Onibaba
September 29, 2013
Horror Film Journal 4
Japanese Horror: Other Traditions, Other Histories
Politicizing Horror:
Recalling Noh and Kabuki Traditions to Create Historical Allegory In Onibaba
This week’s unit title, “Japanese Horror: Other Traditions, Other Histories” seems like a most accurate description of the transition from examining familiar contemporary American horror to the new historical and cultural perspective of Japanese filmmakers. Offering historical context regarding Japanese theater, (the implied predecessor and inspiration of the Japanese New Wave), Richard J. Hand dissects the influence of early theater traditions on Japanese New Wave cinema in his essay “Aesthetics of Cruelty: Traditional Japanese Theater and the Horror Film” (Hand, 18). Hand commences his exploration of traditional theater’s presence in contemporary Japanese horror by first comparing the two dramatic theatrical styles: Noh (originating in the fourteenth century) and Kabuki (seventeenth century). According to Hand, Noh is “characterized by its use of masks and stylization, and is more strictly a fusion of song, dance, and music, than its status as a theatrical form implies” (19). He continues to explain that Noh plays are centered on two characters: the shite (the masked principal actor) and the waki (who is never masked and exists to call his contrast, the shite, to stage and encourage him to dance. These archetypal characters in Noh style are alluded to in Shindo Kaneto’s 1964 film Onibaba, as the old woman, in true shite form, is masked after her encounter with the samurai, in this case the waki. Hand explains that Kubuki form is “…renowned for its theatricality: elaborate costumes, remarkable stage effects, virtuoso performers” (21). He also notes that Kabuki is unrealistic and often centers around highly stylized violence, noting “…(by working on) principles of symbolism and impressionism…These aspects of the form establish a distinct quality in Kabuki that is
Horror Film Journal 4
Japanese Horror: Other Traditions, Other Histories
Politicizing Horror:
Recalling Noh and Kabuki Traditions to Create Historical Allegory In Onibaba
This week’s unit title, “Japanese Horror: Other Traditions, Other Histories” seems like a most accurate description of the transition from examining familiar contemporary American horror to the new historical and cultural perspective of Japanese filmmakers. Offering historical context regarding Japanese theater, (the implied predecessor and inspiration of the Japanese New Wave), Richard J. Hand dissects the influence of early theater traditions on Japanese New Wave cinema in his essay “Aesthetics of Cruelty: Traditional Japanese Theater and the Horror Film” (Hand, 18). Hand commences his exploration of traditional theater’s presence in contemporary Japanese horror by first comparing the two dramatic theatrical styles: Noh (originating in the fourteenth century) and Kabuki (seventeenth century). According to Hand, Noh is “characterized by its use of masks and stylization, and is more strictly a fusion of song, dance, and music, than its status as a theatrical form implies” (19). He continues to explain that Noh plays are centered on two characters: the shite (the masked principal actor) and the waki (who is never masked and exists to call his contrast, the shite, to stage and encourage him to dance. These archetypal characters in Noh style are alluded to in Shindo Kaneto’s 1964 film Onibaba, as the old woman, in true shite form, is masked after her encounter with the samurai, in this case the waki. Hand explains that Kubuki form is “…renowned for its theatricality: elaborate costumes, remarkable stage effects, virtuoso performers” (21). He also notes that Kabuki is unrealistic and often centers around highly stylized violence, noting “…(by working on) principles of symbolism and impressionism…These aspects of the form establish a distinct quality in Kabuki that is