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The Okura School of Kyogen by the Sengoro Shigeyama Family 'Sambaso,' 'Kaki Yamabushi (The Persimmon Thief)' and 'Kusabira (Mushrooms)'
March 26, 2010 -- Studio Theatre, Washington, DC As part of DC’s 2010 National Cherry Blossom Festival, the Japan Foundation presented free Kyogen performances and workshops by the esteemed Sengoro Shigeyama Family. Kyogen is a traditional form of Japanese comic drama that evolved during the same time period (Muromachi Period – 1336-1573), as Noh, another form of traditional Japanese theater that relies more heavily on symbolism and reflects the tastes of the aristocracy. Unlike Noh, Kyogen typically depicts ordinary lives and was originally performed during intermissions between Noh plays to lighten the mood. Kyogen, however, like Noh, is traditionally performed by males only, even in the roles of women. The Kyoto-based Sengoro Shigeyama Family, who have been performing Kyogen for multiple generations, presented three plays at DC’s Studio Theatre: “Sambaso,” “Kaki Yamabushi,” and “Kusabira.” “Sambaso” is actually, in large part, a dance performance. “Sambaso” is often performed at the New Year, theater openings, and other ceremonies. In “Sambaso,” there are three musicians in traditional dress in a corner, playing fue (flute), otsuzumi (knee drum) and kotsuzumi (shoulder drum). The work begins with music and halting, sometimes piercing vocals. A man in long dark robes and a tall hat enters with a fan. On his feet are tabi, Japanese split-toed socks. He uses a loud gruff voice and flaps his long sleeves to the beat of the drums. His feet primarily either slide from heel to toe, or stomp. His trunk remains static. When he glides, the performer moves in straight lines, in a box, making it feel like he is traveling long distances. The stomps are flat-footed, pressing firmly into the ground, and apparently are symbolic of harvest. A second man later joins the first on the stage. The two men face each other, and the newest wears the mask of an old man. The old man figure shakes a stick of golden bells in all directions, symbolizing happiness and harmony and forming part of a sacred ritual blessing. The stomping of Japanese dance is in great contrast to the jumps of ballet. While an oversimplification, Japanese dance tends to emphasize our connection to the earth versus some Western styles of dance that fight to defy gravity. In the second work, “Kaki Yamabushi” (The Persimmon Thief), a hungry priest encounters a farmer. The priest explains that he is considering stealing a persimmon from a tree, but he has little luck reaching it, so he must climb the tree (in this case a manufactured stump). When he obtains the prized fruit, the priest slurps it with vigor, making the children in the audience giggle with delight. As he stuffs his face, the farmer who owns the tree spies him and is furious. The farmer toys with the priest, saying that he thinks a crow is in the tree. The priest, not wanting to be discovered, does his best to sound like crow, then a monkey – the next animal the farmer teasingly surmises might be in the tree. When the farmer announces that it must be a kite in the tree, and if it doesn’t fly, it must be a man, the priest, completely taken in by the joke, flaps his arms and falls from the tree. The play is simple and funny, and the characters do a great job conjuring the scene in our imaginations with little in the way of props. The plot of the final play, “Kusabira” (Mushrooms), revolves around a man who consults a priest because he cannot get mushrooms to stop growing in his house. Once he picks the mushrooms, they immediately pop back up. Students from the audience (who participated in a pre-performance workshop) played the role of the mushrooms. The mushrooms wear large dome-like hats and waddle low to the ground. They grow and multiply in front of our eyes. When they are chased away, more return. The homeowner and priest, exasperated, continue to pray, but the situation, comically, fails to improve. Finally, a masked creature with long dark hair who communicates in little shouts leads the mushrooms off the stage in a riotous conga-like line. Unfortunately, the audience seemed composed mainly of Japanese or Japanese-Americans who were likely already familiar with Kyogen (there was a lot of Japanese being spoken during the intermissions). The performance might have been more valuable if it had reached a more diverse DC audience, but tickets, despite being free, were difficult to obtain and the advertising was slim and probably limited to Japan-related groups. Since the performance was entertaining and easily accessible, it certainly would have appealed to a wider audience. It’s a shame that more of those curious about Japanese culture, but without any background in it, were not part of the audience.
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by Carmel Morgan