HF+Assignment+No.2+Kabuki+Actors+Barriers

February, 21 2011
** “Breaking the //Kabuki// Actors' Barriers: 1868-1900.” ** ** By: Faith Bach. __Asian Theatre Journal__ Vol.12, #2, Fall 1999. Page. 264- 279. **

 Upon initially reading Faith Bach's article on the historic hierarchical dissolution regarding the traditional Japanese Theatre, // kabuki, // from 1608 to 1900, I personally found the strife of its actors' gradual liberation, which finally occurred near the end of the Meiji Period (1900) to be too leisurely considering the severely dehumanizing regulations the Tokugawa Shogunate imposed on the // Kabuki // actors' lives until 1868.  Since its beginnings in the seventeenth century, //kabuki// theatre had been subject to the hierarchical military government's suffocating regulations that restricted its growth socially, artistically, and economically. Strict laws prohibited certain colors, women and children on stage, materials, and subject matter of the plays. In an elaborate intervention by the government in 1714 was the result of an illicit love affair between a //kabuki// actor and an elite woman of the upper class. The affair, once discovered, resulted in the complete dismantling of an entire theatre, exile of both lovers, and the public sale of all the theatre's assets. The dissolution of the theatre meant that only three remained in all of Tokugawa Japan. Actors henceforth were absconded for their involvement with the theatre; being forced to wear //amagasa//, or basket-hats, to shield their faces from fans in public and even so far as denying them last names and listing them as //hinin// , or non-persons, in the census. This obscene over-involvement angered me as I thought of today's deprivation of basic human rights in our country. Perhaps we aren't ostracized from society and forced to cloak our faces in public because of our professions, but things the The Patriot Act and extreme security measures at airports have dehumanized us to a point where I can begin to empathize with the //kabuki// actors.  This scrutiny of // Kabuki // actors' rights finally dissolved as “progressive bureaucrats” overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate in the new Meiji Era. With the warlords gone and a liberalizing influence brought on by the a new civilian population pouring into Tokyo, // Kabuki // Actors experienced new licensing opportunities not promoted by the Shogunate, thus amounting to a much awaited “Theatre Liberation Order.” However, despite how revolutionary the this may sound, // Kabuki // Actors were still forced into a social hierarchy during the Meiji Restoration (1886-1900) that was very similar to that of the Edo Period's Tokugawa Shogunate. Due to the end of the // sanza // hegemony, only two licensing companies remained: the // mon, // or minors, and the majors. This reminds me of the current American divide between low-level workers and CEOs; both are working hard, but the income, respect, and happiness gap is growing more every day and the CEOs in power now are working hard to see that they get richer and stay on top. The small difference between the licensing companies of being able to use a drop curtain in productions caused something as large as a governmental action to take place.  Set in place by the new Tokyo government at the collapse of the Shogunate, the re-licensing of theatres allowed anyone to apply for their very own Theatre. Though of course many did not meet the encompassing criteria which permitted such a theatre license - being accepted by previously-established // Kabuki // Theatres, having the financial wealth to build a Theatre house, and having enough money to pay the state required taxes and still make a profit - these requirements helped weed out those who were thought to eventually shame the traditional // Kabuki // Theatre. This new liberalized marketing of // Kabuki // Theatre quickly gained capitalist momentum but was halted by the new restrictions of the  with the two differing region's set // Kabuki // Theatre regulations: the Edo-Tokyo and Kyoto-Osaka regions of entertainment.  New licensing rules allowed the taxing of different caste levels depending on the rank or title of one's acting troupe. This idea benefited the managers of the theatres, but still did not give // Kabuki // Actors the basic freedom they had strove for all these years. In addition to the segregation still placed on the actors of // Kabuki, // commercial problems began to arise, which ultimately lead to a final stand: Ichikawa Ennosuke I, the “boundary-crosser.”  Ichikawa Ennosuke I was a man of humble birth but filled with potential. In his early acting career, he was scouted out by a man who promised to make him a star, but he instead chose to join the lesser caste of actors: the // mon //. In his career, he was allowed to negotiate his contracts and had more artistic freedom. With this freedom, he decided to study // keren //, or stunt art, which included martial arts and fight scenes. Upon his return to popular Tokyo theatre, he found that the theatre system was becoming more democratic, eventually culminating in the establishment of the Society for Theatre Reform and was headed by Kencho and supported greatly by actor Danjuro. Their new style became popular with governmental leaders, intellectuals, and poets. Danjuro became even stronger within the theatre community and began openly speaking about his pro-segregationist stance between major and minor actors, completely undermining everything Ennosuke was trying to accomplish in terms of a unified theatre. Danjuro condemned any “boundary-crossing” actor by stripping any major actor of his caste if he participated in a minor production. However, the union of actors rallied together and Ennosuke denied the power of Danjuro by insisting on boundary-crossing his way to major status and was considered a star among Tokyo minors. Because of Ennosuke's heroic acts, he paved the way for the permanent dissolution of actors' segregation and in January of 1900, the government officially permitted any theatre house to install a draw curtain. While the desegregation of actors in Japan may sound relatively minor in comparison to Civil Rights and slavery in the United States, it is not any less significant in its cultural history. Because of one brave man, Japanese actors now have the freedoms so long denied to them and can fully express their creativity without fear of repercussions.