This paper sheds light on the amateur practitioner, who is essential to the constitution of nō as... more This paper sheds light on the amateur practitioner, who is essential to the constitution of nō as a source of revenue for sustaining performers who teach and as a conduit for the transmission of artistic traditions. Select amateur enthusiasts are important for reinforcing the structure of the iemoto (family head) system in nō. Drawing on ethnographic research, I examine how the process of learning nō intertwines with the working life of the salaryman (salaried worker), and how the rigors and pleasures of learning nō on a particular meaning in the context of his working life. The analysis focuses on the decades from the aftermath of World War II to the 1990s, the era in which the salarymen featured in this article worked in these companies. It also traces the rise and decline of this form of corporate-sponsored workplace recreation and considers the implications of this decline for the future of nō.
While the performance of its celebrated actors is often in the limelight, an equally important, b... more While the performance of its celebrated actors is often in the limelight, an equally important, but often unremarked, element of the Noh world is the many amateur performers who engage in the practice as a leisure activity. This article explores the shifts in identity that women say occur through Noh practice. I examine the ‘states of being’ that arise through these performances, and explore how women say Noh practice contributes to their life course development. Drawing on ethnographic research, I examine how the process of learning Noh intertwines with the everyday lives of women amateurs, and how the rigours and pleasures of learning Noh take on a particular significance as women grow older.
Known for a tradition of Confucian filial piety, East Asian societies have some of the oldest and... more Known for a tradition of Confucian filial piety, East Asian societies have some of the oldest and most rapidly aging populations on earth. Today these societies are experiencing unprecedented social challenges to the filial tradition of adult children caring for aging parents at home. Marshalling mixed methods data, this volume explores the complexities of aging and caregiving in contemporary East Asia. Questioning romantic visions of a senior’s paradise, chapters examine emerging cultural meanings of and social responses to population aging, including caregiving both for and by the elderly. Themes include traditional ideals versus contemporary realities, the role of the state, patterns of familial and non-familial care, social stratification, and intersections of caregiving and death. Drawing on ethnographic, demographic, policy, archival, and media data, the authors trace both common patterns and diverging trends across China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and Korea.
Abstract: This article examines the involvement of senior citizens in the traditional arts in Jap... more Abstract: This article examines the involvement of senior citizens in the traditional arts in Japan. In these arts, elderly practitioners command respect from their audi-ences and students for their long years of training and experience. They are vener-ated as the repositories of embodied knowledge and skill. In contrast, youthful and middle-aged practitioners are considered “works in progress ” who must continue to perfect their skills to approximate their elderly counterparts. Drawing on case studies of senior citizens who join classes in the traditional arts of Noh chanting and dance and calligraphy, we explore the ways in which the traditional arts give senior citizens a new horizon for growing and striving into later life. We theorize that the promise of mastery in very old age has special appeal to retirees in Japan. Through various certification processes, many are able to work their way up to attain leadership roles in old age. This growth possibility serves as a counter for...
Self-reliance has arisen as a key ethic in relation to older persons in Japan. One part of a larg... more Self-reliance has arisen as a key ethic in relation to older persons in Japan. One part of a larger social trend affecting mature societies around the world is the rising emphasis on elders overcoming dependence in favor of a new ethic of independence. This analysis of older persons in Japan opens a window into the gender dynamics of older-person households, and into the discourses about the lack of an independent autonomous identity in old age aside from that in the workplace. Drawing on fieldwork with retirees, I illuminate retired couples’ experiences of and attitudes about retirement, considering the interpersonal dimensions of interdependence and the ways the ethos of self-reliance influences retirees’ lives. In particular, I analyse how the men seek to embody interdependence in relationships with their wives. How do they adjust in relation to their wives’ expectations, and how do they—and their identities—change after they leave the workforce? Central to this process is an exp...
This paper sheds light on the amateur practitioner, who is essential to the constitution of nō as... more This paper sheds light on the amateur practitioner, who is essential to the constitution of nō as a source of revenue for sustaining performers who teach and as a conduit for the transmission of artistic traditions. Select amateur enthusiasts are important for reinforcing the structure of the iemoto (family head) system in nō. Drawing on ethnographic research, I examine how the process of learning nō intertwines with the working life of the salaryman (salaried worker), and how the rigors and pleasures of learning nō on a particular meaning in the context of his working life. The analysis focuses on the decades from the aftermath of World War II to the 1990s, the era in which the salarymen featured in this article worked in these companies. It also traces the rise and decline of this form of corporate-sponsored workplace recreation and considers the implications of this decline for the future of nō.
While the performance of its celebrated actors is often in the limelight, an equally important, b... more While the performance of its celebrated actors is often in the limelight, an equally important, but often unremarked, element of the Noh world is the many amateur performers who engage in the practice as a leisure activity. This article explores the shifts in identity that women say occur through Noh practice. I examine the ‘states of being’ that arise through these performances, and explore how women say Noh practice contributes to their life course development. Drawing on ethnographic research, I examine how the process of learning Noh intertwines with the everyday lives of women amateurs, and how the rigours and pleasures of learning Noh take on a particular significance as women grow older.
Known for a tradition of Confucian filial piety, East Asian societies have some of the oldest and... more Known for a tradition of Confucian filial piety, East Asian societies have some of the oldest and most rapidly aging populations on earth. Today these societies are experiencing unprecedented social challenges to the filial tradition of adult children caring for aging parents at home. Marshalling mixed methods data, this volume explores the complexities of aging and caregiving in contemporary East Asia. Questioning romantic visions of a senior’s paradise, chapters examine emerging cultural meanings of and social responses to population aging, including caregiving both for and by the elderly. Themes include traditional ideals versus contemporary realities, the role of the state, patterns of familial and non-familial care, social stratification, and intersections of caregiving and death. Drawing on ethnographic, demographic, policy, archival, and media data, the authors trace both common patterns and diverging trends across China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and Korea.
Abstract: This article examines the involvement of senior citizens in the traditional arts in Jap... more Abstract: This article examines the involvement of senior citizens in the traditional arts in Japan. In these arts, elderly practitioners command respect from their audi-ences and students for their long years of training and experience. They are vener-ated as the repositories of embodied knowledge and skill. In contrast, youthful and middle-aged practitioners are considered “works in progress ” who must continue to perfect their skills to approximate their elderly counterparts. Drawing on case studies of senior citizens who join classes in the traditional arts of Noh chanting and dance and calligraphy, we explore the ways in which the traditional arts give senior citizens a new horizon for growing and striving into later life. We theorize that the promise of mastery in very old age has special appeal to retirees in Japan. Through various certification processes, many are able to work their way up to attain leadership roles in old age. This growth possibility serves as a counter for...
Self-reliance has arisen as a key ethic in relation to older persons in Japan. One part of a larg... more Self-reliance has arisen as a key ethic in relation to older persons in Japan. One part of a larger social trend affecting mature societies around the world is the rising emphasis on elders overcoming dependence in favor of a new ethic of independence. This analysis of older persons in Japan opens a window into the gender dynamics of older-person households, and into the discourses about the lack of an independent autonomous identity in old age aside from that in the workplace. Drawing on fieldwork with retirees, I illuminate retired couples’ experiences of and attitudes about retirement, considering the interpersonal dimensions of interdependence and the ways the ethos of self-reliance influences retirees’ lives. In particular, I analyse how the men seek to embody interdependence in relationships with their wives. How do they adjust in relation to their wives’ expectations, and how do they—and their identities—change after they leave the workforce? Central to this process is an exp...
Known for a tradition of Confucian filial piety, East Asian societies have some of the oldest and... more Known for a tradition of Confucian filial piety, East Asian societies have some of the oldest and most rapidly aging populations on earth. Today these societies are experiencing unprecedented social challenges to the filial tradition of adult children caring for aging parents at home. Marshalling mixed methods data, this volume explores the complexities of aging and caregiving in contemporary East Asia. Drawing on ethnographic, demographic, policy, archival, and media data, the authors trace both common patterns and diverging trends across China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, and Korea. Editors Jeanne Shea, Katrina Moore, and Hong Zhang. Publisher's link to Introduction: https://www.berghahnbooks.com/downloads/intros/SheaBeyond_intro.pdf. Publisher's link to purchase the book: https://www.berghahnbooks.com/title/SheaBeyond. ISBN 978-1-78920-788-0 hard cover, ISBN 978-1-80073-447-0 paperback, eISBN 978-1-78920-789-7 eBook.
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Papers by Katrina Moore