[Page of 3] Culture | TATE: The Diary of a Japanese Man

2022-11-27

I was happy to see the Kabuki celebrating the name succession of the 13th Ichikawa Danjuro

In November 2022, a big event happened in the history of Kabuki. A famous Kabuki actor, Ichikawa Ebizo, succeeded to the 13th Ichikawa Danjuro, and his son succeeded to the 8th Ichikawa Shinnosuke. A performance commemorating their successions was held at Kabukiza, Tokyo. The performance was divided into a daytime session and a nighttime session. Though I could get a...

Culture

2022-11-06

“Sotowa Komachi” shows that Kanami and Zeami were really creative and had great insight

Ono-no-Komachi was a historical poet, and she has become synonymous with a beautiful woman. However, her background and details are mostly unknown. It’s certain that she existed over 1,000 years ago. Some episodes about her have been handed down to the present day. A Noh play called, “Sotowa Komachi” is one of them. In the first half of the Noh...

Culture

2022-10-09

“Jidaigeki” must be given the most attention

I love “Jidaigeki”. Jidaigeki is a genre of drama that is set in the Edo period. In other words, it is called, Samurai drama, historical drama, or period drama. Today, Jidaigeki isn’t produced very much because it is unpopular among Japanese people. At one time, countless Jidaigeki had been produced. Fortunately, a premium channel named, “SAMURAI DRAMA CHANNEL” rebroadcasts these...

Culture

2022-09-25

About a Zazen meeting that I’m participating in

I practice Zazen regularly at a Buddhist temple close to my house. That Soto sect temple has a hall for practicing Zazen called, Zendo. The temple holds Zazen meetings early in the morning twice a month, and a chief priest gives us guidance for Zazen. Surprisingly, it’s free of charge, and the participants need not be followers of the Soto...

Culture

2022-09-18

“Kagekiyo” is deeply interesting and full of wit

The Noh play called “Kagekiyo” is a tragedy. However, it doesn’t make me feel dark and gloomy. This is because the Noh play suggests to me that the pure and beautiful mind of a human cannot be taken away even in a tragic situation. This Noh play is based on a historical samurai called Kagekiyo. According to The Tale of...

Culture

Category: Culture

I was happy to see the Kabuki celebrating the name succession of the 13th Ichikawa Danjuro

“Sotowa Komachi” shows that Kanami and Zeami were really creative and had great insight

“Jidaigeki” must be given the most attention

About a Zazen meeting that I’m participating in

“Kagekiyo” is deeply interesting and full of wit