The diagonal hanamichi had such a striking quality! I somehow feel I understand kabuki much better for seeing it. Why or why was it flattened out as today?
From what I've read, in Kamigata (Osaka and Kyoto), the hanamichi were built at a right angle from the beginning. So perhaps the actors or managers who visited the region thought it was better. Also, when a second hanamichi was introduced, I suppose it must have made sense to have them both at a right angle from the stage. But I agree with you, the diagonal hanamichi is visually quite stunning and iconic!
Could you( apologies if you already have) explain the exits some arigoto characters make on the hanamichi? Where they stamp/hop from one foot to another? Does this come from Noh or Bunraku convention? I find this fascinating and thank you for the videos
Thank you for your kind words and support! The idea of stomping the ground as a way to drive away bad spirits is very common in Japanese culture. It could be seen in religious rituals, folk dances and noh theatre long before kabuki even existed. But beyond that general concept, the concrete influence for the famous roppo as it exists in kabuki seems to be the tanzen roppo, a fashionable style of walking used by people of the city of Edo during the 1680s, which was later picked up and exaggerated by the actors onstage. I hope to cover this and other topics related to aragoto acting in a video at some point!
Amazing video. I bought a book on kabuki to read but nothing beats seeing it and learning about it through video since it's so visual. I am really curious what movie or show the clip is from at 1:31-1:34!!
I'm glad you enjoyed it! The clip is from the 1955 film Ejima Ikushima, starring Ichikawa Danjūrō XI (at the time Ichikawa Ebizō IX). I haven't found the complete film, but this bit in which he appears in the play Kuruwa Bunshō was uploaded to RU-vid a while back.
Yes! It is a stage trick known as honmizu (本水) which can be seen in a few plays, such as Kaidan Chibusa no Enoki (the one seen on the clip) and Meigetsu Hachiman Matsuri. Apparently it was fairly common during the Edo period, as a way to cool the actors and audience during the extreme heath of the summer months.
