Religion in Asian Theatre

Religion in Asian Theatre From 350-1350 c. e. theatre began to die off in the western countries due to Christianity and the fall of Rome.

At about this time, the performing arts began to emerge on the Eastern hemisphere. The creators of Asian theatre new nothing of the theatre in Rome or Greece so there was no influence during the fabrication of this new form of theatre. Eastern theatre is much more stylized in that they believe in “total theatre,” which is using every element of theatre be it music, dance, text, etc.Asian theatre relies heavily on movement and also emphasizes the power of symbolism combined with their religious influences to tell compelling stories (Wilson, and Goldfarb 85-110). This is what separated the East from the West.

India was the first Eastern country to introduce theatre to its public. In 2000 b. c. e. Sanskrit works were found written by the Aryans.

This is the base of India’s literary traditions and where their storytelling begins. In around 400 b. c. e.

Buddhism reached its peak and because of Gautama Buddha’s teaching of keeping the body and mind pure, theatre was not seen fit as entertainment.During the “Indian Golden Age” of c. 320 c. e.

, however, Hinduism flourished and it greatly influenced the Sanskrit dramas that were being performed at this time. The goal of obtaining oneness with the gods and the concept of Brahman was the center theme of most Sanskrit dramas. The two most famous Sanskrit dramas are the Mahabharata, which is the longest epic poem in the world, and the Ramayana. Today, only about fifty Sanskrit plays remain and are still being performed in various court circles (Wilson, and Goldfarb 85-110).After the “Indian Golden Age” came a more structured form of Indian theatre.

Bharata Muni wrote a book sometime between 200 b. c. e. and 100 c.

e. entitled Natyasastra which loosely translates to “The Study of Theatre” or “The Art of Theatre. ” This book is often compared to the Roman/ Green De Architectura in that is describes the fundamentals of Asian theatre as well as the mythological origin of the theatre. In the Natyasastra contains the concept of the Rasa.

The Rasa are strong emotional feelings that let the spectator relate to the dramatic situation.There are eight Rasas that align with eight human emotions (Wilson, and Goldfarb 85-110). Each Rasa is also associated with a deity that presides over is. The first is erotic which is presided over by the god Vishnu, second there is comedy that is associated with Pramata, then there is fury with Rudra, compassion and Yama, disgust is managed by Shiva, horror with Kala, Heroic and Indra, and finally the feeling of wonder is presided by Brahman (“Wikipedia”).

These Rasas provide guidelines for the actors to follow as they attempt to connect with their audience.They are all related to a series of metaphysical guidelines, and by using them it is said that “[t]heater can thus serve as a means toward enlightenment; art becomes a way to move toward metaphysics and the divine” (Wilson, and Goldfarb 85-110). Kalidasa is said to be the greatest playwright of this era. He wrote Shakuntala which is considered the most excellent classical Indian drama. Shakuntala is an epic love story between Shakuntala, her husband Dushyanta, and the dire importance of one’s actions.

By the end of the 9th century Sanskrit drama had begun to fade out and completely disappeared at the end of the 12th century when the Arabs invaded India (Kalidasa). Theatre emerged in China in about 2000 b. c. e. , but there is speculation that it was there much earlier than this time. During the Zhou dynasty there were three basic philosophers that influenced Chinese theatre.

These philosophers were Confucious, Lao-tzu, and Mencius. Confucious believed all human beings are perfectible and that we have a complete responsibility to our “group” or family.Lao-tzu taught the purpose of the path to realization and to have patience and harmony through nature through Taoism. Mencius was a Confucianism interpreter who believed people are good, but other people come and taint us.

Another movement that influenced the theatre was shamanism. Shamans were spiritual leaders who were said to be able to talk to the dead and ward off evil spirits through song, dance, and gesture (Wilson, and Goldfarb 85-110). All of these religious ideals became the themes of many Chinese dramas. During the Yuan dynasty Chinese plays stressed themes of loyalty, honesty, devotion to work, and duty to others.Their dramas also always ended in poetic justice, everyone got what they deserved. These performances were performed in the courts as skits, pantomimes, songs, and dance.

Eventually during the Tang period the court of emperors financed a school for the actors called the Pear Garden (Wilson, and Goldfarb 85-110). One of the plays that was a result of this acting school was The Circle of Chalk by Li Xingdao which was so popular it was later adapted in Germany by Bertolt Brecht into The Caucasian Chalk Circle. The circle of Chalk is a arable about a woman who steals a child, but in the end, becomes a better person and mother than the baby’s original parents (Xingdao). Japan at this time was under the influence of the Shinto religion, or “Way of the Gods” that dealt with the worship of nature and spirits. Eventually the Japanese began to follow Buddhism which is a more sophisticated form of Shinto.

Buddhism was the main influence on the first of the three types of Japanese theatre, no. Its practice of the ultimate peace coming from all beings set the cornerstone for this samurai dance drama.The Japanese believed that they receive their energy from the ground so every movement should be precise and have meaning; this is called “the art of walking” (Wilson, and Goldfarb 85-110). No theatre was originally performed only for Shinto and Buddhist ceremonies. Over time, it strayed away from being purely a religious form of entertainment, to combining those traditions with scholarly pursuits, thus creating traveling troupes.

After this, the no theatre performed at the ceremonies was from then on known as a phantasmal play, and the more secular plays were known as present existence plays (Wilson, and Goldfarb 85-110).One troupe in particular was directed by Kan’ami Kiyotsugu, who was an actor as well as a playwright. He wrote and performed in Sotoba Komachi or Kamachi at the Stupa. This play is heavily influenced by the Zen Buddhism in which no theatre is based (Wilson, and Goldfarb 85-110).

In the beginning of the play we see two priests who are talking about how wonderful following Buddha is. When they see Komachi sit on the stump, though, the priests get flustered with her because she does not see the sacredness of that stump.She then relays to them that everything should be considered sacred, and if everything is sacred then it should not matter where she sits. The play continues with the back story of the once beautiful Komachi and her lost lover, Shosho, who, in the end, she becomes possessed by and shares his suffering (Kiyotsugu).

After Kan’ami died, his son Zeami Motokiyo took over the troupe. After his father, Zeami is considered one of the most beneficial to the development of no theatre. He was a theorist whose Zen based writings established the artistic and philosophical basis of the No art form.Zeami also developed the concept of yugen which is the “inner heart” or “spirit” that lies behind our outward forms, our philosophical and physical gracefulness. Yugen is the goal of all no performers. All of Zeami’s writings were kept private, though, and were only shown to his son Motomasa.

They were eventually released in the early 20th century. In 1422, Zeami then gave control of the troupe to his son and pursued the life of a Buddhist monk (Wilson, and Goldfarb 85-110). Neo-Confucianism tenets were the basis for both Bunraku and Kabuki theatre.These tenets pertained to behaviors such as sacrifice, loyalty, and revenge and all these themes are present in bunraku and kabuki theatre. Bunraku is a puppet theatre and its name comes from a famous puppeteer. The bunraku puppets are manipulated by three different people because they are 2/3 the size of the average human.

There is one person for the legs, one for the left arm, and one for the right arm and head. The handler of the right arm and head is called the Chief handler. Bunraku puppeteers start out at a bunraku school at a very young age.They begin by learning how to operate the feet, which takes ten years to master, then another ten years for the left arm, and a final ten years for the head and right arm. This extensive training is necessary because these puppets are meant to look and move like real human beings (Wilson, and Goldfarb 85-110). Chikamatsu Manaemon is the most successful bunraku playwright who was a firm believer in the Japanese codes of behavior.

His personal conflicts between his feelings and social obligation appear in his plays.He is often compared to Shakespeare and Marlowe because of his well-crafted verse and his knowledge of culture (Wilson, and Goldfarb 85-110). Chikamatsu’s masterpiece is The Love Suicide at Amijima. This “forbidden love” play is often compared to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet because the two lovers commit suicide because they cannot be together "Neither kind advice nor reason can gain the ear of one possessed by the god of Death.

. . “(Manaemon). Chikamatsu’s goal for his dramas was to expand upon “what lies in the slender margin between the real and the unreal” (Wilson, and Goldfarb 85-110).Kabuki theatre emerged in the early 17th century compiled of different aspects of no, bunraku, and folk theatre. It was started by a Shino priestess Okuni of Izumo, who was born in the late 16th century.

One day in 1603 she decided to simply begin dancing on a stage in the dry bed of the Kamo River in Kyoto. Her dances originated as being from the Buddhist nature. Later on, however, they were secularized by combining them with folk dances. By 1616 Okuni was travelling with a troupe and there were seven licensed kabuki theatres in Kyoto. When authorities saw this type of secularized Buddhist dancing they were ffended. They deemed it too provocative and banned women’s troupes; soon after the authorities also banned boys’ troupes for this same reason.

After both troupes were banned, the rule for kabuki theatre was that the troupes had to be all men and the sexual glamour should be downplayed (Wilson, and Goldfarb 85-110). Sakura Giminden or The Tale of the Martyr of Sakura, by Segawa Joko III and Kawatake Shinshichi II, is one of the most famous religious plays in kabuki theatre. The play begins with the city of Sakura being driven to famine by their shogun ruler, Lord Hotta, and his increasingly high taxes.Sogo, the mayor of one of the villages in Sakura, decided to directly petition Lord Hotta. This was an act punishable by death, but Sogo was determined to not let his people die at the hands of this shogun. When he gave his petition, Sogo and his entire family were immediately put to death (Joko III, and Shinshichi II).

There are some versions of this play that end with Sogo’s family living, but those are not as popular. This kabuki play is less famous for the historical content, and more well-known for the heroic stand Sogo took.There is a shrine dedicated to him in the Tosho Temple in Narita where people go to worship him daily. The evolution of theatre in Asia is astonishing. Without the knowledge of any theatre performed by Rome or Greece, the East has created their own masterpieces.

The different religions that have passed through significantly influenced and even created some of these forms of theatre. Worshiping the gods and elders and showing your respect for them is of great importance in the Eastern countries, and theatre has become an important part of this ritual.With every precise movement the Asian people are telling an important story. Works Cited Joko III, Segawa, and Kawatake Shinshichi II.

Sakura Gimiden. Japan: 19th century. Print. Kalidasa, First. Shakuntala.

India: 4th century. Print. Kiyotsugu, Kan'ami. Sotoba Komachi.

Japan: 5th century. Print. "Rasa (aesthetics). " Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 30 MAR 2011.

Web. 29 Apr 2011. ;http://en. wikipedia.

org/wiki/Rasa_(aesthetics);. Wilson, Edwin, and Alvin Goldfarb. Living Theatre. 5th. New York: McGraw Hill, 2008.

85-110. Print. Xingdao, Li. Circle of Chalk. China: 14th Century.

Print.