Being certified as the Preservers of Important Intangible Cultural Properties, Japan’s leading specialist of “onnagata”, Tamasaburo Bando has dedicated his life performing the traditional Japanese theater kabuki and preserving the culture.
Bando, 62, dedicated his life to the Japanese art and intimate study of women by being the “onnagate”, a theatrical portrayal of a female kabuki character by a male actor. The great dedication he made in performing kabuki has earned him the title as a National Living Treasure, an accolade given to individuals who are guardians of a important cultural asset.
Combining dance, drama and music, kabukis have performed in the country as early as the 17th century. In the contemporary European equivalent, only male casts don elaborate costumes and heavy makeup to perform on extravagant sets.
“My main priority is to create a moment, a second on the stage, to share something with the audience… but if I never get there, if the people who come to watch me fail to appreciate it, then I will not be able to protect this treasure,” Bando said.
Bando blurred the boundary between his male life and his female stage persona as he tries to see the world through the eyes of a woman and create this essence piece by piece from the gestures to the eyes to the use of his fan.
Although it takes almost four hours to perform, the kabuki performance remains popular in Tokyo that the metropolis’ most famous kabuki theatre, Ginza’s Kabuki-za, is expected to reopen to much fanfare in April this year following extensive renovations.
Bando said the kabuki of 300 years ago was very different as there was no electricity for lighting, no electronics and the trapdoor in the floor had to be moved manually. He further said that even though kabuki evolves, it has kept its spirit and will continue to do so in the future, just like the Greek tragedies, the opera or the ballet. Brado believes that technological changes have brought benefits to kabuki and need to be embraced, without compromising the essence of the art.
Brada performed three nights of kabuki solos for the first time in Paris for 25 years. He then received a standing ovation on its opening night on Sunday when he plays the role as heroine Du Liniang, the daughter of an important official in the abbreviated version of the Ming Dynasty masterpiece. With around 60 actors and musicians, he will also perform a classical Chinese opera “The Peony Pavilion” directed by him
Bando who was both nervous and excited about performing overseas said that he was confident that the exoticness and unusual aesthetic of kabuki would survive the transition to a European stage. He said there’s no need for audience to get a lot of historical or cultural knowledge as he said it is already enough to like the theatre.
Source: France24
