What is the name of the Japanese masked song and dance

When Nohra speaks of Japanese song and dance, the mind now conjures up kabuki in kimono, heavy buns, and faces brushed pale. This impression comes from trace amounts of Japanese novels and Japanese movies. In Japan, there is a dance art similar to the Chinese "Nuo", which is Nogaku, and it is also the world's oldest surviving professional theater. In 2001, Nogaku was listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Nogaku is a typical Japanese classical dance, loved by the upper class for its mystery, and some call it the art of ghosts, showing the dialog between humans and ghosts. Dong Xijiu, a doctoral supervisor at the Dance Research Institute of the China Academy of Art, went to Japan in 1984 to specialize in classical dance. In spite of her 80 years of age, she used an afternoon to enthusiastically introduce Japanese Noh to us, and gladly put pen to paper to write a piece specifically for the readers in Foshan about her feelings of seeing Noh in Japan 21 years ago.

Nuo dance originated in China Nengle before the establishment of the Meiji government, has been called Saru Nengle, which is in the absorption of Chinese folk music and Tang Dynasty scattered music on the basis of the creation and development of a performance with comical, dialog art.

The medieval Noh music was influenced by Chinese Nuo dance and puppet theater. 13th century Guan Aya, Shi Aya father and son on the basis of the previous generation, created a song and dance as the main body of Noh music. Because the ruler of the time, Nogaku became the court art preferred by the upper class. 1603, Edo Shogunate Nogaku as the court music, the private sector can not be performed without authorization. At that time, people regarded the reading of Nogaku tableaux as a form of cultural literacy.

The protagonists of Nogaku wear masks, with young women wearing small masks, and old men wearing oni-men, as well as oni-kami masks. The masks of Nohlaku are so valuable that they are not traded on the market and can be seen in museums. In order to express the world of gods and ghosts, the actors perform virtually through the masks, covering their faces with their hands to show tears of sadness, or turning their faces downward slightly to show their sadness. For those who have not been exposed to Noh, the mask is the best way to understand it.

There are two types of Noh performances, straight (without masks) and with masks. Usually only the main character wears a mask. Noh masks are carved from hinoki wood, and many of them are 500 or 600 years old. Noh-myeon is unique in that it has both "sad and smiling two diametrically opposed expressions", some Noh-myeon looks like a smile, the corners of the eyes, but as a sob; some Noh-myeon looks sad, the lips are rippling with a hint of peace and smiles. The sad and happy Noh face expands the performance space of Noh musicians.

Like the masks, the brightly colored and extravagant costumes in Neng Le are also very famous. This is in stark contrast to the bare stage and restrained movements of Noh music. The costumes for the main characters are five layers thick, with coats made of cotton satin. The actors were majestic in these costumes. In some shows, a red or white wig is added to the effect. The only backdrop for all Noh Le's programs is the pine tree.

It is said that many of the 240-odd songs in Noh's repertoire are dialogues between humans and ghosts. The main characters are a girl who is trapped in love and dies of depression, a young woman who is cursed to turn into a snake, and the spirits of samurai warriors who died in the war, and for this reason, Noh's music is also known as the art of ghosts.

The Art of Men Nengaku masters are the soul of Nengaku, and they are all men who enjoy a high status in Japan, such as Kansei Kiyokazu, the 26th generation of Kansei-ryu, who is a key protector of the Japanese government. Nogaku heirs like him start learning from their teachers at the age of three or four. The teacher never explains the lines, but only passes them on by word of mouth, and the only way to learn a move is to imitate it. Kansei Kiyokazu once said, "Wearing the Noh face from 600 years ago, wearing the Noh attire from 500 years ago, breathing and sweating as one with our ancestors, no one dares to slack off."

Nowadays, there are five major genres of Noh music: kansei, jinchun, baosheng, vajra, and kita. Noh plays draw on a wide range of materials, including folklore, The Tale of Genji and Chinese historical stories. Some of the plays that belong to Chinese historical themes are "Bai Le Tian", "Dongfang Shuo", "Yang Guifei", "Xiang Yu", and so on. Mr. Dong Xijiu was touched by Mr. Kita Nagashi's performance of "Yang Guifei" in Japan, which is still clear today after 20 years.

Nengaku's performances, mingled with "ranting", is a short comic comedy between the acts of Nengaku's performances, in order to temper the audience's mood. Later on, the "jango" slowly appeared on the stage independently.