THE JAPANESE STAGE.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVI, Issue XXII, 30 May 1896, Page 619

THE JAPANESE STAGE.

TO a stranger one of the most curious sights in Japan is a house of public entertainment. A more extraordinary or interesting spectacle can scarcely be imagined, and is certainly not to be witnessed in any other portion of the civilized world. In nearly every street in the city of Tokio is always to be found one or more of these places of amusement. It is rendered conspicuous by placards posted on a square box hung in a prominent place, announcing that Messrs So and So will give an entertainment regularly between certain dates, and at night this box is lit up with candles. At the entrance to the house is a large wooden till, in which is placed three pinches of salt for ‘luck.’ Close up is stationed a man who cries at intervals, ‘ Come in ' Come in, ladies and gentlemen, and see our wonderful exhibition. It will tickle your liver and make the lean grow fat from laughing. Come in, my pretty maid, and we will show you the features of your lover.’ The performance usually commences at 7 o’clock in the morning and closes at 6 o’clock in the evening, and, including the intervals, which are frequent and long, the fun is kept up all day. As the dawn appears in the east the sound of music issues from the building. And by the time the sun has risen above the hilltops numbers of country people, who have partaken of an early breakfast, may be seen, dressed in holiday attire, with babies on their backs and baskets of food and bottles of wine in their hands, wending their way to the house of entertainment. The married ladies are conspicuous by their closely-shaven eyebrows and black teeth, and the troops of children following at their heels ; while the maidens can be distinguished by the powder on their cheeks and ermine-painted lips. In the city the young girls rise earlier than usual and hastily complete their elaborate toilet in order to be present at the commencement of the performance. They are easily distinguished from the country maidens by their less ruddy complexions and more genteel manners.

On arriving at the place of amusement the audience take off their geta or clogs and place them in the custody of a man, who charges a nominal sum for taking care of them. As there are no seats in a house of public entertainment in Tokio, the audience squat cross-legged on the mats in the space allotted to them and make themselves comfortable for the day. The men and women light their pipes and while away the time by rehearsing pleasant reminiscences until the performance begins Jugglers, storytellers, magic lantern exhibitors, who are considered the forerunners of prosperity and harbingers of peace, entertain the public both day and niglit. The performance always takes place in the upper storv of the house. At one extremity of the room is an elevated platform for the performers, on which is a firebox and tea service, and at each end are two candlesticks. A storyteller steps upon the platform, drinks a cup of tea in order to strengthen his tongue and improve his voice, wipes his mouth with a handkerchief, snuffs the candles, then coughs a respectable cough. At first lie speaks softly, but raises his voices and increases in eloquence as he proceeds. During the recital of his story he trifles with a fan, which is ever in his hand, laughs, weeps, sings and gets drunk ; makes erratic movements with his hands and rolls his eyes about in imitation of the imaginary beings of whom he is speaking. At one time

he is a lovely lady : then changes to a country fellow, speaking in the rustic idiom. Now he is an actor on the stage, or is transformed into a horrible-looking ghost. Indeed, he represents the various characters of life, and his wit and puns keep the audience in a continual state of hilarity. When the storyteller has concluded there is an interval of about thirty minutes, during which smokers call for fire boxes, the thirsty for tea, while hungry folks cry out for cakes and fruit. A lottery is also got up, and thus the people are occupied until an-

other storyteller steps upon the stage. He is usually a superior actor and orator to the other ; his eloquence is louder, his laughter admirable, and weeping wonderful, while his imitation of a drunken man is perfection itself.

The next part of the performance is somewhat different. A large paper screen hangs down at the edge of the platform. Suddenly flutes are blown and drums beaten. Then five or six trunks of green pine trees appear on the paper screen, after which'a man habited in ceremonial dress with a yeboshi on his head makes his appearance, holding a bell in bis right hand and a fan in his left. He moves his eyes and eyebrows about, rings his bell, flourishes his fan, and dances so gracefully to the accompanying music that the spectators are misled into the belief that it is not real flesh and blood performing for their edification, but a ghost. In a moment the seeming phantom vanishes, and immediately after a variety of lovely plants and beautiful trees make their appearance. There are plum trees, peonies, chrysanthemums, and lotuses, all of jwhich are made to produce buds and blossoms and charming flowers, to the astonishment of the beholders, who manifest their approbation

by frequent and loud applause. The scene changes. The garden disappears, and in its place is a temple adorned with red and white flags and lighted by rows of small lanterns. Worshippers are visible passing to and fro. throwing their contributions into the box and praying. Bald-headed priests, apparelled in gorgeous-tinted garments, are seen, while the murmur of their monotonous prayer, * Nama Budzu, nama Budzu ’ (My God, my God), is distinctly heard. At length the music stops, the temple drum ceases to beat, and the worshippers disappear as mysteriously as they came. Again the scene changes. It is night—midnight. Hark ! There breaks upon the ear the footman’s cry "of ‘Wakiyorel’ (give way.) It is a procession of foxes. They proceed very slowly. Some are carrying mats, others lighting the procession by torches held between their teeth, and more are carrying wooden sticks and bamboo poles. The procession is that of a lady fox who is on her way to be married, and as soon as it has passed through a gate all the foxes are transformed into men, the mats into boxes, torches into lanterns, bamboo poles to spears and the wooden sticks to Sedan chairs. The procession passes over the screen and vanishes. This scene is frequently followed by a tragedy known as the ‘ Ghost of Kasane.’ Kasane was a woman who incurred the dis-

pleasure of her lord and husband and was brutally murdered by him. On the stage the murderer is seen sitting in a room which is only dimly lighted. Beside him is a shelf on which is a tablet in commemoration of the deed. He strikes a bell and repeats a prayer, after which the face of the ghost appears on the screen. from which emanate reproachful words. The face alternately changes from a deathly pallor to a healthy hue, from large to small, and so on. Anon it is of huge size.

From the mouth bursts forth a stream of blood, while the eyes flash forth angry glances. At this stage of the proceedings an eminent priest approaches, repeats a prayer, flourishes his rosary and the spirit vanishes.

Buddha then comes from heaven in the clouds, and the spirit of the murdered woman is observed sitting on the petals of a flower, being now an angel. All is brilliantly illuminated by the light from heaven, and lovely flowers are seen in full bloom.

After another interval, the length of which would discourage and weary an English or Colonial audience beyond endurance but not a Japanese—who amuse themselves by eating, drinking, smoking and chatting the time away, or by playing simple games—a herald announces with a great rhetorical flourish that the most renowned ventriloquist in the world will make the very supports of the building talk and sing to them. Although the majority present are quite familiar with the wonderful pranks of this genius, they at once manifest as much interest as though they had never heard of such an astonishingly clever individual. Ashes are knocked out of the little pipes, dishes and edibles hastily collected and put away, maidens straighten out their ruffled garments and all are reedy to give their undivided attention to talking posts and voices from heaven. The discordant notes of a samisen, which is a stringed instrument bearing a crude resemblance to a guitar, are heard in season and out of season as an accompaniment to a cracked, jerky, and spasmodic female voice, the combination producing an excruciating sound sufficiently agonizing to make a quartette of Kilkenny cats hide their heads for shame or send the fine chords of Paderewski’s musical anatomy into convulsions. But it is charming to the Japanese. At length everybody wearies, and the programme is changed to the recital of blood-curdling ghost stories which make the old folks utter exclamations of astonishment, while a creeping feeling passes through the frames of the children, who look nervously about them as they huddle closer to the maternal side. The ghost stories are indulged in until a sudden storm breaks over their heads and startles the audience. To the roar of thunder is added the lightning’s flash in such a realistic manner as to create alarm and consternation. The noise of the storm is enhanced by the banging of doors and windows, and the entertainment is brought to a close. Occasion-

ally a disturbance takes place among the spectators which temporarily eclipses the performance on the stage, but such occurrences are very rare, considering the crude manner of providing accommodations for such a mixed crowd as attend these pleasure resorts. It is a simply a matter of time, however, when all such defects will be remedied and the good old-fashioned performances are relegated among the things of the past, for foreign innovations have already appeared on the stage, as in most everything else in Japan.