Theater6

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**Yugen:** **Sarugaku:** **__Kabuki__** Kabuki 2 Bunraku
 * Yugen is the sense of beauty of the world and the beauty of human suffering.
 * In Chinese, Yugen means 'mysterious'.
 * Literally means 'monkey music'
 * There are **no monkeys** involved although its called monkey music.
 * It may be called Monkey Music because the actors swing around like monkeys.
 * Kabuki was first made in the Tokugawa period
 * It mostly involves singing and dancing
 * It appealed to the common audience
 * Has slow emotional scenes
 * Has fast and vigorous sword fights
 * It is Japanese puppet theater
 * Also known as Nyngo Jouri

The Japanese have three main types of ancient theater. They are called Noh, Kabuki, and Bunraku. Four or five hundred years ago in Japan, Noh was just entertainment. Then it gained depth and became more than entertainment. The two most important things in Noh are your singing and your form. If you have not mastered Noh by the time you turn 20, then you are recommended to give it up. Noh was created by Kannami and Zeami. Saragaku literally means 'monkey music'. There are no monkeys involved though. It may be called monkey music because the actors dress like monkeys, or the actors swing around like monkeys. It is important to Noh because it is in most Noh plays. Yugen is what makes Noh different from all of the other theater types. In Chinese, it translates to mysterious. In Japanese, it represents the beauty in the universe and in human suffering. Kabuki, another type of theater, was first created in the Tokugawa period. The Tokugawa period lasted from 1603 to 1867. It involves a lot of singing and dancing. In that way, it is sort of like an ancient Japanese musical. Unlike other types of Japanese theater, Kabuki appealed to the common person. Kabuki has very colorful costumes and makeup. Kabuki has two main types of scenes. The first is a slow, and emotional scene. The second is a fast and vigorous fight scene. These fight scenes are usually sword fights dancing. Though kabuki has sword fights, no one actually dies in the play. Bunraku theater is much like Kabuki. The main difference is that Bunraku involves puppets. These puppets have elaborate costumes and colorful makeup. The puppeteers hide on the ground and dress in black so they are less noticeable to the audience. It is also known as Nyngo Jouri. While the different styles of theater have different emphasizes, they all have great importance to the Japanese culture.


 * Mitchell, John D. and Watanabe, Miyoko. Noh & Kabuki: Staging Japanese Theatre. Key West, FL Inst. for Advanced Studies in 1994. Print.
 * Dunn, Charles James. Everyday life in Traditional Japan [by] C. J. Dunn. Drawings by Laurence Broderick. Boston: C E Tuttle Co, 2000. Print.