David Sandor Cseh received his Aesthetics MA diploma at the Humanities Faculty of Eötvös Loránd University, and later graduated as a theater dramaturg at the University of Theater and Film Arts in Budapest. His main field of study is Japanese theater aesthetics and theater history. In 2022 he successfully defended his PhD dissertation titled "Jo-ha-kyū: Rhythm, Effect and Meaning in Traditional Japanese Nō" (originally in Hungarian). Besides publishing in his field of research he has been a regular contributor at MONDO Magazin, a Japanese pop culture bi-monthly in Hungary since 2013.
David is also a literary translator and freelance theater dramaturg based in Hungary. His play Szélvész után is szép vagy (After the Storm or 野分の後のキク, d. Benjamin Dino) had its premier on the studio stage of Vígszínház in Budapest on January 21, 2022. His prior Japanese-themed plays include nō-style adaptations of Euripides' Medea (2015, d. David Cseh) and Aeschylus' Prometheus (2017, ch-d. Noemi Kulcsar). He was also the dramaturg of a physical theatre adaptation of the nō drama Sumidagawa at the University of Theatre and Film Arts in 2018 (d. Krisztina Vadasz). He is currently working on a collection of new Hungarian translations of various nō plays.
Living Ritual as Forgotten Context in the Ancient Nō Play Okina 翁
The Covid-19 pandemic showed pe... more Living Ritual as Forgotten Context in the Ancient Nō Play Okina 翁 The Covid-19 pandemic showed people all around the world how a worldwide catastrophe of historical proportions can shed light on long forgotten aspects of well-known artistic genres. In my paper I analyse the nō play Okina 翁 as an example of nō theatre having a strong connection to the present-day life of its audience, even though the genre has been dismissed by many as being too constrained by tradition, a kind of theatrical museum of centuries past. In my study I argue that the most ancient and ceremonial nō performance on repertoire has always been a living ritual, reminding its audience again and again that what they are watching is both profane entertainment and sacred art. In the case of Okina it is also a form of prayer for a better life in the Emperor’s realm. What for many had been an implicit context of this form became very much explicit during the years of the pandemic. In my analysis I explore why – and how this new look at nō may help audiences see all nō plays as living rituals.
Besides the work done by the actor and the technical elements of nō performance, the connection b... more Besides the work done by the actor and the technical elements of nō performance, the connection between the audience and performer is also of great importance in the writings of Zeami Motokiyo, an example being the way artists build upon the expectations, reactions, and taste of the audience. Zeami interprets the jo-ha-kyū rhythm as an essential structural and rhythmical principle in nō, which is why I analyze Shūgyoku tokka, his most informative teaching, in which he deals with jo-ha-kyū not just as a practical element of nō, but elevates it to a higher, more theoretical level. Based on the original text and translations of Tom Hare, J. Thomas Rimer, Yamazaki Masakazu, and commentary by Shelley Fenno Quinn, I examine what effect jo-ha-kyū can have on the audience – and find my answer in Zeami’s concept of fulfillment (jōju), which he deduces from jo-ha-kyū. As he connects these two concepts with the principle of interest (omoshiroki) I point to how important a role the process of recognition plays in nō. This paper is a shortened version of two chapters from the author’s doctoral dissertation: Jo-ha-kyū: Rhythm, Effect and Meaning in Traditional Japanese Nō Theatre. (Originally in Hungarian.)
Misima Jukio (1925-1970) klasszikus japán nó-drámákból készült modern átiratainak elemzése és ism... more Misima Jukio (1925-1970) klasszikus japán nó-drámákból készült modern átiratainak elemzése és ismertetője.
Murakami Takashi (1962-) kortárs japán pop art művész néhány kiemelten fontos alkotásának elemzés... more Murakami Takashi (1962-) kortárs japán pop art művész néhány kiemelten fontos alkotásának elemzése az otaku szubkultúra tükrében.
ÜTKÖZÉSPONTOK V. - A Doktoranduszok Országos Szövetsége Filozófiatudományi Osztálya konferenciájának kötete, 2019
In the past decades research done into the aesthetics of classical Japanese nō theatre has mainly... more In the past decades research done into the aesthetics of classical Japanese nō theatre has mainly focused on Flower or hana 花, a concept coined by Zeami pertaining to the work done by the nō actor, and yūgen 幽玄, the aesthetic principle of graceful, mysterious beauty. Not as much research has been done into monomane 物真似, which can be translated as mimicry or dramatic imitation. In my study I focus on this concept in order to better understand the reasons for the high degree of stylization in nō theatre, something which has made it inherently difficult to grasp for Western audiences and modern Japanese audiences alike.
Using concrete examples I plan to illustrate how monomane functions in nō – and have chosen to base my study on Shunkan 俊寛, one of the well-known genzai 現在 (realistic or real-time) nō plays. I will analyse the methods this symbolic theatre form uses to depict reality, and will make a case for why for all its abstract beauty, nō remains firmly rooted in reality. At the same time I will be searching for the answer to why despite the difficulties of understanding nō we Westerners can still empathize with Shunkan – why do we feel his painful hope? And why can his symbolic, masked form become so very real on the nō stage?
We can learn much about the nature of time on the theatrical stage if we study classical Japanese... more We can learn much about the nature of time on the theatrical stage if we study classical Japanese Nō theatre, an extremely slow, measured genre which radically manipulates the audience's perception of time. Why do so many members of the audience feel that a nō performance is infinitely long while watching it but, at the end of the performance, feel as if only a few minutes had passed? In my study I aim to explain this phenomenon with the help of the nō play Tenko 天鼓 (“The Heavenly Drum”) which is attributed by some to Zeami Motokiyo himself, and tells of a boy endowed with divine talent and a unique drum. I will also briefly analyze the Zen philosophical text Uji 有時 (“Being-Time”), written by Dōgen Zenji 道元禅師 (1200–1253), the founder of the Sōtō School of Zen Buddhism. Together these two texts will help us better understand the importance of the theatrical moment – the importance of the beats of «now».
Traditional Japanese Nō theatre is known for its beautiful masks, ornate costumes, archaic and so... more Traditional Japanese Nō theatre is known for its beautiful masks, ornate costumes, archaic and somber chanting, and slow, measured dances. Far fewer Western viewers have heard about the rhythmic concept of jo-ha-kyū 序破急, which defines Nō’s choreography, theatre space, text and music, even the program structure of traditional, day-long Nō performances. The essence of jo-ha-kyū lies in a rising tempo in rhythm, which is slight at first, later becomes ever faster, and finally comes to an emphatic stop. This uniquely asymmetric rhythm seems to indicate a logic in Nō based on a contradiction between harmony and equilibrium. In my study by referring to texts written by Zeami Motokiyo, Kunio Komparu, Donald Keene, Leonard Koren and others I aim to better understand the nature of jo-ha-kyū, asking the question: can harmony exist in opposition to equilibrium?
In my paper I pursue a comparative study of the Ancient Greek term mimesis (or mīmēsis) and the J... more In my paper I pursue a comparative study of the Ancient Greek term mimesis (or mīmēsis) and the Japanese idea of monomane 物真似 in their theatrical context and use by Aristotle and Zeami. By comparing the Western idea of mimesis to the Japanese idea of monomane I aim to reach a better understanding of the vague Japanese distinction between reality and unreality, which is needed if we wish to understand the stylistic devices of traditional Japanese nō theatre and its ambivalent view of reality. I first analyze Aristotle’s Poetics and his views on imitation of plot briefly, followed by excerpts from Zeami’s Sandō, Shikadō, Kakyō and Fūshikaden with a focus on imitation of character. The detailed analysis of mimesis and monomane sheds light on the aspects of traditional Japanese theatre aesthetics which Western philosophy and theatre studies find difficult to define, making it possible to find common ground between these two very different theatre cultures.
In Aristotle’s Poetics the Ancient Greek philosopher analyzes concepts like mimesis, plot and cat... more In Aristotle’s Poetics the Ancient Greek philosopher analyzes concepts like mimesis, plot and catharsis. The more than two thousand year old work was written in a critical and philosophical mode, and is also one of the few extant texts about Ancient Greek theatre. In my essay I compare this basic text with Sandō (三道, The Three Courses), a six hundred year old text written by the father of Classical Japanese Nō theatre, Zeami Motokiyo. Herein he summarizes his practical and theoretical insights about the dramaturgy of his theatre, and defines its structural elements and most important character types. Even though their two theatres are distant from each other in both space and time, Greek tragedy and Japanese Nō is regularly compared based on their ritualistic backgrounds and archaic dramaturgies to this day. Through a comparison of the Ancient Greek philosopher’s and the Japanese theatremaker’s texts my essay aims to better understand what one theatre teaches us about the other.
Living Ritual as Forgotten Context in the Ancient Nō Play Okina 翁
The Covid-19 pandemic showed pe... more Living Ritual as Forgotten Context in the Ancient Nō Play Okina 翁 The Covid-19 pandemic showed people all around the world how a worldwide catastrophe of historical proportions can shed light on long forgotten aspects of well-known artistic genres. In my paper I analyse the nō play Okina 翁 as an example of nō theatre having a strong connection to the present-day life of its audience, even though the genre has been dismissed by many as being too constrained by tradition, a kind of theatrical museum of centuries past. In my study I argue that the most ancient and ceremonial nō performance on repertoire has always been a living ritual, reminding its audience again and again that what they are watching is both profane entertainment and sacred art. In the case of Okina it is also a form of prayer for a better life in the Emperor’s realm. What for many had been an implicit context of this form became very much explicit during the years of the pandemic. In my analysis I explore why – and how this new look at nō may help audiences see all nō plays as living rituals.
Besides the work done by the actor and the technical elements of nō performance, the connection b... more Besides the work done by the actor and the technical elements of nō performance, the connection between the audience and performer is also of great importance in the writings of Zeami Motokiyo, an example being the way artists build upon the expectations, reactions, and taste of the audience. Zeami interprets the jo-ha-kyū rhythm as an essential structural and rhythmical principle in nō, which is why I analyze Shūgyoku tokka, his most informative teaching, in which he deals with jo-ha-kyū not just as a practical element of nō, but elevates it to a higher, more theoretical level. Based on the original text and translations of Tom Hare, J. Thomas Rimer, Yamazaki Masakazu, and commentary by Shelley Fenno Quinn, I examine what effect jo-ha-kyū can have on the audience – and find my answer in Zeami’s concept of fulfillment (jōju), which he deduces from jo-ha-kyū. As he connects these two concepts with the principle of interest (omoshiroki) I point to how important a role the process of recognition plays in nō. This paper is a shortened version of two chapters from the author’s doctoral dissertation: Jo-ha-kyū: Rhythm, Effect and Meaning in Traditional Japanese Nō Theatre. (Originally in Hungarian.)
Misima Jukio (1925-1970) klasszikus japán nó-drámákból készült modern átiratainak elemzése és ism... more Misima Jukio (1925-1970) klasszikus japán nó-drámákból készült modern átiratainak elemzése és ismertetője.
Murakami Takashi (1962-) kortárs japán pop art művész néhány kiemelten fontos alkotásának elemzés... more Murakami Takashi (1962-) kortárs japán pop art művész néhány kiemelten fontos alkotásának elemzése az otaku szubkultúra tükrében.
ÜTKÖZÉSPONTOK V. - A Doktoranduszok Országos Szövetsége Filozófiatudományi Osztálya konferenciájának kötete, 2019
In the past decades research done into the aesthetics of classical Japanese nō theatre has mainly... more In the past decades research done into the aesthetics of classical Japanese nō theatre has mainly focused on Flower or hana 花, a concept coined by Zeami pertaining to the work done by the nō actor, and yūgen 幽玄, the aesthetic principle of graceful, mysterious beauty. Not as much research has been done into monomane 物真似, which can be translated as mimicry or dramatic imitation. In my study I focus on this concept in order to better understand the reasons for the high degree of stylization in nō theatre, something which has made it inherently difficult to grasp for Western audiences and modern Japanese audiences alike.
Using concrete examples I plan to illustrate how monomane functions in nō – and have chosen to base my study on Shunkan 俊寛, one of the well-known genzai 現在 (realistic or real-time) nō plays. I will analyse the methods this symbolic theatre form uses to depict reality, and will make a case for why for all its abstract beauty, nō remains firmly rooted in reality. At the same time I will be searching for the answer to why despite the difficulties of understanding nō we Westerners can still empathize with Shunkan – why do we feel his painful hope? And why can his symbolic, masked form become so very real on the nō stage?
We can learn much about the nature of time on the theatrical stage if we study classical Japanese... more We can learn much about the nature of time on the theatrical stage if we study classical Japanese Nō theatre, an extremely slow, measured genre which radically manipulates the audience's perception of time. Why do so many members of the audience feel that a nō performance is infinitely long while watching it but, at the end of the performance, feel as if only a few minutes had passed? In my study I aim to explain this phenomenon with the help of the nō play Tenko 天鼓 (“The Heavenly Drum”) which is attributed by some to Zeami Motokiyo himself, and tells of a boy endowed with divine talent and a unique drum. I will also briefly analyze the Zen philosophical text Uji 有時 (“Being-Time”), written by Dōgen Zenji 道元禅師 (1200–1253), the founder of the Sōtō School of Zen Buddhism. Together these two texts will help us better understand the importance of the theatrical moment – the importance of the beats of «now».
Traditional Japanese Nō theatre is known for its beautiful masks, ornate costumes, archaic and so... more Traditional Japanese Nō theatre is known for its beautiful masks, ornate costumes, archaic and somber chanting, and slow, measured dances. Far fewer Western viewers have heard about the rhythmic concept of jo-ha-kyū 序破急, which defines Nō’s choreography, theatre space, text and music, even the program structure of traditional, day-long Nō performances. The essence of jo-ha-kyū lies in a rising tempo in rhythm, which is slight at first, later becomes ever faster, and finally comes to an emphatic stop. This uniquely asymmetric rhythm seems to indicate a logic in Nō based on a contradiction between harmony and equilibrium. In my study by referring to texts written by Zeami Motokiyo, Kunio Komparu, Donald Keene, Leonard Koren and others I aim to better understand the nature of jo-ha-kyū, asking the question: can harmony exist in opposition to equilibrium?
In my paper I pursue a comparative study of the Ancient Greek term mimesis (or mīmēsis) and the J... more In my paper I pursue a comparative study of the Ancient Greek term mimesis (or mīmēsis) and the Japanese idea of monomane 物真似 in their theatrical context and use by Aristotle and Zeami. By comparing the Western idea of mimesis to the Japanese idea of monomane I aim to reach a better understanding of the vague Japanese distinction between reality and unreality, which is needed if we wish to understand the stylistic devices of traditional Japanese nō theatre and its ambivalent view of reality. I first analyze Aristotle’s Poetics and his views on imitation of plot briefly, followed by excerpts from Zeami’s Sandō, Shikadō, Kakyō and Fūshikaden with a focus on imitation of character. The detailed analysis of mimesis and monomane sheds light on the aspects of traditional Japanese theatre aesthetics which Western philosophy and theatre studies find difficult to define, making it possible to find common ground between these two very different theatre cultures.
In Aristotle’s Poetics the Ancient Greek philosopher analyzes concepts like mimesis, plot and cat... more In Aristotle’s Poetics the Ancient Greek philosopher analyzes concepts like mimesis, plot and catharsis. The more than two thousand year old work was written in a critical and philosophical mode, and is also one of the few extant texts about Ancient Greek theatre. In my essay I compare this basic text with Sandō (三道, The Three Courses), a six hundred year old text written by the father of Classical Japanese Nō theatre, Zeami Motokiyo. Herein he summarizes his practical and theoretical insights about the dramaturgy of his theatre, and defines its structural elements and most important character types. Even though their two theatres are distant from each other in both space and time, Greek tragedy and Japanese Nō is regularly compared based on their ritualistic backgrounds and archaic dramaturgies to this day. Through a comparison of the Ancient Greek philosopher’s and the Japanese theatremaker’s texts my essay aims to better understand what one theatre teaches us about the other.
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Papers by David S Cseh
The Covid-19 pandemic showed people all around the world how a worldwide catastrophe of historical proportions can shed light on long forgotten aspects of well-known artistic genres. In my paper I analyse the nō play Okina 翁 as an example of nō theatre having a strong connection to the present-day life of its audience, even though the genre has been dismissed by many as being too constrained by tradition, a kind of theatrical museum of centuries past. In my study I argue that the most ancient and ceremonial nō performance on repertoire has always been a living ritual, reminding its audience again and again that what they are watching is both profane entertainment and sacred art. In the case of Okina it is also a form of prayer for a better life in the Emperor’s realm. What for many had been an implicit context of this form became very much explicit during the years of the pandemic. In my analysis I explore why – and how this new look at nō may help audiences see all nō plays as living rituals.
Using concrete examples I plan to illustrate how monomane functions in nō – and have chosen to base my study on Shunkan 俊寛, one of the well-known genzai 現在 (realistic or real-time) nō plays. I will analyse the methods this symbolic theatre form uses to depict reality, and will make a case for why for all its abstract beauty, nō remains firmly rooted in reality. At the same time I will be searching for the answer to why despite the difficulties of understanding nō we Westerners can still empathize with Shunkan – why do we feel his painful hope? And why can his symbolic, masked form become so very real on the nō stage?
The Covid-19 pandemic showed people all around the world how a worldwide catastrophe of historical proportions can shed light on long forgotten aspects of well-known artistic genres. In my paper I analyse the nō play Okina 翁 as an example of nō theatre having a strong connection to the present-day life of its audience, even though the genre has been dismissed by many as being too constrained by tradition, a kind of theatrical museum of centuries past. In my study I argue that the most ancient and ceremonial nō performance on repertoire has always been a living ritual, reminding its audience again and again that what they are watching is both profane entertainment and sacred art. In the case of Okina it is also a form of prayer for a better life in the Emperor’s realm. What for many had been an implicit context of this form became very much explicit during the years of the pandemic. In my analysis I explore why – and how this new look at nō may help audiences see all nō plays as living rituals.
Using concrete examples I plan to illustrate how monomane functions in nō – and have chosen to base my study on Shunkan 俊寛, one of the well-known genzai 現在 (realistic or real-time) nō plays. I will analyse the methods this symbolic theatre form uses to depict reality, and will make a case for why for all its abstract beauty, nō remains firmly rooted in reality. At the same time I will be searching for the answer to why despite the difficulties of understanding nō we Westerners can still empathize with Shunkan – why do we feel his painful hope? And why can his symbolic, masked form become so very real on the nō stage?