in it. During the meiji period a score of dance dramas were created following the lead of The Subscription List for the actors Danjuro IX (1838-1903) and Onoe Kikugoro V (1844-1904) and Onoe Kikugoro VI (18851945). This includes Benkei in the Boat (Funa Benkei) , The Thorn Tree (Ibaraki) , The Monstrous Spider(Tsuchigumo) and The Angel‟s Robe(Hagoromo). The Plays that deliberatively exhibit their Noh or Noh-Kyogen origins are called matsubame or the Pine and board pieces because their settings copy the wooden planking painted with a pine tree which forms the back wall of the Noh Stage. It is characteristic of a matsubame dance play that it exists in just one adaptation for it 65 is based on a predetermined model in Noh while other shosagoto pieces may exist in several versions. Okina a laudatory piece in Noh has been thespian in Kabuki from early times. The spiritual nature of the play in Noh is apparent in the fact that the central dance is one celebrating long life. It is performed by the character Okina, the old man. In Genroku period, the role of Okina was performed by the old master of the kabuki troupe, the most respected performer,Senzai by the nimaime, the juvenile lead and Sanbaso by the tachiyaku the leading man. Today the troupe‟s leading man dances Okina, which is now a small role , the chief comic plays Senzai and whoever the troupe‟s most accomplished dancer is performs Sanbaso, now the major dancing role Broad Categories of Kabuki Plays Kabuki plays are divided into two major categories - Historical plays and Domestic plays. Historical Plays Historical plays as the name conveys is the depiction of catastrophic events and particulars of history. These plays were written to be used as puppet plays during ancient times. At some point back in the early 18th century, Bunraku (puppet theatre) almost became much more famous than kabuki itself. This in turn had an after effect on the stylized acting skills of the Kabuki performers. Vocal and Instrumental, both types of music were part of dance dramas. At instances, they might just be bits and pieces of dance scenes, but at times they can be an entire story. 66 Domestic Plays Most often as the name indicates, they are based on the day to day life of a common man. Pragmatism is the basis of domestic drama. There are certain cases when the acting and also the other factors on the stage becomes more than something that‟s realistic, this places importance on the enunciation of the words and also the usage of magnificent colors. E). Aesthetics of Kabuki acting Kabuki in its „fusion‟ form dominates the theatre of Japan. It is a true combination of various elements of art. Graphics, drama, dance, and music have been fused into a perfect masterpiece of art. While one play is different from the other in its prioritization of elements, it will still contain all the elements of the fusion. This enables the feelings and moods created by the fusion to be of consistent existence in all Kabuki plays. Kabuki with its masterful interpretation of all the elements of theatre, has managed to outgrow the old Japanese quote, “Art is the palm of the hand and the arts are the fingers”. It combined arts so that the resultant form was effective as a whole and yet maintained each art‟s elementary purpose. Gracefulness belongs to dance and rhythm, pace and dynamic movements belong to music. Among other things the actors are the most dominating factors of Kabuki. They use the plays as means to show forth their plentiful skills, talents and to earn the recognition they deserve. They are divided into various „acting families‟ with each acting family being identified by its own individual style. 67 The actors playing women were not made to imitate women so much as give meaning to their expressions. This was welcomed well by the audience and went on to maintain itself even after women were allowed to act. Dance influences acting in Kabuki. Every act or gesture is made with a dance-like movement. The technique of the actor setting himself in posture, assuming a stare and crossing his eyes is a wise technique adopted by Kabuki to sufficiently influence the audience during a climactic scene. Music dominates speech just like dance dominates acting in Kabuki. The texts and words used are always accompanied by music or song and there isn‟t a dialogue that is plainly textual. In Kabuki there are plays based on profound tragedies where the hero usually ends up making the most severe sacrifices, sourcing these texts from puppet plays. Performance is the unification of all the essentials in general theatre. The audience gets to be in front of the stage and view the hand written words turn into action. They also have the luxury of being presented with the complexities of other vital stuff like costuming, sound and make-up. One of the essential parts of Kabuki theatre is its Make-up. The character of the actor that plays a role in the play is suggested by the embellished make-up that he wears. The appearance of hero in a mystical role is stunning and pompous while the onnagata the female performer‟s appearance is quite delicate and sophisticated to a great extent. There is an enormous variety in the styles of make up with more accentuation of the eyebrows and lips. The make-up is generally prepared with rice powder; the vital color is always white. Illustration of good is with the color red and bad by the color blue. Red signifies supremacy and good quality and blue signifies distrust and terror. Costuming also plays a significant role like make-up with representation of 68 predominant traits and characteristics with the experimentation using different types of fabrics and colors. The greatest statures of a character are usually portrayed by the exaggerated use of designs, vibrancy in colors and models. Unlike in the cases of regular day to day clothes from the Edo era used in domestic plays. Outstanding robes and large wigs were part of historical plays. Onnagatas‟ costumes were known for their magnificence in most dance dramas. Shamisen which is a three stringed instrument which is similar to a balalaika, is played with a plectrum and it plays the most crucial role in Kabuki theatre, this is used along with percussion and a flute. Hyshigi, which is a wooden clapper, is used to derive that special effect in the music of kabuki. In most cases the audience cannot see the musicians except in dance dramas where music is more central to the play. The actors get their cue to perform and deliver the monologues and conversations in the play when music begins as the curtain is drawn. 69 Kabuki Stage EVOLUTION OF THE KABUKI STAGE (1) O.‟Hurry‟-door(Okubyo-guchi) A.Curtained Entrance(Agemaku) D.Daijinbashira RS. Rear stage (Atoza) 70 F.Forestage(Tsukebutai) S.Stage proper (honbutai) H.‟Bridge‟ (Hashigakari) W.Waki-Za M. Metsukebashira EVOLUTION OF THE KABUKI STAGE(2) A.Curtained Entrance (Agemaku) M.Metsukebashira 71 B.Boxes (Sajiki) O.‟Hurry‟-door (Okubyo-guchi DC.Draw Curtain (Hikimaku) P.Pre-Forestage (Harigashi) F.Forestage (Tsukebutai) R.revolving stage (Mawari-butai) H.‟Bridge‟ (Hashigakari) S.Stage proper (honbutai) HA.Hanamichi T. Trap lifts I.Inner revolving stage (Janaomemawashi) TH.Teporary Hanamichi X.Rakandai F). Acting Techniques Even today when the strictures are less binding than in the past, no other Japanese theatrical art displays the role-specialization that is found in Kabuki. Kabuki roles can be broadly divided into male and female, both of which are played by men. Actors of male roles are known as tachiyaku and female roles are called oyama. The word tachiyaku literally means „one whose role is to stand (and dance) and was intended to distinguish the actors from the musicians who performed while seated. With the advent of the female impersonator, tachiyaku came to designate either male-role actors as a whole of the actors of the leading male roles. The word oyama is now designated to a female impersonator; originally it was referred to a courtesan in the Osaka-Kyoto region. The portrayal of these courtesans marked the highest point in an actor's career, the word became a synonym for the actor's of such roles and eventually for female impersonators in general. The more neutral term onnagata is usually preferred over oyama since it‟s more pejorative. There is also another term available for the female impersonators' use – mezzanine or chunikai. 72 The story behind this term's origination is very simple. In Edo, buildings of more than three storeys were prohibited by law because of the danger from earthquakes and fire. However kabuki theatres were three storey structures, but they besieged the prohibition by referring to the second storey as the mezzanine. It was here that the dressing rooms of the female impersonators were found; hence they started being identified as such owing to its locus and role. The creation of the female impersonator in Kabuki is without collateral in any other developed theatrical tradition. Peking opera is where female impersonator once found but they have been replaced by actresses over the passing of time. This leaves kabuki as the sole theatrical form in the world in which the female impersonator is prerequisite. The phenomenon of actors playing female roles in kabuki dates back to 1629 when women were officially banned from the stage. It is still debated in certain parts that the female impersonator is a remnant of the feudal past and that the institution should be scrapped and actresses introduced instead. This is a naïve and unacceptable argument. The presence of actresses on the kabuki stage would constitute a denial of the entire artistic history of Kabuki from the time of the first female impersonator to the present day. The removal of the art and aura of the oyama would mean a radical transformation of aesthetic and artistic values fostered over three hundred years. Without Rolespecialization, Kabuki is devoid of meaning. Kabuki is a drama of stylization and it is indispensable, that its acting styles and conventions be transmitted from one generation to the next is a bare minimum necessity. Great emphasis has always been placed on the type of roles that a particular family of actors has made its speciality. The actor's art has been passed on to him through this family lineage mostly a direct blood descendant, or an adopted child or in some cases a chosen pupil (who assumes the family name). When an actor 73 succeeds to a new name, he also inherits the acting traditions connected with it as well as the responsibility of maintaining them. Examples of such cases would be in: - Ichikawa Danjuro line which specializes in the style known as 'rough business'.In Sawamura Sojuro line and its 'soft business'(wagoto) style.In Onoe family with its tradition of performing ghost plays. In addition to these, complete plays may be associated with one particular line or family. The Kabuki juhachiban (Kabuki Eighteen) is an example which is a group of eighteen plays long connected with the Ichikawa Danjuro line. They illustrate the rough style of acting as a collection, which was a speciality of the Danjuro line. Specific performances techniques concern the second level of Kata. Kata on the second level can be divided into Acting techniques which includes both voice and movement Techniques of Costume make up and wigs used by the actor Staging techniques which support the actor. Mie The most significant and also the most striking of the standard movement kata in kabuki is mie. An actor „winds up‟ with arms and legs ,moves his head in a circular motion then with a snap of the head, freezes into a dynamic pose to perform mie. Mie for a moment halts the action of the play and intensifies its emotion. Mie is held for several seconds then is progressively relaxed and the play continues. This basic pattern of progress will be varied considerably to suit different types of scenes. Like for example head movements may be vertical or circular or feet may be spread or together. The actor may speak while performing a mie; however it is a common principle of kabuki acting to move and to speak in succession rather 74 than at the same time. Hence it is more customary for the actor to speak before and after mie rather than throughout its movement. The strongest mie are accompanied by the sound of wooden clappers; softer mie are performed in silence without dialogue, music or sound effects. Mie almost without doubt originated in aragoto acting. The mie posture of arms akimbo, fists clenched and feet extensively planted apart can be seen in prints as early as 1688-1699. In most influential types of mie, the actor crosses one eye over the other (nirami) to make his expression vicious. There are many types of mie. The most common is Genroku mie, named after the Genroku period (1688-ca. 1723) in which it was created. One arm is raised behind the body with fist clenched and the opposite leg is thrust forward. An example of this would be Saba Goro‟s pose at the conclusion of The Maid of Dojo Temple .In soku or sheaf mie the actor stands straight, heels together, head up. This indicates a self contained proud attitude and shows to good advantage an actor with an attractive physique. In fudo mie, the actor clasps a Buddhist rosary in the upturned fist of his left hand and holds a sword upright in his right hand at chest level, reproducing the well known statue pose of the fierce god Fudo. A stone throwing mie captures the moment after the action of throwing. Yoko or profile mie, Yurei of Ghost mie and hashiramakai or wrapped around a post mie take their names from their distinctive poses. These were mie for the single actor, there are other types which are performed by two or three or sometimes more actors together.Tenchijin or heaven earth man mie describes a group mie for three people and takes its name from the fact that the main actor centre is visually the highest and the actors to the right and left of him are progressively lower. 75 A two actor mie in which one is high and the other low is called tenchi or heavenearth mie. The actor in the heaven position often mounts a small platform to increase the grandeur of the pose. Hippari or pulling mie illustrates conflicting emotions of a number of characters on stage at the same time. An act or scene is often finished with hippari mie. Roppo Roppo or the conceited walk is a second movement kata, the literal meaning of which is „six directions‟ movement. Roppo exhibits to good advantage an actor‟s handsome appearance and masculine carriage. It originated in pre-genroku kabuki and is based on the swashbuckling walk (tanzen roppo) affected by young men parading themselves through the licensed quarters and before the bathhouses where unofficial prostitutes worked. A number of vigorous roppo have been created which conclude a play with the hero‟s exit down the hanamichi. Tobi roppo or flying roppo is the best known of these. The actor moves down the hanamichi in great leaps and bounds, his arms and legs literally flying in six directions. The onnagata actor playing in the role of the one armed demon in the Thorn tree exits down the hanamichi in katate or one armed roppo.Tadanobu, the fox in The Thousand Cherry Trees of Yoshitsune performs kitsune or fox‟s roppo. Tachimawari Tachimawari, literal meaning „standing and turning about‟ is a stylized combat and is the third type of movement kata. These combats are the most active scenes in kabuki and are highly spectacular. Tachimawari consists of linked sequences of movements not found elsewhere in performance. Sections with Tachimawari 76 culminate in mie. The actions are performed to geza music (especially the drums) and they are reinforced by cadenced patterns, beaten out by wooden clappers. There are two types of Tachimawari movements. Slow motion, extremely stylized slashing or stabbing actions of a character who is attempting to murder an opponent. Each attack culminates in a mie. The movements form a grotesquely beautiful dance of death. This kind of Tachimawari has not attracted much attention from Japanese scholars and remains to be analyzed in detail. The Second type of Tachimawari pits a single hero against a group of constables, monks or gallants dressed alike who move in unison as in a dance chorus (called yoten). They may number as many as twenty or thirty and they attack the hero, and sometimes en masse, sometimes in groups of eight or six or four, and sometimes singly in quick succession carrying identical weapons(swords, poles , buckets , or in cases of shosagoto flowering branches). The purpose of the attack is to capture the hero and not to kill him. The Hero demonstrates his prowess by easily defeating them without actual weapon or body contact. Movement Kata in these group battles is generically termed tate. Sequences conclude in beautiful formal poses. The essence of tate movement is effortlessness, a deft movement, a sharp lunge, a quick dodging, a stylized flick of the hand to send an adversary flying. The movements are impassive but beautiful. In other fight scenes the hero, the heroine, fights one or two opponents of equal rank using as a rule a sword or sometimes poles. Such a scene is illustrated using the same tate movements as a group battle Acrobatic flips (tombo-gaeri) are a striking part of tate.A somersault symbolizes the death of the attacker. He may jump from a platform or into the river or lake. The nature of some of these acrobatic techniques is apparent in their names. Body cutting (kirimi), monkey flip, slow flip, somersault of a corpse and linked flips. 77 Conclusion While witnessing a Kabuki dance-drama, the spectator must be ready to forget realities for the time being and also be prepared for a complete and “willing suspension of disbelief” as Kabuki contains much fantasy, myth and symbolism which cannot stand rational analysis or criticism. . What is interesting to note is the links of Kabuki with Indian dance. In one of the performance that involved a big mimetic dance in which the Ferryman told of how the boy abandoned at the village by a slaver, fell ill and died, calling out his mother‟s name. This theme provided a great scope for the dramatic talents of the Ferryman who reacted to every detail of the story in a similar way as Kathakali dancer would have done. 78 CHAPTER -4 THE AESTHETIC ASPECTS AND CHARACTER STRUCTURE IN KATHAKALI AND KABUKI. 79 CHAPTER -4 THE AESTHETIC ASPECTS AND CHARACTER STRUCTURE IN KATHAKALI AND KABUKI. Introduction Japan was one of the Asian countries that were influenced by the Indian art, music and dance. Nearly 1300 years ago, one of the oldest form of dance called Bugaku, roots its origination from India, through Tibet and China along with the spread of Buddhism. The melodies that accompany Bugaku still refer to the old Sanskrit names. The dramatic expression through gestures, facial expression and movements for the sung words provides more evidence on the Indian influence. There are many similarities between Indian and Japanese dances and these can be seen even in Kabuki. It is also believed that the tradition of employing female dances in the religious shrines in Japan must be an influence of India art and culture. While there are many similarities between Kathakali and Kabuki, the dance-lovers can point out marked difference between them too. Some of the differences arise due to the basic approach to aesthetics of the two cultures and also in the origin. In this chapter the scholar explains the common factors of Kathakali and Kabuki. 80 A). Kathakali and Kabuki Fundamental Elements and Common Factors in Acting The concept of rasa or the aesthetic mood is the unique feature of dance in India. The moods can be depicted in various ways either through gestures, movements or the way the phrase is sung. The approach that culminates into a mood or rasa is what makes the Indian dance so rich. While the Japanese dancing, miming is highly symbolic and the principle is to find the ultimate gesture, phase, pose that highlights the essence. While Kathakali focuses on stories of Hindu epics and mythology, one who wants to enjoy Kabuki should be ready to be in a world of fantasy, myth and symbolism keeping aside the rational analysis or criticism. Kabuki is a spectacular combination of song, dance and acting, so is Kathakali with a combination of natya, nritta and abhinaya with a background of classical music. One can also trace the origin of Kabuki to the tradition that is similar to Kathakali. During the 17th century, the Kathakali flourished in the temples and resulted in a fusion of religious beliefs and artistic tradition. It is said that the creator of Kabuki known as Okuni was a shrine maiden in the shrine of Izumo and performed in Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. Both of these dance-drama forms are performed by male artists. Although in the initial years, Kabuki was performed by female dancers attached to religious shrines, later government banned female dancers. The best looking boy is selected for female roles. They are provided intensive training and encouraged to look, behave like females even in real life. As Kabuki tends to give larger-than-life sort of image, the female gestures needs exaggeration as well as project strong personality of female characters. This is made possible only through rigorous training and vigorous dance style which could possibly be done by maleimpersonators rather than small, petite Japanese actresses. 81 One of the reasons that can be attributed to male dominance is also the rigor in the training process. The Kathakali as a dance-drama is one of the highest forms of yoga, demanding long and arduous years of training with utmost dedication. The dance life of Kathakali student is similar to one of Yoga. The female roles, played by young boys or men have to specialize and excel in these roles that projects grace and beauty. The Kabuki actor training is also very stringent and the students need to abide by the laws of complete obedience to his teacher, has a thorough understanding of classical forms as well as immense concentration. This „religious dedication‟ inculcates „spiritual concentration‟ that helps them withstand long process of make-up and throw themselves into the stage in full spirit and live up the characters they enact. The male impersonator undergoes special trainings to bring in exaggerated female gestures on to the stage. Kathakali centers on the endless stories of great Hindu epics such as Mahabharata and Ramayana. The characters are therefore Gods, demons, saintly mortals and various other mythological and supernatural beings. Each of these characters can be recognized by the facial make up as well as the costumes. The noble and heroic characters enacted for the mythological heroes such as Ram, Krishna, Arjuna are represented by green facial make-up or otherwise called Pachcha. Black or Kari indicates sinful characters. Fierce or angry personalities have red beards to highlight the demoniacal nature. White relates to pure and benign roles such Bhishma grandfather of Arjuna in Mahabharata. Female characters have a softlyshaded make up also called Minukku. Kabuki characters, on the other hand, revolves around characters such as lovely princess, brave Samurai, loyal servants, demons in disguise as charming prince or princess, courtesans etc. The facial make-up even in Kabuki depends on the nature 82 of characters. While red denotes bravery and chivalry, blue relates to evil characters. Kathakali performance involves numerous hand mudras and facial movements expressing the characters that are enacted. The accompanying song also helps in the story telling. To appreciate the dance fully, one may need to understand the meanings of the various hand mudras. The dancers follow the ancient rules of mudras as well body movements as a norm, however the gifted or experienced dancers have the scope of improvising to enhance creativity. On the contrary, Kabuki actor can improvise a particular role only after he has decades of acting experience and established his excellence for that role. While the numerous mudras convey the story in Kathakali, symbolic representation is the soul of Kabuki. The two main accessories used to express are the folding fan or Sensu and the, Japanese towel or Tenugui. The subtle gestures just by holding the sensu or moving it in different positions can signify the whole universe or represent variety of things such as a sword, arrow, butterfly, wind, wave or even an umbrella. Tenugui can represent a loveletter, stick, mirror etc. The dance movements include movement of the upper part of the body, quick jumps; other movements of the lower part of the body with a mix of gesture and mime, movement of legs are rarely shown. There is however a fundamental similarity between Indian classical dance such as Kathakali as well as dances of the East and that is the relationship between the dance movements and the song or the sung words as they merge together to form the wonderful expressions. Both Kathakali and Kabuki dance is supported by orchestra that play an important role in bringing life to the characters the actors enact. In Kathakali, the orchestra members are the vocalist and his assistant, the drummers and the cymbalists. The drum reflects many moods ranging from loud thunder or anger to tender whisper to reinforcing confidence. The sung words of 83 musicians, the silent dance by the actors and the language spoken through mudras and facial movements along with drumbeats converge to a fantastic display of rhythm and melody. As one of the noted researcher mentioned, “The drumbeats sometimes echo thunderously while sometimes they fall as lightly and as fast as flowers scattered”. The orchestra in Kathakali is present in the stage for the audience to view, but their attire marks extreme simplicity. On the contrary, the costumes of Kabuki orchestra are colorful, also called Kamishimo or feudal costumes. The orchestra is seated at the back centre of the stage facing the audience in a two-tiered dais. Instruments such as samisen – a long 3 stringed finger-board plucked with a plectrum, the koto a long 12 stringed harp and a number of drums like the taiko, otsuzumi, and tsumzumi are used to produce the necessary atmosphere for various emotional situations. The other interesting aspects of both the dance styles are the way both the dances and the performances are staged. The announcement about the Kathakali performance to be staged is done by tumultuous drumming, while a series of reverberating thuds on the giant-drum called taiko catches the attention of audience in a Kabuki play. The Kabuki theatre also extends the stage through the audience that brings the actor closer to the audience and helps to pause in certain „dramatic-poses‟ admits the audience. The Kathakali actors perform in the prebuilt stage, however certain characters such as demons making weird noises crash through the spectators. The Kabuki plays also utilize many stage devices or properties such as backgrounds of mountains, boats, lovely gardens, palaces, bamboo-grooves. Perfect blending of the background scenes, gorgeous costumes, fancy stories and the melody manages to magnify even the unreal and the unnatural beauty and 84 make it look real. As one of the great Kabuki actor, Kichiemon once said “The stage becomes reality and the rest of the world, a dream”. Kathakali, the stage accessories are minimal with the hand-held terissheela (curtain), oil lamp and an ordinary wooden stool. The entire mythological scenes and the supernatural atmosphere are to be created by the actors and the orchestra. The spectators of both the dance-drama experience an essence of primal passions in an unreal, unearthly atmosphere. At the end of the play they walk away, cleansed and uplifted having witnessed the Gods or the supernatural. B). Dramatic structure and style of Acting in Kathakali and Kabuki. In Kathakali The stage of Kerala is dominated by Kathakali. This domination is not only over the Indian stages but also its distinguishing qualities give it an English stage. Some of its distinguishing qualities are: The use of terms like „natya‟ and „nataka‟ which are not common to other stages of India. This approach of Kathakali to maintain its true and idealistic loyalty to the Hindu traditions of ancient times is its much acclaimed quality. The portrayal of the role of Bharata in Natya sastra is one of the prominent feathers off Kathakali‟s hat because of the perfection it attained in conveying the principalities and elements of dance and drama in a wellbalanced excellent manner. 85 Ever since Kathakali rose in popularity, art-lovers have been known to publish their own versions of the Kathakali story alongside their views that the art form is „hoary‟, „original‟ and the „only genuine art of India‟. Some of them have been quoted claiming the traditions of Kathakali are more ancient than that of Bharata Natya and that its real origination can be traced back to a civilization that existed before the age of Aryan. Despite the above claims, the scholars of Kerala confirm the original theory of Kathakali‟s origin during the latter part of the 17th century. The pages of Kairali have recorded a controversy between Mr. Krishnan Nair from the Malayalam section of the Madras University Oriental Research Department and Mr. Ullur Parameswara Iyer in relation to Kathakali‟s date of origin. Kathakali originated 400 years back and not during the 17th century, this view is still much better than Kathakali being called older than Bharata.This story however does not lack cause or grounds. It has been written that Kathakali or Attakkatha, basically its first form (Ramanattam) was devised by a chief of Kottarakkara Swarupam and arose out of a purely Sanskrit drama called Krishnattam. At that time Sanskrit drama was what ruled the stage. Similarly, Sanskrit dramas were also staged in parts in Kerala by the Chakyars (Krishnattam, Koodiyattam, and Prabandham) and these were based out of Bharata‟s Natya Sastra. Besides all these findings, it was also found that the greatest of all influences on Kathakali was from Koodiyattam and Chakyar Koottu which were two older dramatic representations at the time. It was also made sufficiently clear that Bharata Natya was widely known during this period and like a banyan tree and its pan-Hindu branching sprouted provincial shoots which then grew into the provincial varieties of Bharata‟s art. It is true that Kathakali is the perfect replication of Bharata. India‟s classical language is Sanskrit just as Sudraka, Bhavabhuti, and Kalidasa are the classical 86 poets of India. It is also true that Bharata Muni of Natya Sastra consisted of 36 chapters that have been the basis of Sanskrit dramas and were widely performed during the ancient times of India. Bharata Muni was therefore concluded to be the classical dance art of ancient India. Kathakali is an „uparupika‟ just as Natya has the „rupaka‟ and „uparupaka‟ divisions. Kathakali‟s „uparupika‟ is „bhavabhinaya‟ which means the „vachika‟ or speech is missing making it a speechless show. These forms of Bharata Natya and its characteristics combined forms „abhinaya‟, the gesture language. Varieties of dance and unfinished drama contain an abundance of natyadharmi which is idealized action and this necessitates a lot of abhinaya. Kathakali‟s absence of speech thus contributes to its required abhinaya abundance. There are vast amounts of dramas that were popular and are still enacted even in the Tamil land which are faithfully based on Bharata art. To state facts, Kathakali of Malabar is the mute brother of Terukkoottu in Tamil lands. If it wishes to disclaim the relationship it can only exceed to the extent of Malayalam disclaiming its Tamil origin. Though Terukkoottu that is now performed on the streets of Tamil villages took its birth from Bharata‟s art, it was till recent times packed with „abhinaya‟. It can be said without doubt that Terukkoottu is to Tamil just as Yakshagana is to Karnataka, Kathakali is to Malabar and Veethinataka is to Andhra. They are all similar in nature except for unavoidable differences due to the differences of location. Kathakali being a speechless art it is termed „nritya‟ instead of „natya‟. Various other discoveries were made on points that were not noticed before in Kathakali. Like the fact that „Sringara‟ or love is overdone in Kathakali and vulgarity (gramyatva) is not non-existent. „Tandava‟ or „tandava mode‟ is the existence of masculinity and vigor in dance performed by men. This is prevalent in Kathakali making it a „tandava‟. Kathakali 87 has also managed to deviate from „abhinaya‟ as mentioned in Bharata‟s text. When the „mudras‟ chart is used in comparison it can be clearly noted that kathakali stands apart .The „Mudras‟ of Kathakali displays influence from various artists of lower standings. In Kabuki Formalized acting Formalization is most effectively demonstrated in the acting in Kabuki, it is one of the aesthetic principles and the very foundation of the art form. It is a custom for an actor to study his predecessor‟s model and perfect the style before he prepares himself for a role in a classical play. Over the period in the development of kabuki such a model style of formalization has become symbolic which was originally intended to produce a realistic representation. In the case of most kabuki plays the most simplest of gestures turn out to be more of dancing than to acting .Every single part of gesticulation is accompanied by music. Abstraction has taken over the formalization action of the character to such an extent that it‟s no longer relevant or has any kind of rational interpretation with the direct contact of the role. Mie being a unique technique in Kabuki still retains the principle of formalized beauty. This technique is used by the actor in at the close of a classical play or at times in climatic moments by momentarily in a pictorial posture and assumes a stare and crosses his eyes. Kabuki tends to place the most emphasis on statuesque beauty in this unique style of acting. Idealized elocution is the essence of realistic domestic play more than that of naturalism. Long monologues have more prioritization between singing and ordinary conversation. Often case is when even dialogues and monologues are recited to accompaniment of music. Movement assumes the form of a modified 88 form of dancing and hence is more rhythmic along with the action on the stage. Colour Scheme Another fundamental characteristic in Kabuki drama is the inculcation of spectacular beauty. Extravagance with respect to costumes and make-up in Kabuki Drama is commonly recognized by theatre people around the world. Kabuki owes its popularity to a very large extent to its pictorial beauty. The dazzling effect it has on the audience's eyes with its wonderful spectacle of the superb colours ensures full enjoyment even if the plot of the story is not convincing enough. Acoustic elements Music is the soul of the art of kabuki drama. Instruments take both independence and accompaniment in various forms. Primary instrument is a three stringed one that similar to balalaika which is played along with plectrum also known as shamisen. Shamisen music is associated with the entire body of kabuki music. The inanimate atmosphere of the stage is brought to life with the music as soon as the curtain opens in almost every case of a historical or domestic play. Being placed in the left corner of the stage the musicians are well hidden from the audience's view. The actor conducts his dialogue and performance and is cued on with the music starting of which also serves as a leadoff. Music forms a more dominant part in cases of dance-dramas as the musicians are in full view of the audience. Based on various schools, Kabuki can be classified into about a dozen categories.nagauta, tokiwazu, kiyomoto and gidayu -which is most often used in drama adapted from the puppet theatre are some of the most frequently used today. Audio effects also play an important part in kabuki performance along with music. The sounding of wooden clappers at the opening and closing of a kabuki play forms one of the most unique among others , this is also repeated in rhythmical 89 staccato measures .Throughout the course of the play these wooden clappers are also used as a musical percussion. C). Innovations and experiments in Kathakali and Kabuki and Its Acting Techniques. Drama is the soul of Kathakali. The dance drama follows the technique of Nritya, Abhinaya and other classical styles. Kathakali takes the anatomic structure of the human body seriously by making use of the muscular and skeleton parts of the human body in its structure. Unlike other forms of dance, Kathakali focuses on the use of the muscles and priority is given to facial muscles, making the movement of these parts one of the most essential elements in the training routine it employs for new dancers. The positioning of the body has the dancer standing feet apart, soles touching the ground and the knees turned out, taking the shape of a rectangle or a square. This position was coined Mandala sthana by Bharata. This shape gives the dancer the ability to cover space in the same shape as he is. The left foot is met by the right covering one part of the square. The dancer comes back to the first corner after touching the second corner and the third corner of the rectangle by only touching four points of the rectangle in whole. The dancer with the use of his arms and hands moves in shapes of squares or rectangles or clearly-drawn diagonals of these squares and rectangles. While the hands execute figures of eight and the eyes follow these movements occasionally, the movement is restricted to the imaginary geometric pattern initially constructed. Unlike Bharatanatyam, the knees are kept turned out with a distance between the feet is maintained at two to three feet. The body is used as one unit or occasionally two when the torso is divided into upper and lower parts. The technique includes characteristics like jumps, leaps, spirals, and sweeps. The 90 extension of the leg is part of the routine and the shifting of weight from one leg to the other is done with ease. An essential part of the dancer‟s training is the use of the facial muscles separately. The movement of the eyeballs, eyebrows, and lower eyelids are used precisely as described in Natyasastra unlike any other dance form in India. The training is not considered complete without the mastery of these movements. The Nritta parts of Kathakali has the dancer executing jumps and leg-extensions while still covering space in the rectangular and square shapes within a Tala or time cycle. The Kalasams are the units of nritta positions and can be compared to the toras and tukras of the Kathak technique or the Tirmanams of the Bharatanatyam technique. As in Bhratanatyam and Kathak, the dance patterns conclude in multiples of three called Araddis. Adakkams and Tomakarams are other types of nritta sequences and are based on different types of system manipulation. Pure nritta technique appears as a prologue to the dance dramas. The todayam and the purappadu are two typical nritta numbers. In both the numbers, the dancer starts the movement with the slow pace of the metrical cycle and follows it with the mnemonics of the chenda and mandalam, thus executing the nritta patterns. The arm or hand gestures are not too much and are usually only variations between the hamsasya and the alapadma. The fundamental unit of rhythm is the Kalasams. Just as in Bharatanatyam, multiple Kalasams are sometimes used and these conclude in multiples of three or as mentioned above making them longer than the smaller units. Baliya Kalasams are the bigger Kalasams. The Vattam Vachchu Kalasam represents the movement in space in circular shapes. The longest and largest Kalasam is the Asthakalasam. This includes the combination of 8 units that are different in each nature and 91 constituting a Champa Tala or a 10-beat metrical cycle. The point to be noted is the fact the passages of nritta are a part of the whole dramatic spectacle. The Kalasams work in moods (Bhava) that are usually emotional. While the passages are sometimes delivered in a compassionate mood, at other times they are delivered in an abrupt manner. The delivery always depends on the mood of the play and the dramatic situation. They are introduced in a number of ways like for example: the big Baliya or large Kalasams are delivered in scenes of heroism or battle whereas the Araddis Kalasams are delivered in scenes of romance or heroism and the Astha kalasams are delivered only at particular occasions. These are interrupted only by the padas being sung and usually precede or follow the abhinaya which is sung by the principal and the supporter. As in Choliyattam, the abhinaya allows the actor free reign over the performance, allowing him the freedom to act out his character or role as he deems right at the moment and does not hinder him from having to follow the pattern of the songs or dance. The mime aspect of the performance also allows the actor to improvise on his acting to his heart‟s content. All that is required is that the actors portray the character rightfully. Hastas or the hands and eyes are also used by Kathakali as communication tools alongside the movements of the face, torso and lower limbs. This tradition is however unique in comparison with Abhinaya darpana and Natyasastra. While the names of the movements are mostly common, the gestures are named differently. The hand extension is called tripataka in Kathakali while it is called pataka in the Natyasastra and Abhinaya darpana traditions. The Hasta Lakshana is the texts used in Kathakali. These texts describe 24 hastas of single hands and combined hands equally. 92 Each hasta can be used with another hasta with its own permutation or combination. It can be applied with the movement of the eyes and the arms, delicately, with energy or without and at various other levels. All this put together adds up to a vocabulary of over one thousand words which can be used to communicate verbs, moods, sentences, inner states of being, names, status, or situations. Kathakali perfected the Kudiyattam tradition and all that it entailed and also stretched beyond its realm to elaborate the language gesture to reach a dignified stature that no other form had yet attained. Kabuki as a theatrical art, places the actor on an utmost significant level when you compare it to other drama forms. The plays for almost all of classical kabuki were written by writers who were part of the theatres. Based on the actor‟s weaknesses and strengths in performance the writers modified the roles to enhance their acting skills. Since these plays helped them to shine a lot in the audience‟s view these actors made changes to the plot to suit their needs. Investigation of most performances shows us that Kabuki in its current form is indebted to the actor. Based on the way it is performed we can deduce that Kabuki is very demanding for the actor himself. For people interested to become actors in Kabuki theatre, it is very essential to start their training all the way from their childhood as it involves a lot in the foundation stage itself. Kabuki consists of dancing and music and this forms a major part of the training. The acting skills and techniques practiced in kabuki is more often a family inheritance in cases of the actors, it‟s been passed down from many generations. This often dates back up to 17 generations. This forms the base of its rich culture and has helped this art sustain for so long with its very huge training requirements. The passing down of the skills through the family lineage has helped Kabuki maintain and preserve itself over the years. 93 Back in those days it was very customary for an actor to play only the roles that suited him better; this led to demarcation is the character study. This trend is no longer followed and has helped the actors to become more flexible and well adapted. Onnagata, the female impersonator is feminine beauty created in the eyes of the audience using the right technique, it‟s more artificial and it‟s more of a way of looking at the psychology of the women and imitating their behavior. Kabuki actor in the present generation is so acclaimed that they have even been elected to the Academy of art. In Japan this is considered the utmost honor for an artist from any background. Unlike back in the olden days when the actors were much lower in social status compared to others despite their popularity among general crowd. Every single Kabuki actor also has a special identification based on his house. This formed his last name. Examples of such would be Nakamuraya and Otawaya. Actors were cheered upon using their house name when they excelled on the stage. This was one of the basic functions of having a house name. Apart from actors who perform on the stage, there are several others who are generally found doing various things on the stage. These stage hands (or assistants) are completely in black and they wear hoods so cover their identity. They appear in kabuki theatre from the time the curtain is drawn open. They are called Kurogo or the man in black. They are supposed to be ignored by the audience. Kurogo is usually always hiding behind the actor. The staging in current day Kabuki is very similar to the modern day style and is more westernized except for the few qualities like the flower ramp called 94 hanamichi or mawar-butai. Even accessories and the complete construction of the Kabuki theatre follow this trend unlike ancient days. Hanamichi Hanamichi is a long corridor all the way from the backside of the hall leading to the left side of the stage which is used for the performance as well as a pathway for the actors while getting onto the stage or when leaving it. This is on higher level compared to the audience seating. This is referred to as the hanamichi or sometimes even called the flower walk ramp. The stage in kabuki is not stationary, it moves in a circle, more or less revolves and consists of multiple parts, and this feature was first introduced in Japan more than 300 years back. This helps in making changes transitions in the scene really fast without having a lot of breaks in the scene or the plot. This revolving stage is referred to as mawari-butai. Unlike American and European theatres, In Kabuki the proscenium or the part of the theatre stage that‟s in the front of the curtain is much lower and much wider in comparison. And also the stage is not square and is more of a long rectangle compared to anywhere else in the world. D). Kathakali and Kabuki Elements in Costumes and Make-up. To acquire a representation of characters portraying moods and particular aspects of life instead of appearing human or as an imitation of men‟s actions, the dramatic tradition of India and their Asian counterparts developed a complex and stylized costume and make-up system. Although we do not see much of the stylized costuming in India as in other Asian countries, Kathakali brings a highly stylized make-up tradition to India. This make-up style that Kathakali 95 embodies may remind some of the Chinese opera or the Japanese Kabuki. However, if noticed closely, the Indian distinction is hard to miss. The basic principle of each color‟s significance to moods and characteristics is maintained while the notable similarities between face contours in Kathakali and the Chinese opera or the Kabuki theatre is distinctively inexistent. Considerable reference on facial make-up and color symbolism (Aharyabhinaya) is made by Natyasastra. The symbolism of colors in relation to moods is associated with just in the ragas and raginis. Light green is said to represent sringara, red-raudra and yellow-adhbu While Kathakali follows all these associations and applies them, they are still maintained as basic principles while deciding on facial make-up and the portrayal of the color complexities. The ambition here is to transform the actor into the god or demon he is portraying. Once the facial make-up is done the actor is no longer recognized as himself. He is from then on to be identified with as the character and addressed likewise. The make-up artist is essential not only at the training stage but also in the performing stage. He is called Chouttikaran and he is supposed to have great experience with the training of art and a mastery of colors. He usually gains mastery on color by having drawn on coconut shells, acquiring desired consistencies of colors by experimenting with them if grinding, soaking, or mixing them up is what it took. The color green (Pachcha) is used for the make-up if the character in question is Sattvika. A light green paste is applied from the jaw-bone to the cheeks and the eyes are given a lotus-eyed look. Different designs can be made on the fore-head depending on the character. Krishna and Arjuna would thus require two different designs on the forehead. Paper pr papier-mache cut-outs are attached to the jawbone to give it an elongated appearance and enlarge the dimensions of the face. The costume and make-up thus transforms the actor from human stature to 96 superhuman stature. The Chutti (make-up) is a white paste that is made out of ground rice and lime and the fine line at the jaw where the white coloring ends is used as the point from which the false jaw and chin are drawn. When raudra or ferocity is the mood to be portrayed, a big black moustache is drawn on the upper lip reaching to the upper cheek bone. This is how Bhima is transferred to the raudra Bhima character from the pachcha character that he initially portrays. Kings and heroes, who could not be generalized as basic villains or anti-heroes, are given their distinction by the appliance of red patches on their green make-up. An oval red and white design is made on the upper cheek and on the nose with the green make-up still used as base. Upturned moustaches are used for both the raudra and kathi types and a blob of white pith is also applied to the nose to increase the character‟s fantastic stature. The costume in Kathakali: The costumes used in Kathakali are unique, scared and vibrantly colorful. They work in harmony with the make-up used on the actor. The weight and bulk of the costumes require experienced actors as they cannot be carried in the style required by just any actor. The designs of the costumes are taken from Krishnattam and Koodiattam. The costumes are made by people akin to special crafts and styles. It is considered a great privilege to wear the costumes because it immediately transforms the actor into a divine character. Once adorned with the beautiful costumes, the actor embarks on a psychological journey of bliss. The costume of the male character consists of an enormous skirt that is draped over starched cloth. A large woolen jacket, wooden ornaments 97 and an intricately carved wooden headdress covered in gold foil called Kirikidam is used. Before the Kirikidam is placed on the head of the actor, he covers his head with black cotton head scarves and sprinkles the headdress and his feet with water. This signifies the purification of the attire and himself and a prayer for his good performance. The other characters of the performance have costumes designed to specifically suit the characters they portray. The Costumes in Kabuki The Kabuki costume is a rather complicated matter, sometimes weighing as much as fifty or sixty pounds, consisting of several layers of kimono which must be cautiously arranged when the actor takes a sitting position on the floor or when he moves to a new position or at times when he performs a mie . At no instance during the performance is an ungraceful costume line permitted. The stage assistant is unvarying in his attention to the actor‟s costume, arranging its folds or adjusting its line. The actor frequently removes his right arm from his kimono, preparatory to fighting or other strenuous activity and at the conclusion of such scenes the actor replaces it. In such cases the stage assistant helps the actor. A fairly common occurrence is what may be described as a partial change of costume (hada wo nugu); the kimono is held in place by a wide band, the obi around the waist, the upper part of the kimono is removed to reveal another kimono of different pattern, design and colour. In such cases the stage assistant helps the actor out of the upper part of the kimono and arranges it around the actor‟s waist. Most of the times, the outer kimono is completely removed with the help of the stage assistant to show an entirely different costume beneath it. Hikinuki (pulling out) is a more rapid costume change which is used for the most 98 part in dance pieces. The outer layers of the costume or the kimono are mostly sewn together very loosely so it can be removed easily to help in transition of costume changes according to the scene. This is generally done with the help of a stage hand who at the right time in the scene pulls out the kimono from part of the actor‟s costume to expose a new costume underneath.Considerable dexterity is required on the part of the stage assistant for this almost instantaneous costume change because it is done to ensure that there is no pause in the dance movement. All costumes removed during the course of the play are unremarkably removed from the stage unless they are to be reworded. The chief character in the play „Just a Moment” adorns the most striking costume in entire Kabuki. This particular costume which traditionally requires nine times as much material as the ordinary costume .Also in this play unlike others two stage assistants are required just to manipulate the costume, which is renowned by its enormous square sleeves kept in shape by steel ribbing. At the end of the play, the stage assistants remove the steel ribs so that the actor is able to move freely in a scene of fighting. Having conquered his enemies, the character performs a mie, and at this point the stage assistants hold up the exaggerated sleeves, restoring them to their original sureness so that the mie is made more prominent. The stage assistant diligently sees to the comfort of the actor. He brings the actor water or tea during a long scene, he supplies him with the Japanese equivalent of a handkerchief, and he wipes the perspiration from the actor‟s face after an arduous scene. These acts are usually performed with the actor facing upstage. The actor is often required to sit in a kneeling position, his legs under him, for an extensive time. 99 Colours of Kabuki Strong basic colours such as red, black and green were used to express kabuki unlike the sober and restrained hues of classical Japanese art. Kabuki positively delights in violent clashes of brilliant, even vulgar colours. Kabuki's conception of beauty was the creation of the tow of the Edo period and this phenomenon is quite often ignored by many who dilate on Japanese aesthetics. The evolution of kabuki was along with the woodblock print and also with the modern fashions of those days. In all these colour played a very conspicuous role. In an age which was extremely backward in methods of artificial lighting, kabuki was more advanced in its use of rich and vivid colour schemes. Colour was exploited to the maximum as Kabuki was restricted to daylight hours as modern lighting was not available at that time. This was achieved using methods which were far more sophisticated. Examples of such cases are in bukkaeri and hikinuki techniques where by means of changes in costume colours could be achieved instantaneously. Make-up formed another method in examples such as kumadori, in which bold and brilliant colours are used not only for their visual appeal but also as a clue to the nature of the character portrayed. Richest and most sumptuous colours are most evident in cases of historical plays, this was evident not just in make-up and costumes but also in the scenery and settings. Most impressive are the gold and vermilion temples and palaces that rise into view on a trap lift, or a great gate surrounded by a landscape of cherry blossoms upon which an arch-villain or thief is likely to be set up, smoking a pipe and loving the view. In contrast to the visual magnificence‟s of historical plays, the colours seen in present-day (sewamono) dramatizations are relatively subdued. 100 Properties used in Kabuki The Japanese are usually trained to this position from childhood but again when excessively prolonged this results in impaired circulation and the actor finds it difficult to rise. A low wooden seat is placed under the actor in long scenes so that his circulation will not be cut off. The only other kind of seat seen on the kabuki stage, other than the cushions on which the Japanese ordinarily sit and occasional folding chair for dignitaries is a stool approximately two and a half feet high which is used by important characters in long scenes. This is placed behind the actor by a stage assistant and the actor sits on it, without having first to ascertain its presence. Typically, the actor sitting on this stool is conceived to be standing and it is provided merely for his comfort. The stage assistant helps in the management of large or cumbersome properties when they would hinder the actor‟s free movement. The stage assistant is the manipulator of a variety of stage effect properties whose use is also closely synchronized with the movement of the actor. These properties consist basically of a bamboo pole, painted black, around six feet long known as sashidashi at the end of which is attached a theatrical object. The stage assistants also prompt, in former times, during the first three days of a new play; the authors dressed in the black costume of the kurombo and took positions directly behind the actors, script in hand. Today, the author no longer performs this function, but since the Kabuki program is changed monthly and there are seldom more than three days of rehearsal of the eight or ten plays that constitute the program, during the first several days of the month prompting is one of the stage assistant‟s most important activities. The stage assistant crouches upstage of the actor, from this position prompting can be done more efficiently than in the Western theatre where it‟s performed from the wings or from a 101 prompter‟s box at the front of the stage. Most important aspect of all these is that the stage assistant makes himself unobtrusive as possible. He usually enters the stage quietly and swiftly sometimes at a run; he takes a position behind the actor or behind a screen or a tree or even a platform. When the stage setting offers no place of concealment, he kneels facing upstage in a position which in the case of Kabuki aesthetics makes him nonexistent. He is meant not to be seen and so efficiently is his work done that even a foreigner after seeing a few kabuki performances becomes unaware of his presence.The stage assistant in the Kabuki does not obliterate himself because he is a nonrealistic intrusion into the stage picture. He does so in order that he will not detract from the total design- a design which by his arrangement of the actor‟s costume and his skilful manipulation of properties he has assisted in creating. A stage assistant is crucial to the Kabuki on both functional and aesthetic grounds. Without him the actor would be gratified to arrange or change his own costume, to procure his own properties at the appropriate moment, and would thus lose to a major or even damaging extent his expressiveness. The stage assistant in liberating the actor of these obligations enables the actor to perform his true function- that of acting. A man dressed in black work clothes, known as the kyogenkata, appears as he is needed during the course of the performance in the extreme down left corner of the stage. The stage is equipped with a flat board, which are about eighteen inches wide and two feet long. Along with two clappers made of oak, about nine inches and three inches thick called ki or hyoshigi. He places the board on the stage floor and kneels before it with a clapper in either hand; he performs complicated rhythmical patterns as accompaniment to certain parts of the play. This performance of the kyogenkata is known as tsuke-uchi. 102 The striking together of resonant pieces of wood has been used as an attention getting device in Japan since ancient times and is used outside the theatre throughout the country even today. A Buddhist priest chanting sutras accompanies himself rhythmically by beating wooden clappers together. The night watchman in every city and town goes his rounds beating wooden clappers and the sound has multiple messages: - It advises others that he is on the job, it reminds them to be careful of fire, and it is a warning to any burglar in the vicinity to be off. In Kabuki the tsuke-uchi is similarly used as a device for attracting attention, but it is also used as a prosaic means of underlining the actor‟s movement. When a running entrance is made onto the stage, it is almost habitually accompanied by a brisk beating of wooden clappers, beginning fortissimo and ending pianissimo. When a running exit is made from the stage, the dynamic pattern is the opposite. At these entrances and exits, which are of relatively short duration, the tsuke-uchi swiftly and sharply draws attention to them and adding up the excitement of the actor‟s movement. The tsuke-uchi is sometimes accompanied by the movement of the actor on the hanamichi as he approaches or leaves the shichi-san, predominantly when that movement shows a collective increase or decrease in tempo. In the scenes known as tachimawari, ballet like scenes of fighting, the tsuke-uchi is requisite; here it creates no simple rhythms, but a luxuriantly syncopated pattern of sound which is frequently contrapuntal to the actor‟s movement. The mie is always accompanied by the tsuke-uchi, the method of usage varying with the nature of the mie; in some cases the clappers are beaten rapidly in a general 103 crescendo as the mie reaches its climax, in others a few rather widely separated beats mark the introduction to the climax. But the climax of the mie is customarily announced by a single sharp beat of the clappers. tsuke-uchi„s emotional effect is difficult to describe. The sound is sharp, crisp, clear and immediate. It is relatively high pitched and thin, yet resonant. There isn‟t the thickness of the sound of the drum, although it has the same pulse-quickening quality. The tsuke-uchi, like the sound of the shamisen, is rather sharp edged and biting and it draws immediate attention. The sound does not impose itself on or even over power the movement of the actor. With tsuke-uchi a structure of purely theatrical sound, nonrepresentational and non musical is erected about the actor, taking its form from his faction, frequently contrapuntally, and drawing a precise aural outline about his movement.Kikkake has been a way to create sound effects with the use of wooden clappers. Most often used before the opening act of the curtain to signal the curtain time for the actors and stage hands who help in the preparations behind the curtain. The fashion in which these clappers are used is also unique considering that they are beaten against each other and not against a board like usual. The drawing of the Kabuki curtain is always accompanied by the beating of the wooden clappers, but they are never used with the dropping of the curtain. With the opening and closing of the curtain, the pattern of sound is the same: The beating begins slowly and is gradually accelerated. The sound not only attracts attention to the opening or closing of the curtain but also creates a certain excitement and anticipation in the audience. The sound invests the movement of the curtain with the same dramatic emphasis as the tsuke-uchi creates about the actor. This pattern – a gradual acceleration of the tempo to a climax, rather 104 like the building up of the waves as it moves towards the shore- is a basic pattern of the kabuki. It is utilized in musical accompaniments and appears in the actor‟s movement. E). Music Kathakali Music In temples of Kerala, music has always been a way to stir up devotional feeling and symbolizing the feeling of well being and is also a form of celebration for many years. Kathakali took into this part of the temple music and used it for its own development. This helped in its dance dramatization and also traditional story telling techniques. A brass gong also known as changila is beaten with a wooden stick to maintain a rhythm or tala. This is done by the singer while standing back stage simultaneously another singer uses a set of cymbals also known as elatalam. There are three types of drums in use in Kathakali:1. Madalam, which is a kind of drum played with one hand of the drummer‟s hand covered in rice paste and cloth wrap and bare hand on the other. 2. Chenda, which is performed with a set of sticks which are slightly turned upwards at the side where it‟s close to the drummer‟s hand. 3. Eddeka, is performed in a totally different fashion since it‟s not beaten, the stick is moved on the inner section of the drum to produce a much softer version of the sound. Ponani and Sinkidi are the two main vocalists that are part of Kathakali, Ponani is the main vocalist and sinkidi forms the minor one. The poetic and distinctive 105 pronunciation of the Kathakali songs is something to always treasure as a part of Malayalam literature. The hand gestures or the mudras are also equally close as part of the treasure, they are used as a replacement for spoken language. The musicians sing the words from backstage along with the performing of the drums and the musical instruments while the actor translates the meaning of it into silent facial expressions and different compositions of poses and mudras. With the progression of the songs, the actors perform without words and life encompassing expressions and help to recreate the visions of epic and bring them to life in a fantasy world. The acting and dancing is in synchronization of the rhythm. Nrithya or dance and abhinaya or acting is inseparable parts of the mudras. Kabuki Music Kabuki performance as a whole can be described as a musical of sorts with added special effects. Kabuki music is not factual and it‟s based more on its strong cadence quality. What began as a dance form back in the ages still remains to be the same even after all these years. Even though kabuki is filled with music and sound on every side, it still doesn‟t precede the actor but more often compliments him in his acting. The dancer or the kabuki actor still is the supreme reigning in all forms in this art. And music forms a halo around him, thus creating that theatrical articulacy and magnificence. Sounds of Kabuki Aural colours are what sounds of kabuki are referred to as – meaning those that appeal to the ears and not to the eyes. Kabuki music is known as hayashi and can be broadly categorized into two main categories. 106 1. Debayashi Which is music performed on stage in full view of the audience. 2. Kagebayashi The on stage musicians are situated either at the back of the stage on a dais of red felt or at one or other of the stage's two sides (occasionally both). Their instruments generally speaking, consist of shamisens, drums and a flute (in the lyrical or nagauta style) or shamisens alone (in the narrative or joruri style) with the addition in both cases of singers. The off stage variety of music is performed behind the black latticed screen called kuromisu of a small room situated at the left of the stage as seen from the audience. For this reason, this type of music is called kuromisu (or geza) music and, together with singers, consists of musicians who play not only the shamisen but also a whole range of percussion and other instruments including drums, bells, gongs and flutes. These are used to re-create hundreds of accompanying melodies and themes that have become more or less fixed by custom and tradition. Everything from ceremonial court music to lively festival tunes are executed by them. Its tremendous variety is perhaps the most remarkable feature of kuromisu music. Instead of just relying on sheer visual effects like in most cases of theatre, sound is used in its place in Kabuki to bring about the sense of rain or wind. A large drum is used to create sounds that indicate a fast flowing river or the waves in an ocean. Even the soundless sound of falling snow can be effectively conveyed. This and other sound effects have an unreal quality that excites the audience's interest. A sound fundamental to kabuki is that of the hyoshigi. Essentially two wooden 107 blocks that are struck together at increasing speed as the curtain is run open or shut at the beginning or conclusion of a scene. This is an art itself, the striking of the hyoshigi is an crucial staging convention, one of the best examples of which occurs at the start of the play Kanadehon Chusingura (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers).In this case the hyoshigi is struck forty seven times as the curtain slowly opens at the beginning of act 1 because the number of retainers is forty seven. Another type of hyoshigi is the one where it‟s not struck together but downward against a board placed on the floor of the stage at the far right of the stage as seen from the audience. This is achieved in a variety of rhythmic patterns to accompany fight scenes, a very rapid entry or exit along the hanamichi, or most important of all to emphasize the mie poses of the leading actors. The most distinctive and indeed critical sound in Kabuki is that of the Phenomenon-al shamisen, a three-stringed instrument plucked with a large ivory plectrum. Introduced into Japan via China and Okinawa, the shamisen provides the utmost basic accompaniment to Kabuki, sometimes a romantic, even aesthetic atmosphere. Kabuki has involuntarily become a conveyance of communication of Japanese cultural values and perspectives. The consecutive fashions and tastes of various historical periods have affected Kabuki for good as well as for ill. Some of Kabuki's past has disappeared entirely; some has remained exactly as it was originally formed and initiated on the stage of yesterday; some has been refined and reinforced, even modernized beyond all recognition. Despite all this the overall appearance of Kabuki today is essentially and aesthetically the same as it has always been throughout its history. The trend that was brought forth after the World War II of rejecting all styles and past thoughts 108 By Japanese was followed in case of Kabuki art form too. This created a downside for the theatre and was draining out the art slowly. Really popular productions of kabuki which helped the rebirth of Kabuki post the world war era owes itself to Director Mesuji Takechi. Many stars performed alongside Takechi, one of the chief actors of this period is Nakamura Ganjiro III from 1931. He came to be known or referred to as Nakamura Senjaku; he was so popular that an entire phase or period was named after him „Age of Senjaku‟. „To come out and to declaim „is what the word degatari means in literal terms. It is written in Chinese with two characters. Musicians and singers who perform on the stage are called degatari in Kabuki. The difference between them and the other sound effects team like the geza who are placed on the right of the stage is that they are in plain view of the audience. The word degatari suggests the fine quality of the kabuki music platform because it is mostly explanatory and also description. Music created with the help of shamisen accompanied by the narration of the text is one of the key elements of the kabuki production.In addition to the word chobo, the words joruri and gidayu are also used to describe the musical-narrative element of the doll theatre play in a way that is rather confusing to the foreigner. Although a variety of musical instruments are used in the Kabuki theatre, the Shamisen is basic and indispensable. The Shamisen was introduced into Japan between 1558 and 1569. It was brought from the Ryuku islands to the port of Sakai. This three stringed instrument was called Jamisen (snake skin string) because the sounding box was covered with snake skin was played with a bow. It came into hands of a certain Nakashoji, a player of the biwa, a four stringed plucked instrument of ancient origin. Nakashoji used the plectrum in playing the jamisen, changed the snake skin to cat skin and the instrument became the 109 Shamisen(three string) in much the same form in which it exists today. The popularity of the shamisen was immediate; it was first used in the Kabuki about 1624 and it remains today the chief musical instrument of Japan, indispensable accompaniment of native singing and dancing. Despite the importance of musical narration to the Kabuki performance, this element of the production is not permitted to detract from the central position of the actor. This is clearly demonstrated in the difference between the relation of chobo and actor in the Kabuki performance of doll theatre plays and the relation of joruri and the dolls in the doll theatre. In the kabuki, the actor is the point of departure in the performance, and the narrative and descriptive element. It is not relegated to an obscure position, and is nevertheless subordinate to the field of dramatic influence affected by the actor. In the doll theatre the genesis of the performance is the joruri. Both in kabuki and doll theatre the narrator symbolizes his respect for the script by the traditional gesture of raising it up in both hands to his forehead before he opens it at the beginning of a performance and of repeating this gesture at its conclusion. This gesture states a literal attitude in the doll theatre; in Kabuki however it is empty convention. In the doll theatre everything derives from the script. The narrator does not attract attention to himself, even though his delivery of the lines and the descriptive passages is much more impassioned than that of the narrator in the Kabuki. The dolls are the visual centre of interest but their movement is derived directly from the script. In kabuki the actor takes over the lines from the chobo when it is convenient to his purposes to do so and allows the narrator to speak them when he wishes to engage in more expressive activity. In Kabuki the role of the narrator is considerably reduced and also the dynamics of the performance is shifted from the script to the actor. Hence the plays of the doll theatre have somewhat greater 110 literary value than those of pure kabuki origin. The performers of the chobo are not actors or dancers in the performance but are separated from it aesthetically and spatially. They occupy their customary positions at the left of the stage and wear conventional costumes. They only participate in the events musically and vocally on the stage. Although chobo is intimately related to the actor on the stage, it occurs on a different aesthetic plane, being a purely formal theatrical element existing midway between actor and audience and is also aesthetically differentiated from both the actor and the audience. In the performance of plays derived from the doll theatre, the actor's voice, the voice of the narrator, and the music of the shamisen whose range is of the human voice, forms an aural continuum. The actor's line reading is highly formalized and particularly at climaxes begins to move by the prolongation of vowels in the direction of recitative. The narrator employs a similar manner of line reading as the actor, but in the narrative passages and in those which reveal the character's thoughts he moves into what can only be described as a song or chant. The music of shamisen is closely related to the characteristic qualities of Japanese speech; however it plays short melodic passages both in accompaniment to the narrator's voice and the interludes and introductions. Japanese speech is distinguished by strong consonants, frequent glottal stops, sharp and almost equal stress on every syllable. There are consequently almost no syllables which are unstressed. The great majority of Japanese syllables begin with a consonant, and this characteristic together with the sharp stress of the syllable produces a generally staccato quality which is frequently greatly exaggerated in the theatre. The shamisen being plucked produces the same sharp attack to every note and the consequent lack of legato quality. It is also capable of producing the intermediate tones of the human voice. The sound moves with no break or division, from the stylized line reading of the 111 actor to the more musical style of the narrator to the music of the shamisen. The Shamisen frequently performs as in the case of 'weeping' the function of an abstract human voice. The fluid movement between speech, vocal music and instrumental music has no parallel in the Western theatre. Although the word chobo is used generally to describe only the accompaniment of plays of doll theatre origin, narrators and shamisen players are also used in plays written for the Kabuki and are employed in exactly the same manner. If the musical narrative element is not predominant and the stage left entrance is not to be used, the narrator and the shamisen player do not occupy the platform on the stage left but actually take up positions behind a bamboo curtain within the room on the stage level. Incidental music corresponding in use to that of the Western theatre is performed by the musicians in the geza. The principal instruments are the voice, the shamisen, the shakuhachi (a bamboo traverse flute), the fue (a small flute played laterally), gongs, bells and drums of various sizes. Less frequently used instruments are the koto,a thirteen-stringed instrument of harp-like quality plucked with fingers and the kokyu, a three stringed instrument played with a bow. The music from geza is generally used to create a mood, to state in introductory fashion the nature of the scene to follow, and to accompany scenes performed in pantomime. geza music closely resembles that of the soundtrack music of film or that of the early melodrama. In characteristic Kabuki fashion, the geza music has been acquired from a variety of sources- from Noh, dance music, folk tunes and popular songs of kabuki history. New music is never written for an old play, to ensure its traditional form is maintained. This makes the total value of the music strong enough that a mere phrase or statement of music clearly establishes the characteristic quality of the scene for the general audience. Even when geza music is used throughout a scene 112 accompanied by the pantomime it remains thin and with weak links and never takes on and a role of independence. Thus it remains a subordinate to the dramatic intent of the scene. A point that's noteworthy is that the shamisen in the chobo is different from the shamisen used in the geza. While the later merely performs passages of incidental music in the performance of doll theatre plays, it is quite often heard with the chobo. Geza's musical accompaniment is almost constant throughout Kabuki plays; only when a dance piece or a piece which is predominantly dance is being performed and the musicians appear on the stage is when geza music is removed. The men in geza are also used in the production of sound effects. They might not be literal reproductions of sounds exception being in those cases when a musician in the geza doubles for the actor who is supposedly playing a flute, a shamisen or some other type of instrument on the stage. Menacing passages, such as the appearance of a supernatural being either on the stage of through the trap-lift in the hanamichi, the movement of a would-be suicide to a river, or a murderer approaching his victim are generally accompanied by the swift beating of a drum. This drum is more resonant than the Western Bass drum. Battle scenes are indicated by drumming and by the single clanging of metal excluding the shouting or hubbub of voices. The single note of a large temple bell is not used to represent literally the sound from a nearby temple; instead it‟s used to denote the feeling of the coming of the night and its attendant loneliness, a mood much prized in Japanese artistic expression. Sound from geza does not have the purpose either of literal reproduction or an extension of the psychological field of the performance beyond the observable limits of the stage or hanamichi. 113 Debayashi Debayashi is the musicians who appear on the stage as a kind of orchestra and chorus are called debayashi, a coming out orchestra. They are distinguished from the orchestra of the geza. When they appear for the accompaniment of dance pieces which are of Noh origin and use in Kabuki adaptation of Noh settings, they sit on a two-tiered platform, covered with red cloth at the rear of the stage. The dancers perform in front of the orchestra as in the Noh theatre and in early kabuki theatre. This ensemble usually consists of ten shamisen players, ten singers, six drummers (who use finger drum, hip drum and a large drum of the Noh theatre) and the player of the fue, the flute of the no theatre, which in range and quality of sound is rather like the piccolo. The musicians always sit on a raised platform which may be placed on the right or left stage facing the audience or the musicians maybe divided into two groups, one placed on the stage right against the geza and the other in the corresponding position on the opposite side of the stage. The musicians, like the chobo performers wear kamishimo, but the colour of their costume is often related to the colour of the setting. The level of the performance of the musicians is artistically different from the level of the actor or dancer. The differentiation with respect to the artistic performance is developed through great level of accomplishment. Visual continuity between platform, kamishimo, and setting is not established when the piece is performed in a Noh setting. Just as in chobo, the kamishimo and the musician's platform have a purely formal quality. The position of the musicians, the colour and the design of their costumes, the decoration of their platforms, all of these are determined as are many other elements of the Kabuki, by tradition. The kabuki theatre draws the production elements onto the stage as they become important to the flow of the performance. 114 The kyogenkata appears at his corner of the stage to perform the tsuke. The chobo performers are seen or are hidden behind a bamboo blinds according to the importance of the chobo to a given scene. The stage assistant appears when he is needed and disappears when he is not required. The stage hand brings on pieces of scenery as they are needed, and removes them when they are no longer needed. The performers of incidental music are hidden from the audience's view in geza. However when the music is not incidental but an intrinsic part of the performance, the musicians appear on the stage. The sound effects of the kabuki are directed, aesthetically, toward the stage rather than away from it. As the western theatre moved toward representation, the fundamentals of presentation were gradually concealed from the eyes of the audience. The anti thesis of these characteristics of the representational theatre is found in Kabuki. F). Repertoire The Kathakali Repertoire The light of a single oil-lamp and the sounding of drums is what call the audience to attention on a Kathakali evening. Melappadam or the playing of drums is followed by Todayam which is a devotional song where a couple of characters call upon god‟s blessings. This song is performed behind a curtain that is held up by two stage hands. Following the Todayam is an Nritta piece called the 115 Purappadu where two Pachcha characters appear or the Pandava brothers or the hero and his companion. The purappadu is just another introductory dance and has no miming included. The dancer in this performance presents a number of dance sequences (kalasams) through which the entire Kathakali style is exhibited. After the purappadu, the play chosen for the evening begins. A slow revelation of the character is employed which has the actor standing behind a curtain which is gradually lowered. When strong characters are revealed, the curtain is held in front of him and he is portrayed as having a battle with the curtain. Partially hidden from the audience‟s view, the actor performs a couple of dance sequences behind the curtain to the accompaniment of drums and cymbals. This is done to heighten the curiosity of the audience and amplify the effect of the character when he appears fully in sight. This play with the use of the curtain is called Tiranokku. After this, the story is carried out via nritta, abhinaya, and natya. The performance is carried out in specific terms with the Malayalam texts. This helps us conclude that the Malayalam plays like Kalyana Sougandhikam, Ravanasuravadham, Sita Swayamvaram, Bali Vijayam and Nala Charitam were specifically written for a Kathakali dance-drama. The content includes detailed descriptions sometimes to enable the actor to perform abhinaya and sometimes they contain soliloquies of characters. The texts also contain keywords that allow the actor to improvise (sancharibhava) and sometimes dramatic excitement is built up with the available passages of dialogue and court drama. The singing of the passages is combined with percussive musical accompaniment. This makes the singer stop to enable the actor to interpret the literature through gestures after the padam is sung and the abhinaya has been performed. Manodharma or this interpretation is what gives the actor the freedom to use improvisation. If the Manodharma is executed well, the audience could be kept 116 captured for hours through just one sequence. This could be followed by the nritta passages or the kalasams. Kathakali uses these highly stylized techniques in dance, drama, make-up, costumes and characters with the aim to induce Sthayibhava (a state) or a rasa. The skill of evoking a rasa is no longer contained by any other theatric tradition except Kathakali. Kathakali is a good example of the fact that no matter the diversity in culture and influence of foreign nations, the Indian roots will still stay firmly grounded in all its art forms. Although the Portuguese, the Dutch and the Arabs have had sufficient influence on Kathakali, the Indian traditions overpower them enough to display a strong Indian personality in all the performances together with maintaining and still striving to evoke a state of being that has been passed down from ancient times. The Kabuki Repertoire A variety of new plays are being added to the already existing list of 300 plays which are from the traditional kabuki background. These are the works of a few authors of excellent calibre. These authors, unlike earlier days, are not from the kabuki area of expertise. Few of the plays identified as shosa-goto or dance-drama are exclusively dance-centric. These performances included actors dancing to vocals accompanied by instrumental music. Exceptionally some plays are complete stories by themselves while others are bits of dance pieces put together .Couple of these plays owe their origin to noh drama and the kyogen plays. Few examples of these dance-dramas would be Kanjincho (The Temple Offering List), Musume Dojoji (Maiden of the Dojoji Temple), Migawari Zazen (The Substitute), and Takatsuki (The clog Dance). From the stand point of theme and dramatis personae the remaining kabuki plays can be classified into two categories: 117 Historical drama heavy tragedies with occasional flashes of comedy depicting historical facts. Current dramatized accounts of warriors or nobles. Originating mostly from puppet plays, they often represent the hero being called upon to make the greatest sacrifices. Chusingura being one of the adaptations of a bunraku play that is about the story of forty-seven lord less knights is one of the most enjoyed plays. Chusingura is a story of those men who were compelled to commit suicide because they avenged the forced self-immolation of their master after years of patient waiting and plotting. Predominantly being a realistic story ,in domestic drama it‟s not so uncommon that plays become unrealistic .Because emphasis is placed on acting and staging and aspects like elocution and extravagant colossi the plot than the significant elements such as logical consistency. Kabuki is classified into the following three groups with respect to origin. 1. Adaptation from Noh and Kyogen dramas kyogen forms the base for most number of comic dance-plays while anything else that covers a more serious approach were from noh plays .Migawari Zazen is a form of a comic dance play while plays such as Kanjincho and Musume Dojoji are examples of the ones taken from noh plays. These in general are full of grace and dignity symbolizing the noble atmosphere tracing to their origins. Most of these plays had stage settings straight out of Noh theatre which consisted of only a panel background showing an aged pine tree and two side wings with pictures of bamboo groves. 2. Adaptation from the puppet theatre Till date performed in a similar style to the puppet theatre these plays most of the texts are verbatim from the originals in puppet theatre. The singer and his 118 companion on the dais sit at the right of the stage with the audience enjoying a complete view as in the case of puppet theatre. Unlike the puppet theatre wherein the lines are recited and sung by the singer , in these plays the lines are spoken by the actors while the singer delivers the narratives and descriptive passages. Chusingura and Tsubosaku-Dera are plays from this category. 3. Adaptation from actual Kabuki. Exclusive plays written for the sole purpose of being used in the production of Kabuki theatre forms this category. Kagotsurube forms one of the best known examples for this kind enriched with excellence in drama. Fundamentals of Kabuki presentation The essential quality of the Kabuki performance grows principally out of two concepts 1. The principal means of expression is the Actor. 2. The stage and the hanamichi are platforms for acting rather than representational areas. The stage is essentially the province of the actor rather than that of the scene designer. Stage settings in kabuki are elaborate, large and spectacular; however the stage machinery and stage settings do not dominate the actor. The most spectacular stage effects are those which are created to show case the actor to best advantage. Kabuki is not apprehensive with creating a world of illusion; hence the presentation derives from the actor. Persons who are not actors, essentially not any character in the play can appear on the stage during the performance to facilitate the expressiveness of the actor. 119 At the end of a scene when the setting is being changed, The Stagehands, dressed in black work clothes are usually seen on the stage, as it usually is before the eyes of the audience. On the revolving stage the stagehands bring on and set up flats or gather up the floor cloth and deposit it on the revolving portion of the stage. They also appear during the course of the play. Stagehands push the platforms bearing one or more actors up and downstage most frequently on stage during the performance in order to remove some piece of scenery which is no longer required and which probably will impede the movement of the actor. Gates, indicating the entrance to the house or garden are often brought on or removed during the course as and when depending on the necessity. When the stagehand appears during the course of the play he does his work quietly, quickly and self effacingly as possible. When a stagehand is working backstage setting up the next scene while another scene is being played, a good deal of the beginning of an act is accompanied by thumping and pounding behind the scenes as a new setting is being put up on the unseen part of the revolving stage. The stage screw is a refinement unknown to the Japanese stage; a Japanese stage brace ends in a metal point which must be pounded into the stage floor. Kurombo or the koken is generally the personal servant of the actor on stage. The two are distinguished by their costumes, not their functions for they are in actuality the same persons. The Kurombo also known as the black fellow sometimes even referred to as kurogo is dressed entirely in black, a black hood covering his head and face. The koken or The Assistant) is dressed in kamishimo, the Edo period formal dress and his face is not covered. Koken or the Kurombo appear on the stage in a particular piece depending on the costuming of the actors. Generally when the actor appears in the kamishimo the Kurombo is used for in such circumstances the 120 visual differentiation between the actor and Koken would be destroyed. But again Koken cannot be even remotely confused with an actor in elaborately costumed pieces like „The Subscription List‟, „Lion Dance‟, and the „The Arrow Maker‟. Hence usage of Koken is determined by his visual fittingness to the stage picture. The same goes for the case of Kurombo„s usage , for although he is usually dressed in black (which in oriental artistic convention makes him invisible), when the stage is covered with a white floor cloth indicating snow in winter scenes the Kurombo appears dressed in complete white. There is no suitable name in English for these men because a function corresponding to theirs does not exist in similar form in the Western theatre. They have been called both property men and prompters, but again these words just describe only a small part of what they do. Stage assistant is probably a more fitting term in view of the variety of their activities. The number of these men on the stage at any given time varies: there could be a stage assistant for every actor in the scene or sometimes there maybe none at all. Their occurrence on the stage is purely functional. They come and go as and when needed. Only when it‟s required in the play that the actor enters the stage carrying a certain property does he do so. Rest of the cases the property is given to the actor at the appropriate moment by the stage assistant and removed when it‟s no longer needed. In common, no property is allowed to remain before the eyes of the audience or from another point of view to detract from the presence of the actor. Once the actor is finished with a particular property which maybe a letter, a pipe, a Buddhist rosary he places it behind him and the stage assistant who usually takes a position behind him removes it immediately. Properties can be invested with as great dramatic power in the kabuki as they are in the western theatre, perhaps at times their dramatic power is even greater for they appear only when required and are removed immediately when they are not required. Familiarity does not dull 121 their force. In the world of kabuki, Rank is emphasised to an almost unreasonable degree. This is quite evident in the troupe which is a more or less fixed assemblage of actors from different families for the performance of plays. The following discussion is chiefly relevant to the troupe in its traditional form, and only marginally to present-day conditions, which have undergone appreciable change. The position of leader of the troupe or “troupe head” is monopolized by the principal actor of leading male roles. He controls everything from administration, personnel and backstage arrangements to the allocation of roles and direction of plays. The principal actor of female roles, the tate-oyama, is allied with the troupe head at the top of the organization and is liable for the overall supervision and instruction of the female impersonators. Actors of sufficient rank to warrant the display of their names outside the theatre are called nadai (billboard). Those who do not are known as nadai shita (below the rank of nadai). Subordinate to this group are the shita tachiyaku (lowest rank of male-role actor) at which level those who enter kabuki with no family connection must begin their careers. The duties of shita tachiyaku include the performance of walk-on and similar parts and if necessary, animal roles. As well as signalling rank, the theatre billboard also imparted to the naming of certain roles. Examples of such would be actors of romantic male roles that were listed in the second row on the billboard (nimai-me). This led to them being referred to as 'second row' which in common parlance has come to mean any handsome young man. In the same way, the names of actors who play comic roles were always listed in the third row (sanmai-me) and that term is now synonymous with clown. 122 Conclusion If one arranged all the ancient surviving classical forms of dance drama on a scale running from expressionism to austere simplicity and restraint, Kathakali would lie at the expressionist end, Noh at the austere end with Kabuki somewhere in between – being at times very close in spirit to Kathakali, and at other times close to Noh. All three are highly stylized, setting an aesthetic distance between performers and audience by various means. The stylized gesture is crucial or at least given equal importance to the word. The performer is both actor and dancer and sometimes also a singer. While the dance-drama lasts, the spectators are transported into a different world as they experience the essence of the primal passions in an unreal, unearthly atmosphere. As the great Kabuki actor, Kichiemon rightly mentioned– “the stage becomes a reality and the rest of the world a dream” and this is true to both the dance-drama forms. 123 CHAPTER -5 CONCLUSION 124 CHAPTER- 5 CONCLUSION Introduction In this concluding chapter, the researcher has tried to explore the present state of Kathakali and Kabuki, the challenges it faces in the changing modern scenario. Based on observations and also by referring to the articles written by various critics and experts who have discussed and debated in order to keep these alive, some suggestions are provided. There has been spate of arguments and counterarguments to the topic of innovation or reform. It would be worthwhile for the organizations promoting Kathakali or Kabuki to gather ideas of reform from authoritative sources and expert and implement them that are practical. These measures can help retain the glory and adapt to the changing needs of society. A) Present State of Kathakali Kathakali has been evolving over time. The general opinion has been that innovation is necessary; it has to be altered to suit the traditions of the art form making sure no damage was done to its originality. Taking the example of an old house that needed renovation. The tradition and structure of the house is kept intact while the other factors that could afford change and would not alter the frame-work of the house were modified. This gave the house a new look but still retained its pure feeling. However, Kathakali slowly gained two types of audiences. One set of people who were new to the art and absorbed its qualities as new experience. The other was 125 the ever-existent critics who were privy to Kathakali‟s history and could do no better than comment critically about the art form. Following the 80‟s focus on talent and skill changed and it became more of a centralized requirement. People were seeking to find individual talent and group capabilities were not considered sufficient. Team-work being one of Kathakali‟s principles, this new trend only reaped disintegration. The rich culture of traditions and rituals of Kerala were lost to the people unless they sought to learn more about them by delving into history. This was poet Vallathol Narayana Menon‟s opinion. He was a famous Malayalam poet who gave momentum to Kathakali and other art forms that he felt were worth attention. This ideology had him create Kalamandalam. He sought to bring the forgotten traditional arts to the forefront and give some of the unrecognized yet talented artists a foundation to showcase their plentiful skills. He left to them to learn by their experience and did not feel it necessary to interfere with their training and learning as experience was the best teacher according to him. Gurus and experts in the traditions were welcome to come forth with ideas and techniques and to provide support to the learners. Swathi Tirunal was another such example. She opened the doors for artists to intermingle with the already famous artists of the time, enabling them to grow freely and be influenced by organic unity simultaneously. In spite of such initiatives, Kathakali was undergoing a speedy disintegration. One such instance is that traditionally the performance did not have the mike. The lack of a mike helped amplify the balance between the maddalam, chenda and the singers. The use of a mike however drowned out the singer‟s voices and only amplified the sounds of the chenda and maddalam, leading to disappointment for the singers and the audience who preferred to hear the songs being performed in its originality. 126 This removed whatever organization there was between the singers, instruments and the dancers. It was only during the 20th century that some form of collaboration came into being when Raman Kutty Nair and Kumaran Nair along with their guru Pattikanthoti Ravunni Menon decided to bring some of Kathakali‟s harmony back. They used a method of integration to combine the various elements which were by then divided into individual elements and were being under-utilized. They also believed in the individualization concept and it was of their opinion that when used in the right way, individual focus can be more benefiting than a combined totality. An individual once given attention takes it upon himself to do his best and bring out his plentiful talents and skill. This was the case in Kathakali. It became more of an individualized performance. This individualization influenced every aspect of the act and not only the actors. The drumming deftness was also altered so that the drum was given more focus than the vertical beating of the stick at the centre of the drum. Unlike the 80s and a little prior to that, Kathakali was no longer a sought after performance on shows and stage acts in India and abroad. This was mainly due to the demand for better presentations that had lither and use of gymnastics. Another predominant cause was the cost of a show put up by Kathakali. One performance would include two Maddalam players, one Ilathalam, two Chenda artists, two vocal artists and one gong player not to mention the other plentiful characters that Kathakali believed were necessary. A total of characters usually came up to about 15 to 16 per performance and the cost of affording this whole multitude was too huge for most theatres to afford just for the sake of traditional entertainment. The use of Bharatanatyam, Odissi or 127 Kuchipudi or Kathak were known to be cheaper and were more sought after making Kathakali a rare occurrence in theatres abroad or during foreign festivals. The trend of individual actors putting up individual shows and short presentations for smaller groups of people like in work-shops and lecture demonstrations came into existence. This again caused further disintegration to Kathakali and post 1995, Kathakali was stereotyped as a collective act unlike what was preferred at the time. Kalamandalam bore the loss of many of its teachers and gurus and old age got the best of them. They retired from teaching and did not find the motivation to train a very few mediocre students. The adoption of the highly renowned Unnayi warrior technique, the ideas of Kalladikode Nambudiri, Vettath Thampuran, Kapligad Nambudiri, the thematic choices from the Mahabharata by Kottayathu Thampuran, etc, are all the changes that were welcomed over the past three centuries and that have brough Kathakali to its current stature. B) Suggestions for Innovation in Kathakali There has been spate of arguments and counter-arguments to the topic of innovation or reform. Some of the critics with orthodox mind set have asserted that the thought of innovation is blasphemy. For some who are most ignorant of the traditions and conventions of Kathakali and are incapable of experiencing the indescribable artistic enjoyment, this is a dead art and should be given a burial. For some, the innovation in Kathakali is sacrilegious and does not stand the test of scrutiny. To visualize a future for Kathakali one must set its past aside and focus only ahead. For mixing the past of the art form and trying to visualize a future will only lead to a confused state of mind which will conclude to nothing. To fit kathakali in to the present and to give it a future size, the following innovations can be made: 128 One of the few modern-day adaptations that can be made to Kathakali is to the duration of its performance. The traditional style has performances lasting from dusk to dawn. These were times when people afforded the luxury of time. Now however with time being everything, the duration of a performance can be altered to last up to three hours. Thus fitting in all the elements of the performance and allowing the audience a time limit. This alteration should therefore be given high priority. Theme selection. Kathakali is famous for its surreal enactments of puranic stories. While these are its main focus, it has also been known for its minor experimentations. While experiment is crucial to growth, themes of kathakali are what define it. Adapting to modern day styles and techniques is far more appreciable than taking on themes from today. The themes of Kathakali are unearthly and surreal while the modern day themes are strikingly real and lacking imagination. The power of bringing goddesses and supernatural beings from rich Hindu mythology to the stage through its unending magical illusions is what drives crowds to the theatre. Shunning this achievement would lead to Kathakali being shunned. Sticking to the thematic art of Hindu mythology is not without its benefits. It has to be realized that while Kathakali has mastered and utilized the various famous stories of the past, there are still plenty left for exhausting. In the Mahabharata and Ramayana alone new writers can find vast amounts of material to devour and for kathakali to capitalize on. Proper use of the swaras of the ragas and the sruti has been avoided in Kathakali to the extent of the music being called jarring and lacking purity. This makes for another area kathakali can improvise on. If the music can be 129 made pure and lifted to heights reached by other elements of the dance-drama, it would add flavor to the art form's almost perfect rendition. The use of trained singers and the maintenance of the originality of the songs performed would be a welcome improvisation. Authors of Kathakali require knowledge of music and sufficient training in the field because the padas used are set in talas and ragas that are not similar to the patterns used in current day musical languages of Kerala. This in fact is also a fundamental difference between Malayalam poetry and Kathakali music. Therefore it would be required that future authors of Kathakali possess sufficient knowledge and training in music alongside their other literary accomplishments. Vocal music in kathakali includes ragas viz. Khandram, poranira, kanakkurinji, indisa, indilam, etc and in part some popular ragas from carnatik concerts like todi, sankarabharanam, kalyani, bhairavi, kamboji, mukhari and others. These on a broader spectrum account to a limited number and are of a conventionalized pattern. This tells us that effort has not been made to compose songs with the use of other ragas that have already been favored by audiences of classical music concerts. It can be noticed that reetigaulam, kharaharapriya, hindolam and harikamboji have never been used in Kathakali compositions. Modern day kathakali has been known to use some different ragas and have also gained popular approval. This makes variety and an element of freshness welcome elements to kathakali and assures of further musical enrichment. The uses of differential talas too need to be considered. Chempada, panchari, champa and adantha have counterparts in carnatik music and are the main talas employed in kathakali though named differently. Thus innovation in the utilization of talas too would be appreciated. 130 Padams used in Kathakali are of great lengths. Minimization of their lengths could suit modern-day kathakali better. Traditional padams have been used alongside charanams with great attention to minute detail. 'Nalacharitham' by Unnai warriar is one such example. The masters of these works had exemplified justifications for these lengths and it not with criticism that alteration is suggested. It is more due to the modern-day audience's benefit that shorter padams should be used as the continued use of the longer versions could lead to boredom. Concentration of words, elimination of padding and limitation of the padams to about 8 lines each should work wonders for modern-day kathakali. This limitation will also add to the artistic enjoyment of the characters portrayed. Moods and emotions will be better felt and transformations will earn greater appraisal because shorter lines will render more conspiracy to the dialogue. Another aspect that could be economized is the number of characters. The kathi, pacha, thadi, minukku characters, etc are more than sufficient for the enactment of the story. The involvement of characters that are not vital to the performance can be eliminated to create more space for the main characters and for the unfolding of the drama in a wider angle. These characters were essentially used for a variety of justifiable reasons. The refreshment of makeup and costumes, and the full-night performances were some of the main reasons. However, the removal of these unnecessary characters can be adjusted into performances so that their pres presence is not missed. However, there have been instances now and then to adapt to the current needs as one mentioned below. 131 C) Adaptation to the Western Theatre One of the tours, the Kalamandalam faced while preparing for a programme called Mahabharata for a Western audience. The length of the play originally was nine to ten hours and had to be condensed to 3-4 hours. This could have been done by cutting out irrelevant scenes and shortening the relevant ones, but the challenge was that the some of the finest scenes of Kathakali were found in plays belonging to a cycle and any one play would tell only a small part of the story. This problem was tackled by putting together scenes from several plays to tell the whole of the central story of the Mahabharata, providing a perfect introduction to Kathakali, its splendid structure while portraying the climax of violence and terror in the killing of Dussassana. The production house managed to see the problem from outside taking into account the needs of Western audiences new to Kathakali and at the same time to preserve essential Kathakali traditions in all their authenticity. Every possible effort was also made to help audiences to follow Kathakali plays including the supplementing of the synopses, translations of the texts of the plays. There are other areas that innovations could be brought in, especially in the selection of the themes. As a rule Kathakali portrays Puranic stories. There is an attempt to move away from this, “Martandavarmavijayam”, the hero being Martanda Varma, founder of modern Travancore or the adaptation by K.M. Panikkar‟s of the Biblical story of David and Goliath called “Davidvijayam” are a few examples. However these are seen as experiments than successes. Critics to these new thoughts claim that the glory of this art is its tremendous power to bring to us a world of gods, goddesses and supernatural beings. But one needs to note that only a small fraction of Hindu mythology i.e. Ramayana and Mahabharata is explored, while there many stories in Puranas that remains to be exploited. 132 Although there were some deviations from the norm are the works of famous writer,OMC Nambudiripad, who wrote a Christian Kathakali story, SNAPAKA YOHANAN‟ which won Kerala Literary Academy Award. He translated 7000 page Rig-Veda into Malayalam. Another such exception was Kalamandalam Hyder Ali, first Muslim Kathakali artist who overcame the restrictions, objections of both religious groups, but he stuck to the original Kathakali art form rendering Ramayana and Mahabharata on stage. Without bringing in more creativity, this art will undoubtedly stagnate and may even perish. D) Present state of Kabuki In the 1860s, the Kabuki actors belonged officially to the lowest social classthat of the outcasts and were contemptuously referred to as 'riverbed beggars' (kawara kojiki) and hut people (koyamono). The law even required them to live and work within the confines of the theatre district.Venturing outside the theatre district only under large sedge hats that concealed their features. Meiji Restoration of 1868 changed all of this, the discrimination was abolished and actors were able to take their first steps both as legitimate stage artists and as the guardians of the traditions of Kabuki. By this period, Kabuki was no longer the representative theatre of the people but it had emerged as a classical dramatic art rooted in the past. The audience finds the Kabuki collection, of history plays-endlessly fascinating even though are not completely relevant with the present day world. With the deep changes that have altered the modern Japanese society, and the private lives the new generation actors lead, the sensual elements of the performances have paled and faintly touch the new generation audience. 133 Kabuki actors are still widely popular even among the television audience as they play certain roles in movies and television shows. The level of fame in Kabuki theatre is not as much as it used to be but still retains a certain aspect of charm like the old days. Prominent actors such as onngata Bando Tamasaburo V also appeared in movies and a few plays that were not based on Kabuki especially in the role of a female. Onnagata roles are these days performed by female actors in a few lesser known troupes. Kabuki seems to have influenced the West too. Shakespeare, a widely known Western play also has been adopted into Kabuki and has been performed by Kabuki troupes travelling on tours across America and Europe. Use of Kabuki in modern settings has been pioneered and popularized by Writer Yukio Mishima, and revived other traditional arts, such as Noh, adapting them to modern contexts. Since 1976, the Za Kabuki troupe at the Australian National University has been performing a Kabuki drama each; this has become one of the single longest regular Kabuki performances outside of Japan. Every possible effort has been taken by the Japanese government to preserve this dance form. The National Theatre in Tokyo is a tribute to the art form in itself. The National Theatre in Tokyo has the world‟s largest revolving stage, sixty five feet in diameter, containing sixteen trap-lifts. They are dedicated to preserving, promoting and developing Japanese traditional theatre arts. The foremost Kabuki troupes are engaged in presenting the plays in its totality rather than just performing few selected scenes from them. The theatre also encourages contemporary playwrights to write plays based on the Kabuki form in the mean while preserving the past. Unlike the customary, slow and tedious, teacher-disciple system, the new institute uses formal classroom training for an actor. This ensures a systemized and a faster system of teaching. 134 UNESCO's Third Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity enlisted Kabuki as a dramatized theatrical form. The Kabuki-za theatre and the National theatre have been known to include Kabuki in their list of performances. Places like Kyoto and Osaka have achieved their own Kabuki standing with the establishment of Kabuki-specific theatres. Growth and innovation has changed Kabuki and the audience it caters to. Unlike the past where it served the ordinary, working-class sections of society, it has uncovered the traditions of theatrical tradition which traces back almost 300 years into the core of Japanese history. Unlike Japanese sumo wrestling that could maintain its appeal throughout the ages and did not require evolution, Kabuki needed to adapt to new society trends as it grew in the public‟s eye. E) Suggestions for innovations in Kabuki With the innovation in technology and the resultant application of new lighting methods, mechanisms on stage and computer-based effects that are used in musicals and movies with very high budgets, music used in Kabuki has turned foreign to the ears of the public. Pop music of the western culture has replaced any form of traditional music. Contrary to the olden days where Kabuki was the flair of the theatre, it has lost its appeal and does not attract much audience. The younger generation of people do not find Kabuki interesting enough and the art form does not cater to their entertainment needs. While the Kabuki theatre still earns enough to finance itself, the theatre does not earn the same adulation and appraisal like it did in historic times. The western ideas and techniques and Kabuki no longer fit into the same theatre. 135 Conclusion and Suggestions. This thesis aimed at comparing the artistic elements of both Kathakali and Kabuki. This area is vast and there is further scope of detailed research considering the complexity and nature of both dance-drama forms. The researcher also feels that both these traditional art forms should be given due importance and the federal bodies responsible for promoting art and culture should explore new techniques to generate more interest to attract more student and art-lovers towards the art forms. Also, the current actors and the supporting team of both these forms should be given due recognition in the world theatre. If a few innovations could be introduced to meet the demands of modern society and at the same time take every care to preserve the grandeur of the dance drama. Unlike the days of the Edo era when Kabuki had competition through puppet theatre and oppression through the government, in present day the level of competition is very different, examples like television and movies with a very high caliber of entertainment and special effects. Factors that made Kabuki so popular back in the day has changed and the current generation doesn‟t look at it the way it was adored and admired back then. This is causing it to die out at a very slow pace. The art form in Kabuki has been kept at the same level as it used to be in the old days and has continued to do so over the years; this factor alone can help with the sustenance of the rich heritage of Japanese theatre for years to come. 136 BIBLIOGRAPHY 137 BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Jones, Clifford Reis, and Betty True Jones. Kathakali; an introduction to the dance-drama of Kerala, New York, NY: American Society for Eastern Arts, 1970. 2. Kathakali. Kerala: Kala Chethena Kathakali Co., 2005. 3. Kumar, Rakesh. Kathakali. Delhi: Kunal Prakashan, 2007. 4. Pandeya, Gayanacharya Avinash C.. The art of kathakali. Delhi: 5. Munshiram Manoharlal, 1999. 6. Kathakali; the sacred dance-drama of Malabar, Rev. Ed. London: Luzac, 1955. 7. Zarrilli, Phillip B.. The Kathakali complex: actor, performance & structure. New Delhi: Abhinav, 1984. 8. Zarrilli, Phillip B.. Kathakali dance-drama: where gods and demons come to play. New York: Rutledge, 2000. 9. Kathakali: the sacred dance-drama of Malabar. London: Luzac & Company, 1955. 10. Nair, D., and Pankaj Shah.Kathakali, the art of the non-worldly. Bombay\: Marg Publications, 1993. 11. V u, Ji. Mudras in kathakali: notations of 373 hand gestures. Trissur: Natana Kairali, 1984. 12. Gunji, Masakatsu, and Chiaki Yoshida. Kabuki. New York: Kodansha International, 1969. 13. Toita, Yasuji, and Chiaki Yoshida. Kabuki, Hoikusha, 1967. 14. Barba, Eugenio and Simonne Sanzenbach “The Kathakali Theatre” The Tuane Drama 15. Review Vol. 11, No. 4. Cambridge: The MIT Press. (1967) 138 16. Caldwell, Sarah Oh Terrifying Mother: Sexuality, Violence and Worship of the Goddess 17. Kali. New Delhi: Oxford University Press. (1999) 18. Courtney, David and Chandrakantha “Kathakali” Music of India. Real Audio (2010) 19. March 11, 2010) http://chandrakantha.com-musicofindia. 20. Devi, Regini Dance Dialects of India. 2nd Ed. Delhi: Jainendra Prakash Jain at Shri Jainendra Press. (1990) 21. Ariyoshi, Sawako, and James R. Brandon. Kabuki dancer. Tokyo: Kodansha International; 1994. 22. Brandon, James R... Kabuki: five classic plays. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1975. Print. Ernst, Earle. The kabuki theatre. London: Oxford University Press, 1956. 23. Gunji, Masakatsu, and Chiaki Yoshida. The Kabuki guide. Tokyo: Kodansha International: 1987. 24. Shaver, Ruth M., Akira S ma, and Gak ta. Kabuki costume. Rutland: C. E. Tuttle Co., 1966. 25. Brandon, James R., Tamako Niwa, Shik Okamura, and Namiki Gohei. Kabuki plays. Brunswick: S. French, 1966. 26. Helford, Aubrey S., and Giovanna M. Helford. The kabuki handbook; a guide to understanding and appreciation, with summaries of favorite plays, explanatory notes, and illustrations, Rutland: C. E. Tuttle Co., 1956. 27. Kincaid, o . Kabuki; the popular stage of Japan. Portland, ME: B. Bloom, 1965. 28. Richie, Donald, and Miyoko Watanab 29. Six Kabuki plays. Tokyo: Hokuseido Press, 1963. 30. Scott, A. C. The kabuki theatre of Japan. London: Allen & Unwin, 1955. 31. Toita, Yasuji. Kabuki, the popular theater. New York: Weather hill; 1970. 32. Bingham, Jane. Indian art & culture. London: Raintree, 2004. 139 33. India: art and culture, 1300-1900. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art: 1985. 34. Kalman, Bobbie. India. New York: Crabtree Pub. Co., 2001. 35. Katz, Solomon H., and William Woys Weaver. Encyclopedia of food and culture. New York: Scribner, 2003. 36. Street graphics India. London: Thames and Hudson, 1999. 37. Godden, Rumer. Cromartie v. the god Shiva acting through the government of India. New York, N.Y.: Morrow, 1997. 38. Henderson, Carol E... Culture and customs of India. New York: Greenwood Press, 2002. 39. Johnson, Paul. Art: a new history. New York: HarperCollins, 2003. 40. Kalman, Bobbie. India: the culture. New York: Crabtree Pub. Co., 1990. 41. The culture and art of India. New York: F.A. Praeger, 1959. 42. Delay, Nelly. The art and culture of Japan. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1999. 43. Kuwabara, Takeo, and Hidetoshi Kat . Japan and Western civilization: essays on comparative culture. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press, 1983. 44. Morton, W. Scott. Japan: its history and culture. 3rd Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994. 45. Nunley, John W., and Cara McCarty. Masks: faces of culture. New York: Abrams in association with the Saint Louis Art Museum, 1999. 46. Okakura, Kakuz . The book of tea: a Japanese harmony of art culture and the simple life. London, England: Foulis, 1919. 47. Okamoto, Yoshitomo. The Namban art of Japan. [1st English Ed. New York: Weatherhill/Heibonsha, 1972. 48. Singer, Robert T., and John T. Carpenter. Edo, art in Japan 1615-1868. Washington: National Gallery of Art, 1998. 49. Birchers, Suzanne I...Multicultural folktales readers‟ theatre for elementary students. Englewood: Teacher Ideas Press, 2000. 140 50. Benegal, Som. A panorama of theatre in India. New Delhi: Popular Prakashan [For] Indian Council for Cultural Relations, 1968-1967. 51. Bengali theatre. India: National Book Trust, India, 1978. 52. Christian theatre in India. Kochi: Kerala Folklore Academy, 1984. 53. G rag , Balawanta. Theatre in India. New York: Theatre Arts Books, 1962. 54. G rag , Balawanta. Folk theater of India. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1966. 55. Hansen, Kathryn. Grounds for play: the Nau a k theatre of North India. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992. 56. Levi, Sylvain. The theatre of India. Calcutta, India: Writers Workshop, 1978. 57. Puppet theatre in India. New Delhi: Ministry of Education and Culture, Govt. of India, 19821983. 58. Srampickal, Jacob. Voice to the voiceless: the power of people's theatre in India. London: Hurst & Co. 1994. 59. Varadpande, Manohar Laxman.Krishna theatre in India. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications, 1982. 60. Brandon, James R., and Martin Banham. The Cambridge guide to Asian theatre. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993. 61. Grant, Neil. History of theatre. London: Hamlyn; 2002. 62. Hansen, Kathryn. Grounds for play the Nau a k theatre of North India. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992. 141 63. Beasley, W. G... Modern Japan: aspects of history, literature, and society. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1975. 64. Cionca, Stanca, and Samuel L. Leiter. Japanese theatre and the international stage. Leiden: BRILL, 2001. 65. Concerned theatre, Japan the graphic art of Japanese theatre, 1960 to 1980.. Tokyo: Krannert Art Museum and Kinkead Pavilion, College of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1998. 66. Gerstle, C. Andrew, Timothy Clark, and Akiko Yano. Kabuki heroes on the Osaka stage, 1780-1830. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2005. 67. Jortner, David, Keiko I. McDonald, and Kevin J. Wetmore. Modern Japanese theatre and performance. New York: Lexington Books, 2006. 68. Neill, P. G. Tradition and modern Japan. Tenterden, Kent: P. Norbury. 1981. 69. Ortolani, Benito. The Japanese theatre: from shamanistic ritual to contemporary pluralism. Leiden, Netherlands: E.J. Brill, 1990. 70. Podoler, Guy, and Ben Shillony. War and militarism in modern Japan: issues of history and identity. Folkestone: Global Oriental, 2009. 71. Powell, Brian. Japan's modern theatre: a century of change and continuity. Sandgate, England: Japan Library, 2002. 72. Rimer, J. Thomas. Toward a modern Japanese theatre: Kishida Kunio. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1974. 73. Robertson, Jennifer Ellen.Takarazuka: sexual politics and popular culture in modern Japan. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998. 74. Sekine, Masaru. Irish writers and the theatre. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1987. 75. Stegewerns, Dick. Nationalism and Internationalism in Imperial Japan Autonomy, Asian Brotherhood or World Citizenship?.. Routledgecurzon, 2003. 76. Steinberg, M. W. Aspects of modern drama. Napa: Holt, 1960. 142 London: 77. Towards a modern Japanese theatre. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1974. 78. James R. Brandon & Samuel L. Leiter (eds.), Masterpieces of Kabuki: Eighteen Plays on Stage, University of Hawaii Press, 2004. 79. Ronald Cavaye & Paul Griffith, World of the Japanese Stage: Traditional to Cutting Edge, Kodansha Europe, 2004. 80. Masakatsu Gunji, The Kabuki Guide, Kodansha Europe, 1988. 81. Laurence R. Kominz, The Stars Who Created Kabuki: Their Lives, Loves and Legacy, Kodansha Europe, 1997. 82. Samuel L. Leiter, New Kabuki Encyclopedia: A Revised Adaptation of "Kabuki Jiten, Greenwood Press, 1997. 83. Samuel L. Leiter (ed.), A Kabuki Reader, M.E. Sharpe, 2001. 84. William Malm, Japanese Music and Musical Instruments, Kodansha America, 2001. 85. Kabuki, the Popular Stage of Japan Zoë Kincaid Macmillan 1925 86. The Kabuki Theatre Earle Ernst Oxford University Press 1956 Kabuki: Baroque Fusion of the Arts Kawatake Toshio International House of Japan 2003 87. The Kabuki Theatre of Japan A. C. Scott Allen & Unwin 1955 88. Grand Kabuki Overseas Tours Collective work Shôchiku 1994 89. The Actors' Analects Charles J. Dunn and Torigoe Bunzô Columbia University Press 1969 90. Six Kabuki Plays Donald Richie The Hokuseidô Press 1963 91. A guide to the Japanese Stage Ronald Cavaye, Paul Griffith, Senda Akihiko Kôdansha 2004 92. Japanese Theatre Faubion Bowers Hermitage House 1952 93. The Puppet Theatre of Japan A. C. Scott Tuttle 1963 143 94. The Kabuki Handbook Aubrey and Giovanna Halford Tuttle 1956 95. Old Japanese Dramas nMiyamori AsatarôG. P. Putnam's Sons 1915 96. Kabuki Backstage, Onstage Nakamura Matazô Kôdansha International 1990 97. The Actor's Image Timothy T. Clark, Osamu Ueda The Art Institute of Chicago 1994 98. Japanese Music and Musical Instruments William Malm Tuttle 1959 99. Tokugawa Japan (The Social and Economic Antecedents of Modern Japan) Nakane Chie and Ôishi Shinzaburô University of Tokyo Press 1992. Reference from the Web www.echeat.com www.pdchost.com Iea.pmf.ukim.edu.mk www.tralfocuz.com www.webindia123.com www.academon.com www.kabuki21.com Trinity college Student paper www.search.com www.ebizokabuki.com www.zeelearn.com www.lycos.com www.japanesesushisets.com Student paper CSU www.answers.com www.japan.org www.newworldencyclopedia.com 144 Mori,mitsuya noh,kabuki publication Student paper Colorado Student paper Valencia www.Antiesssays.bigmonk.com Student paper los Rios Userwwsfsu.edu Student paper Saint Leo Shelly berg,Sadya Publication www.gods-own www.indianetzone.com Lamaklc.hawai.edu www.b-u-ac.in www.tripatias.com Paper submitted to Jefferson Prints of japan.com Onlinebooks.library.up Etdisu.edu www.jica.o.id Paper submitted to Warwick www.artkerala.com Sites.google.com www.customessaymeister www.lightbrigade.demon Libraray.one-oh.org Ames.libumn.edu www.oppapers.com Jimi.nic.in www.remnantsofritual.com 145 www.ritsumei.ac.jp www.indiana.edu www.sothernas.co.uk www.valpo.edu 146 Annexures 147 Annexure 1: Glossary Short Glossary of Indian Theatre Forms Abhinaya : Histrionic representation, literally, „abhi‟ means toward and „ni‟ means to lead. Abhinata which leads or carries toward Abhinaya darpan : A treatise on gestures and emotional expressions. Achamanam : It is purifying the body in a ceremonious or ritualistic way. Amrit : Nectar of immortality Angika Abhinaya : Dramatic expression by way of gestures and movements of the body Arangettam : The first public performance of an artiste, the debut Asura : demon Ayodhya : Sree Rama‟s Kingdom Balabhadra : Brother of Sree Krishna Bharatha : Author of the famous Natyasatra, treatise on dramaturgy Bhava : Inner states of being as represented in a work of art of evocation of rasa-s. Bhima : The second Pandava prince Bhumidevi : Goddess of the earth Bhuta : ghost Brahma : First god of the Hindu triad, associated with the creation of the universe Chakra : a weapon of Vishnu Chayilyam : Vermillion, a red colored stone, an ore of mercury sulfate Chenda : A cylindrical drum most widely used in Kerala 148 Chilappatikaram : a classical Tamil poem by Elango Adigal dealing with the story of Kovalan and kannaki Daksha : Son of Brahma Devaki : Mother of Sree Krishna Dharma : Justice, duty Dharma putra : The eldest Pandava-s Ganesa : The elephant son of Siva and Parvathi. He is believed to be the God of wisdom and remover of obstacles Guru : Teacher or spiritual guide Hanuman : The famous monkey chief, devotee of Sree Rama Indra : Lord of heaven, also the god of atmosphere and weaether Jayantha : Son of Indra Kailas : silver mountain, a Himalaya peak and abode of Siva. Kalapakavriksha : a heavenly tree which yields every wish Kamadeva : The cupid of Indian mythology Kamadhenu : a miraculous heavenly cow that grants the fulfillment of all wishes Karna : Son of Surya, the sun god, by Kunti Lakshmy : Consort of Vishnu, the Goddess of wealth Linga : A Phallic emblem of God Siva Maddalam : A barrel shaped drum with the middle slightly bigger than the ends Mahameru : the golden mountain Manyola : A yellow mineral (Arsenic sulphide ore) Mashi : a black eye paste. Nakula : The forth pandava prince Natya : Drama in general; also mimetic dance 149 Natyasastra : The great treatise on dramaturgy in Sanskrit by sage Bharata, written at some time between 2nd Century B.C and 2nd century A.D Nilavilaku : A traditional oil lamp of bell-metal, placed on the ground Nritta : Pure dance Nritya : dance with emotional expression and mood Rasa : Aesthetic experience Saraswati : wife of Brahma, goddess of Knowledge Tandava : a style of dance derived from Tandu, denoting vigorous and masculine movements Tevaram : Offering to deity Urvasi : The celestial danseuse in the court of Indra Vasudeva : father of Sree Krishna Yadava : people belong to Sree Krishna‟s dynasty Yoga : a Hindu ritual sacrifice Short Glossary of Japanese Theatre forms Agemaku : „rising curtain‟, in the Kabuki the curtain, hung by rings from a road, at the rear of the hanamichi, opened by being slid to one side. Aibiki : A stool, about 18 inches high, on which important characters may sit during a long scene. Characters so seated are conventionally assumed to be standing. Butai : the stage to be distinguished from the passage ways in both the Noh and kabuki theatres on which the actor moves to the stage 150 Chu-nori : A devise used principally for spectacular appearances of ghosts and other supernatural beings. Dammari : Dumb show accompanied by music Degatari : the general name for musicians and singers who appear on stage during the Kabuki performance. Gakuya : Dressing room and, by extension, the entire back stage area of the Kabuki theatre. Gandogaeshi : Method of Scene change, first used in the doll theatre in 1971. Gekidan : The hereditary Kabuki troupe Hanamichi : The passageway through the kabuki auditorium on which important entrances and exits are made. Hayagawari : „Quick change‟ a very rapid offstage change of costume and make-up in the Kabuki. Hiki maki : „Draw curtain‟, the traditional front curtain used in the Kabuki theatre. Hikinuki : A rapid on stage change of costume Kabuki juhachiban : Eighteen short Kabuki plays, the traditional pieces of the Ichikawa troupe. Only seven of these are now performed. Kagami-no-ma : The mirror room in both the Noh and kabuki theatres, in which the actor studies his reflection before an entrance. Kamite : Stage left Kasumimaku : A curtain painted with stylized clouds Kodogu : Properties. Kumadoti : Stylized, nonrealistic kabuki make-up Nuregoto : „Moist business‟: a love scene Odaimono : Play dealing with ancient or legendary events 151 Odogu : Settings Shichi-san : The area of greatest acting strength on the Hanamichi Shimote : right side of stage Tachimawari : Ballet-like scenes of kabuki conflict Tsurieda : Hanging floral decorations in the first border position. Waki-za : A stage left area of the Noh stage on which the chorus is seated. 152 Annexure 2: 24 Mudras in Kathakali 24 Basic Mudras in Kathakali 1. Pathaaka 2. Mudraakhyam 3. Katakam (Flag) 4. Mushti (Golden Bangle) 5. Kartharee 6. Sukathundam 7. Kapidhakam Mukham (Parrot's peek) (The fruit of a (Swan's wing) (Scissor's sharp tree) point) 153 8. HamsaPaksham 9. Sikharam 10. Hamsaasyam 11. Anjaly (Peak) (Swan's peek) 12. Ardhachandram (Folded hands in (Half moon) Salutation) 13. Mukuram (Mirror) 14. Bhramaram (Beetle) 16. Pallavam 15. Soochimukham (Needle's (Sprout sharp point) 17. Thripathaaka 18. Mrigaseersham 19. Sarpasirassu (Flag with three (Deer's head) (Serpant's head) colors) 154 20. Vardhamanaka m (Seedling) 21. Araalam 22. Oornanabham 23. Mukulam (Curved) (Spider) 24. Katakaamukham (Bud) Figure 1 : 24 Basic Mudras 24 Basic Mudras .The symbols have been shown in different positions. It is to indicate that the actor must hold his palm in different positions according to the context. (Acknowledged to Cyber Kerala). 155 Annexure 3: Kathakali Characters KATTI KARI (ANKARI – representing Male character) 156 KARI (PENKARI – representing female characters) KARIMTADI (Character-KALI) 157 CHUVANNATADI CHUVANNATADI (Character-Bali) 158 MINUKU (Female Character) VEERABHADRA - A Tadi Character 159 VELLATADI (Charcter- HANUMAN). RUDRA BHEEMA 160 NARASIMHA MINUKU (Character-SUKRA) 161 KARKODAKAN BHEERU 162 Annexure 4 : Navarasam Navarasam by Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair 1.Sringaram 2.Hasyam 3.Karunam (Amour) (Ridicule) (Pathos) 7.Beebhalsam 8.Athbhutham 9.Santham (Disgust) (Wonder) (Tranquility) 163 7.Beebhalsam 8.Athbhutham 9.Santham (Disgust) (Wonder) (Tranquility) Figure 2: Navarasam by Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair Photo- C.V.Sukumaran, Courtsey. Cyber Kerala 164 Annexure 5 : Gestures in Kathakali Some extracts from Alphabets of Gestures in Kathakali (The Language of Kathakali by G. Venu) 165 Figure 3: Pataka 166 Figure 4: Mudrakhya 167 168 Figure 5: Kataka 169 Figure 6: Mushti 170 Figure 7: Kartarimukha Figure 8: Sukatunda 171 Figure 9: Kapittha 172 Figure 10: Hamshapaksha 173 Figure 11: Sikhara 174 Figure 12: Hamsasya 175 Figure 13: Anjali 176 Figure 14: Ardhachandra 177 Figure 15 : Mukura Figure 16: Bhramara 178 Figure 17: Suchimukha 179 Figure 18 : Pallava 180 Figure 19: Tripataka Figure 20: Mrigasirsha 181 Figure 21: Sarpasiras 182 Figure 22: Vardhamanaka 183 Figure 23 : Arala 184 Figure 24: Urnanabha 185 Figure 25: Mukula Figure 26 : Katakamukhha 186 Annexure 6 : Kathakali Performance Figure 27 : A Kathakali Performance 187 Annexure 7: Make Up Figure 28: PACHA (GREEN) Make-up 188 Kathakali Chutti (Make-Up) Figure 29:Kathakali Chutti (Make-Up) 189 Annexure 8 : Kabuki Make up for a Woman character ICHIMARU Manjirô II transforming into a Woman (1) Figure 30: ICHIMARU Manjirô II transforming into a Woman 190 ICHIMARU Manjirô II transformed as a Woman character in a Kabuki Performance Figure 31: ICHIMARU Manjirô II 191 Annexure 9: A Mie Figure 32: A mie in Just a moment Others in the picture - Benkai‟s stone-throwing Mie in The Subcription List and around a pillar Mie of the depraved priest in Thunder God. Figure 33: Wicked Magician in The Famous Tree at sendai 192 Annexure 10 : Theatre Layout Edo Theatre Figure 34: Edo Theatre An Edo Theatre about 1802. The play being performed is the „Congratulatory‟ piece.The Saga Confrontation; the actors playing the Soga brothers are on the Hanamichi at the Shichi-san. 193 Annexure 11: The Saga Confrontation Figure 35: The Saga Confrontation The position of narrators and musicians on the stage of the doll theatre 194 Annexure 12: Kabuki Character Make-up Figure 36: Kabuki Character Make-up 195 Annexure 13: Kabuki Performance Photos Figure 37: Kabuki Performance Photos 196 Annexure 14: Aragoto Make-up Actor Onoe Shoroku in various stages of applying ARAGOTO make-up 1 4 2 5 3 6 Figure 38: ARAGOTO make-up 1-5 The actor Onoe Shoroku in various stages of applying ARAGOTO make-up for The arrow maker. 6. Aragato make-up of Mastsuomaru in Pulling the carriage Apart . 197 Annexure 15: Make up for Onnagata role Figure 39: The Onnagata role 1-6 The actor Nakamura Utaemon preparing to play an Onnagata role. 198 Annexure 16 : Kabuki Actors Figure 40: Bandô Hikosaburô V (left) and Arashi Kichisaburô IV (right) Figure 41: Actor Bandô Hikosaburô II 199 Figure 42: Bandô Hikosaburô III Figure 43: Bandô Hikosaburô IV 200 Figure 44: Bandon Hikosaburô V Figure 45: Bandô Hikosaburô VII 201 Figure 46: Actor Ichimura Uzaemon XVII 202 Figure 47: Ichikawa Ebizô V Figure 48: Nakamura Shikan II 203 Figure 49: Arashi Kichisaburô III Figure 50: Kawarazaki Gonjûrô I 204 Annexure 17 : A Kabuki Workshop A Kabuki Workshop in Hunter College, City University Of New York, USA. 205 Figure 51: Researcher‟s Participation in A Kabuki Workshop 206