2024-02-12 19:11:59
The Heydar Aliyev Center presents a unique theatrical art form of Japan from the 13th century.
“Opera No” was shown by the Japanese Hosho Theater School, specializing in the ancient dramatic theater art of the Land of the Rising Sun, Day.Az reports.
With a history dating back about 700 years, Noh theater is one of the oldest classical Japanese performing arts. Based on works of fiction and comic scenes, Noh theater combines costume dancing with classical attributes of Japanese theater. Recognized worldwide for its high level of performance, Noh art is included in UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage.
On the eve of the show, the head of the Khosho Theater School, Kazufusa Khousho, noted in an interview with Trend Life that it was a great honor for the group to perform in Azerbaijan for the first time. “Japan and Azerbaijan have been connected since ancient times by the Great Silk Road. As is known, Azerbaijan is called the Land of Fire and this has a symbolic connection with our homeland. In Japanese culture, fire plays an important philosophical role as one of the five elements, symbolizes an active and dynamic principle, identifies enlightenment and insight “. The Japanese hieroglyph of fire is present in many religious and philosophical teachings of Japan. The image of fire is also reflected in fine arts and poetry as a symbol of passion, vivid emotions and indomitable forces of nature. In our performance, the friendship of Azerbaijan – the Land of Fire, and Japan – the Country is personified with the corresponding symbols pines. I would like to emphasize that our team has performed on many stages around the world, but the Heydar Aliyev Center, where rehearsals took place for three days, is the best. This is our first time in Azerbaijan and we really liked it here,” noted Kazufusa Housho.
“No Opera”, consisting of three parts, presents the dance “Raku” to the accompaniment of various musical instruments, talks about a healthy and happy lifestyle, and making a katana – the “Divine Sword”. As you know, the katana is the legendary samurai sword and the cultural heritage of Japan. At the same time, the philosophy of Bushido is very important – the samurai code, a set of rules, recommendations and norms of behavior of a true warrior in society, in battle and alone, military honor and morality, and this line runs through the entire performance.
The birth of Noh theater (“nogaku” means skill, skill, talent) occurs in Japan around the 13th century. And in the 14th century it acquired its classic appearance. It is believed that Noh theater arose from more ancient mysteries of a religious nature, dedicated to the Sun Goddess, once held under the sacred pine tree of the Shinto shrine in the city of Nara. The connection between the No theater and these ritual mysteries can be seen in the traditional scenery, which depicts a pine tree – a symbol of eternity and immutability.
All roles are performed only by men. The participants in the action are usually four actors who make up semantic pairs on stage: the main character – site, his companion (can be a man or a woman in the role) – tsure, as well as the “listener” of the site’s story – waki (“side”) and his companion – waki-zure. The musicians are on stage along with the actors. The performances are accompanied by the playing of flutes and drums, which set a unique rhythm for the stage action. The style of music performed is gagaku. The text is not spoken by the actors, but sung. All elements of stage action in Noh theater – props, costumes, masks, gestures, movements and intonations – have a symbolic meaning and are associated with ritual actions.
Noh theater is an amazing world where there is nothing superfluous, where every movement and detail carries a deep meaning, where the combination of all elements, like hypnosis, captivates the viewer and transports them to the culture of medieval Japan.
The performances of the artists were met with prolonged applause from the audience.
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