Comparision

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF ‘KATHAKALI’ AND ‘KABUKI’: DANCE-DRAMA FORMS OF SOUTH INDIA AND JAPAN UNIVERSITY OF KALYANI DEPARTMENT OF FOLKLORE BY SULAGNA MUKHERJEE ROLL NO:10 COURSE NO:14 INTRODUCTION Versatile and sanctified from most, are the two great Classical Eastern forms of dance–drama which include Japanese Kabuki and Indian Kathakali. They have their own multifaceted history, their own customary audience and their own societal role; but certain fundamental aesthetic and religious factors make comparisons between them of the utmost interest. Stylization is the key element in both of these art forms, which in turn sets an ingenious gap between the audience and performers so much so that the eastern traditions have had great impact on the western theatre during the twentieth century. In both the Western theatre and the Eastern, synchronized gesture is highly essential and shares equal importance with texts although at times, texts can be dispensed with completely while gestures cannot. The performers take on the roles of both a singer and an actor and at other times a dancer while at times combining all three to form complex yet, mind-blowing combinations. It is combined with the appearance of feelings, attitudes and an idea which takes us to the deepest and most significant aspects of man’s nature. Simplicity, humor, sardonic and a naturalistic side is maintained in each of these theatrical genres. Several of India’s fine arts like dance, music and architecture spread far and wide into the East while she was at the pinnacle of artistic glory. Japan was one of the Asian countries that was influenced by India’s artistic glory and has been known to have adapted and incorporated some of these influences. The South of India is famous for its rich theatrical tradition that has crossed over from many centuries. Ancient Sangam literature, especially works like Silappathikaram, guides us to the rich culture of the theatre in Southern regions of India. It has been proven that Sanskrit theatre reached the shores of southern India during the 8th century. This led to Kudiyattam, the local style of Sanskrit plays being incorporated into the temple theatres of Kerala since the 10th century. The plays of Kalidasa, Bhasa and others have survived as Kutiyattam performances and Natya Shastra’s Bharata has remained alive. Bharata has been known to be attached to sophisticated temples of south India and has been used in Devadasi dances. METHODOLOGY Comparative method refers to the method of comparing different societies, groups or social institutions within the same society or between societies to show whether and why they are similar or different in certain aspects. The necessity of comparison is well stressed by E-P: "in the widest sense there is no other method. Comparison is, of course, one of the essential procedures of all sciences and one of the elementary processes of human thought." And likewise Durkheim said: “...it is only possible to explain by making comparisons. Without this, even simple description is scarcely possible; one can scarcely describe a single fact, or one of which there are only rare examples, because one cannot see it well enough” Culture and its peculiarities cannot be adequately understood simply by studying single cultures. Cultures should be studied in comparison with one another to interpret the similarities and differences across cultures. KATHAKALI The emergence of Kathakali as a formal, stylized dance-drama during the 17th century was also due to the influence of the then rulers of Travancore who were devotees of Krishna and Rama and the plays were designed to portray lives of them. The concepts were later revolutionized and no longer were restricted to Krishna and Ram’s life, rather were depictions from Bhagavata Purana and Mahabharata. The details about the types of acting or Abhinaya such as Angika, Vachikam Satvika and Aharya followed in this dance form should be understood to appreciate the intricacies of this dance form. Kathakali follows the concept that the language of gestures is concentrated on the palm of the hand as detailed by Nandikeswara in his Abhinaya darpana: “Where the hand goes, there the eyes follow; Where the eyes go, the mind follows; Where the mind goes, the mood (bhava) follows, and Where the mood goes, there arises the sentiment (rasa)”. Kathakali creates a world of illusion unmatched by any other form of theater. With its captivating dramatics, its independently stylish grandeur and its transformational theatrics, Kathakali dominates the theatre. Though the art has been defined by its theatrics, Kathakali manages to encompass „theatrics‟ alone. The presentation has been known to constitute painting and narrative artistry therein creating a supernatural display. While enveloping itself with modernity in demonstration and a spirit unbiased by region, Kathakali remains true to its origin. Part of the illusion created by this mystical art is its portrayal of mythical ancientness. This illusion has been known to transport the audience to a mythical era where art was worship and vice versa. However ancient in portrayal, Kathakali evolved during the reign of Shakespeare. In 1600 a form of dance called Ramanattam1 came into being. Still in its sprouting age, Ramanattam was adopted in the north as an infant art to be nourished and reformed into a new art form. Production of the art was given the name “Aattam”. As it grew in popularity and artistic spirit, the art’s form of expression took on new shape by absorbing new genres. The folk ritual genres Thira and Theyyam which were famous in Northern Malabar were taken on by Kathakali. Kathakali was now becoming theatre itself by establishing individuality where there was already a firm theatre foundation. Its individuality boasted of innovative infrastructure, new and conceptual designs in clothing and styles of make-up, differential patterns in songs, and a whole personality of crafted ritual and folk art to suit its individual style. Serving a devotional purpose by applying Mahabharata stories in its form and meeting a devotional purpose, soon became a thing of the past in Kathakali. Maintaining revolution as its main focus, the art adopted an analytical approach in its demonstration, therein prioritizing subtleties. Part of the act included paying homage to rituals and deities at the start. This devotional act later became a ritual to call on the spirits and powers of the theatre thus losing its religious significance. Kathakali conceptualized freedom. Ancient characters that have gone down in history as villains or anti-heroes were given fresh images. Ravana, Duryodhana or Narakasura of mythology were placed under the same category. Though stories of heroism and gallantry were portrayed, the villains won the show. The anti-heroes were given dramatic superiority. This change put fresh light on the styles and concepts of drama. Kings and rulers remained patrons of Katahakali while the villainous characters of history that mythology so carefully created, took on new shape and form. Thus, drifting away from what was conceptualized of them and gaining new significance. Aattam was now safely embedded between common man folk rituals and Brahmanical bhakti art. Revolution, rebellion, aesthetic and socio-political factors were key elements of this breakthrough. Passion for innovation drove Kathakali to new heights. By combining styles from various ritual performances, the art created for itself a design of „fusion‟. This fusion style aggregated styles, forms and patterns from various genres of dance, thus making Kathakali the best example of fusion style dance among the performing arts of India. This desire for fusion arose from the need for Kathakali to detach other dance rituals from their originality so as to take on a distinctive Kathakali style while contributing to Kathakali’s individuality. While turning independent of any one style or tradition, this fusion act also required balance. KABUKI Kabuki has been compared to Shakespeare’s plays and its involvement in the Opera. While some say it is similar, others say Kabuki ranks higher with more entertainment, vigor and color added to all its elements. All-encompassing and accumulative theatre is one other characteristic of Kabuki, it integrates all the previous forms of theatre preceding 16th Century Japanese art form. Kyogen play and Noh drama are among the conventional art forms form which kabuki was drawn for stage techniques or the comic interludes similar in Noh drama. Noh plays which were culminated into Kabuki still enjoy high regard and still form an indispensable portion of the Kabuki collection. In this chapter the researcher explores the acting traditions and rituals, the art of movement in a Kabuki performance, typical layout of Kabuki stage. The word Kabuki when broken down comprises of ka-songs, bu- dance and ki-skill. These are three characters of the Japanese culture and like Kabuki identified itself with the lower sections of society than the higher. The origination of Kabuki thus owes itself to the Edo period. The evolution of theatrical arts in the eastern part of Asia mainly Japan all the way back from the later part of the 16th century led to Kabuki. This led to excellence and perfection in a more refined way to its present day form. It still doesn’t fail to encompass an audience not as vast as it used to be but for being an ancient art form still holding onto a large audience. From the Edo Era, the period to which Kabuki’s foundation could be traced, came most of Kabuki’s evolution. This was the period where distinction between the commoners and the warrior classes was of common existence. The merchants of those days belonged to the commoner classes and had to remain socially inferior although they were strong economically. It was to these merchants that Kabuki owed its origin. Kabuki helped these merchants to express their emotions under the duress that they had been through. Significantly this led to conflicts between humanity and feudalistic system being the primary theme of Kabuki. Kabuki gained a very loyal audience among the crowd owing to its classicistic quality of the art that holds on up until to this day. Along with other genres of theatre, Kabuki has also sourced part of its rich heritage from the puppet theatre also known as Bunraku, which more or less evolved at the same time as the earlier versions of Kabuki. The actor in Kabuki has always held more significance than the literary value of the play. The Kabuki we see today as a crystallized and final art form is an accumulated sum of three hundred years of development and growth. The successive fashions and tastes of various historical periods have affected Kabuki for good as well as for ill. Kabuki in its „fusion‟ form dominates the theatre of Japan. It is a true combination of various elements of art. Graphics, drama, dance, and music have been fused into a perfect masterpiece of art. While one play is different from the other in its prioritization of elements, it will still contain all the elements of the fusion. This enables the feelings and moods created by the fusion to be of consistent existence in all Kabuki plays. Kabuki with its masterful interpretation of all the elements of theatre, has managed to outgrow the old Japanese quote: “Art is the palm of the hand and the arts are the fingers” It combined arts so that the resultant form was effective as a whole and yet maintained each art’s elementary purpose. Gracefulness belongs to dance and rhythm, pace and dynamic movements belong to music. Among other things the actors are the most dominating factors of Kabuki. THE AESTHETIC ASPECTS AND CHARACTER STRUCTURE IN KATHAKALI AND KABUKI. While there are many similarities between Kathakali and Kabuki, the dance-lovers can point out marked difference between them too. Some of the differences arise due to the basic approach to aesthetics of the two cultures and also in the origin. The concept of rasa or the aesthetic mood is the unique feature of dance in India. The moods can be depicted in various ways either through gestures, movements or the way the phrase is sung. The approach that culminates into a mood or rasa is what makes the Indian dance so rich. While the Japanese dancing, miming is highly symbolic and the principle is to find the ultimate gesture, phase, pose that highlights the essence. While Kathakali focuses on stories of Hindu epics and mythology, one who wants to enjoy Kabuki should be ready to be in a world of fantasy, myth and symbolism keeping aside the rational analysis or criticism. Kabuki is a spectacular combination of song, dance and acting, so is Kathakali with a combination of natya, nritta and abhinaya with a background of classical music. Both of these dance-drama forms are performed by male artists. Kathakali centers on the endless stories of great Hindu epics such as Mahabharata and Ramayana. The characters are therefore Gods, demons, saintly mortals and various other mythological and supernatural beings. Kabuki characters, on the other hand, revolves around characters such as lovely princess, brave Samurai, loyal servants, demons in disguise as charming prince or princess, courtesans etc. In Kathakali the noble and heroic characters enacted for the mythological heroes such as Ram, Krishna, Arjuna are represented by green facial make-up or otherwise called Pachcha. Black or Kari indicates sinful characters. Fierce or angry personalities have red beards to highlight the demoniacal nature. c. The facial make-up even in Kabuki depends on the nature 83 of characters. While red denotes bravery and chivalry, blue relates to evil characters. While the numerous mudras convey the story in Kathakali, symbolic representation is the soul of Kabuki. Both Kathakali and Kabuki dance is supported by orchestra that play an important role in bringing life to the characters the actors enact. The orchestra in Kathakali is present in the stage for the audience to view, but their attire marks extreme simplicity. On the contrary, the costumes of Kabuki orchestra are colorful, also called Kamishimo or feudal costumes. The other interesting aspects of both the dance styles are the way both the dances and the performances are staged. The announcement about the Kathakali performance to be staged is done by tumultuous drumming, while a series of reverberating thuds on the giant-drum called taiko catches the attention of audience in a Kabuki play. The Kabuki theatre also extends the stage through the audience that brings the actor closer to the audience and helps to pause in certain dramatic-poses admits the audience. DRAMATIC STRUCTURE AND STYLE OF ACTING IN KATHAKALI AND KABUKI Formalization is most effectively demonstrated in the acting in Kabuki, it is one of the aesthetic principles and the very foundation of the art form. It is a custom for an actor to study his predecessor’s model and perfect the style before he prepares himself for a role in a classical play. Over the period in the development of kabuki such a model style of formalization has become symbolic which was originally intended to produce a realistic representation. In the case of most kabuki plays the simplest of gestures turn out to be more of dancing than to acting. Kathakali’s uparupika is bhavabhinaya which means the vachika or speech is missing making it a speechless show. Kathakali‟s absence of speech thus contributes to its required abhinaya abundance. Tandava or tandava mode is the existence of masculinity and vigor in dance performed by men. This is prevalent in Kathakali making it a tandava. Mie being a unique technique in Kabuki still retains the principle of formalized beauty. This technique is used by the actor in at the close of a classical play or at times in climatic moments by momentarily in a pictorial posture and assumes a stare and crosses his eyes. KATHAKALI AND KABUKI ELEMENTS IN COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP Kathakali brings a highly stylized make-up tradition to India. This make-up style that Kathakali 96 embodies may remind some of the Chinese opera or the Japanese Kabuki. The basic principle of each color’s significance to moods and characteristics is maintained while the notable similarities between face contours in Kathakali and the Chinese opera or the Kabuki theatre is distinctively inexistent. The costumes used in Kathakali are unique, scared and vibrantly colorful. They work in harmony with the make-up used on the actor. The weight and bulk of the costumes require experienced actors as they cannot be carried in the style required by just any actor. The Kabuki costume is a rather complicated matter, sometimes weighing as much as fifty or sixty pounds, consisting of several layers of kimono. In Kathakali, the costume of the male character consists of an enormous skirt that is draped over starched cloth. A large woolen jacket, wooden ornaments 98 and an intricately carved wooden headdress covered in gold foil called Kirikidam is used. In Kabuki, a fairly common occurrence is what may be described as a partial change of costume (hada wo nugu); the kimono is held in place by a wide band, the obi around the waist, the upper part of the kimono is removed to reveal another kimono of different pattern, design and color. MUSIC In temples of Kerala, music has always been a way to stir up devotional feeling and symbolizing the feeling of wellbeing and is also a form of celebration for many years. Kathakali took into this part of the temple music and used it for its own development. This helped in its dance dramatization and also traditional story telling techniques. Kabuki performance as a whole can be described as a musical of sorts with added special effects. Kabuki music is not factual and it’s based more on its strong cadence quality. What began as a dance form back in the ages still remains to be the same even after all these years. There are three types of drums in use in Kathakali: Madalam, which is a kind of drum played with one hand of the drummer’s hand covered in rice paste and cloth wrap and bare hand on the other. Chenda, which is performed with a set of sticks which are slightly turned upwards at the side where it’s close to the drummer’s hand. Eddeka, is performed in a totally different fashion since it’s not beaten, the stick is moved on the inner section of the drum to produce a much softer version of the sound. Kabuki music is known as hayashi and can be broadly categorized into two main categories. Debayashi, which is music performed on stage in full view of the audience. Kagebayashi, the on stage musicians are situated either at the back of the stage on a dais of red felt or at one or other of the stage's two sides (occasionally both). Their instruments generally speaking, consist of shamisens, drums and a flute (in the lyrical or nagauta style) or shamisens alone (in the narrative or joruri style) with the addition in both cases of singers. Repertoire The light of a single oil-lamp and the sounding of drums is what call the audience to attention on a Kathakali evening. Melappadam or the playing of drums is followed by Todayam which is a devotional song where a couple of characters call upon god’s blessings. A variety of new plays are being added to the already existing list of 300 plays which are from the traditional kabuki background. These are the works of a few authors of excellent caliber. These authors, unlike earlier days, are not from the kabuki area of expertise. Few of the plays identified as shosa-goto or dance-drama are exclusively dance-centric. These performances included actors dancing to vocals accompanied by instrumental music. Kathakali uses these highly stylized techniques in dance, drama, make-up, costumes and characters with the aim to induce Sthayibhava (a state) or a rasa. The skill of evoking a rasa is no longer contained by any other theatric tradition except Kathakali. In the world of kabuki, Rank is emphasized to an almost unreasonable degree. This is quite evident in the troupe which is a more or less fixed assemblage of actors from different families for the performance of plays. The following discussion is chiefly relevant to the troupe in its traditional form, and only marginally to present-day conditions, which have undergone appreciable change. The position of leader of the troupe or “troupe head” is monopolized by the principal actor of leading male roles. PRESENT STATE OF KATHAKALI AND KABUKI Kathakali has been evolving over time. The general opinion has been that innovation is necessary; it has to be altered to suit the traditions of the art form making sure no damage was done to its originality. Taking the example of an old house that needed renovation. The tradition and structure of the house is kept intact while the other factors that could afford change and would not alter the frame-work of the house were modified. This gave the house a new look but still retained its pure feeling. Kathakali slowly gained two types of audiences. One set of people who were new to the art and absorbed its qualities as new experience. The other was 126 the ever-existent critics who were privy to Kathakali‟s history and could do no better than comment critically about the art form. Following the 80‟s focus on talent and skill changed and it became more of a centralized requirement. People were seeking to find individual talent and group capabilities were not considered sufficient. Team-work being one of Kathakali‟s principles, this new trend only reaped disintegration. The rich culture of traditions and rituals of Kerala were lost to the people unless they sought to learn more about them by delving into history. This was poet Vallathol Narayana Menon’s opinion. He was a famous Malayalam poet who gave momentum to Kathakali and other art forms that he felt were worth attention. This ideology had him create Kalamandalam. He sought to bring the forgotten traditional arts to the forefront and give some of the unrecognized yet talented artists a foundation to showcase their plentiful skills. In the 1860s, the Kabuki actors belonged officially to the lowest social class that of the outcasts and were contemptuously referred to as 'riverbed beggars' (kawara kojiki) and hut people (koyamono). The law even required them to live and work within the confines of the theatre district. Venturing outside the theatre district only under large sedge hats that concealed their features. Meiji Restoration of 1868 changed all of this, the discrimination was abolished and actors were able to take their first steps both as legitimate stage artists and as the guardians of the traditions of Kabuki. By this period, Kabuki was no longer the representative theatre of the people but it had emerged as a classical dramatic art rooted in the past. The audience finds the Kabuki collection, of history plays-endlessly fascinating even though are not completely relevant with the present day world. With the deep changes that have altered the modern Japanese society, and the private lives the new generation actors lead, the sensual elements of the performances have paled and faintly touch the new generation audience. Kabuki actors are still widely popular even among the television audience as they play certain roles in movies and television shows. Bando Tamasaburo V also appeared in movies and a few plays that were not based on Kabuki especially in the role of a female. Every possible effort has been taken by the Japanese government to preserve this dance form. The National Theatre in Tokyo is a tribute to the art form in itself. The National Theatre in Tokyo has the world’s largest revolving stage, sixty-five feet in diameter, containing sixteen trap-lifts. They are dedicated to preserving, promoting and developing Japanese traditional theatre arts. CONCLUSION This term paper is aimed at comparing the artistic elements of both Kathakali and Kabuki. This area is vast and there is a huge scope of detailed research considering the complexity and nature of both dance-drama forms. I feel that both these traditional art forms should be given due importance and the federal bodies responsible for promoting art and culture should explore new techniques to generate more interest to attract more student and art-lovers towards the art forms. Also, the current actors and the supporting team of both these forms should be given due recognition in the world theatre. If a few innovations could be introduced to meet the demands of modern society and at the same time take every care to preserve the grandeur of the dance drama. For some who are most ignorant of the traditions and conventions of Kathakali and are incapable of experiencing the indescribable artistic enjoyment, this is a dead art and should be given a burial. For some, the innovation in Kathakali is sacrilegious and does not stand the test of scrutiny. To visualize a future for Kathakali one must set its past aside and focus only ahead. For mixing the past of the art form and trying to visualize a future will only lead to a confused state of mind which will conclude to nothing. One of the few modern-day adaptations that can be made to Kathakali is to the duration of its performance. The traditional style has performances lasting from dusk to dawn. These were times when people afforded the luxury of time. Now however with time being everything, the duration of a performance can be altered to last up to three hours. Thus fitting in all the elements of the performance and allowing the audience a time limit. Unlike the days of the Edo era when Kabuki had competition through puppet theatre and oppression through the government, in present day the level of competition is very different, examples like television and movies with a very high caliber of entertainment and special effects. Factors that made Kabuki so popular back in the day has changed and the current generation doesn’t look at it the way it was adored and admired back then. This is causing it to die out at a very slow pace. The art form in Kabuki has been kept at the same level as it used to be in the old days and has continued to do so over the years; this factor alone can help with the sustenance of the rich heritage of Japanese theatre for years to come. BIBLIOGRAPHY Jones, Clifford Reis, and Betty True Jones. Kathakali; an introduction to the dance-drama of Kerala, New York, NY: American Society for Eastern Arts, 1970. Kathakali. Kerala: Kala Chethena Kathakali Co., 2005. Kathakali; the sacred dance-drama of Malabar, Rev. Ed. London: Luzac, 1955. Zarrilli, Phillip B. Kathakali dance-drama: where gods and demons come to play. New York: Rutledge, 2000. Toita, Yasuji, and Chiaki Yoshida. Kabuki, Hoikusha, 1967. Review Vol. 11, No. 4. Cambridge: The MIT Press. (1967). Ariyoshi, Sawako, and James R. 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