japan_week - Nele Noppe on Diigo

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Midnight Eye feature: Samurai Cinema 101

Tags: film, japan_week, yamada_yoji on 2007-12-26 -All Annotations (0) -About

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The samurai is a figure who is based in fact, but embellished in myth, much like the cowboys of the 'old west.' However, unlike the American counterpart, due to the homogenous nature of Japanese culture there persists a social relationship and undercurrent of the samurai which has been maintained and permeates all aspects of Japanese society.
retainers - the original meaning of samurai - were hired to execute the lord's wishes, pledging allegiance to the daimyo under whom they were clothed, fed and quartered.
In exchange for the intertwining of the retainer's identity with that of the daimyo's, the lords of the houses carefully chose their warriors and conditioned them to place the value of the house, they alone were protecting, above their own life. This, as it will be shown, is one of the defining attributes of bushido (warrior code) and the 'way of the samurai.'
One key attribute of bushido having developed out of the battlefield was the notion that death should be kept close in mind. The essence of this being that if one was not afraid of dying, then each day would be greeted as if it were the last and life would be lived to its fullest. Furthermore, because the warrior code was designed as a moral system, it was never in conflict with itself.

SARUDAMA.COM: Japanese Movie Reviews: Twilight Samurai - Tasogare Seibei (Yamada Yoji 2002)

Tags: film, japan_week, tasogare_seibei, yamada_yoji on 2007-12-26 -All Annotations (0) -About

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Noh Plays DataBase : Izutsu (The Well Head)

Tags: izutsu, japan_week, noh on 2007-12-26 -All Annotations (0) -About

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One autumn day, an itinerant Buddhist monk stopped at Ariwara-dera Temple in Yamato on his way to Hase Temple. According to legend, Ariwara-dera Temple was built by Ariwara no Narihira.

While the monk was praying for the repose of the souls of Ariwara no Narihira and his wife, a village woman appeared with flowers and water as an offering to the deceased. In response to the monk’s inquiries, the woman told about a love story between Ariwara no Narihira and a daughter of Ki no Aritsune. Young Narihira and the daughter, who compared their heights at the well head, grew to adulthood and got married after exchanging love poems. The woman revealed to the monk that she was the daughter of Ki no Aritsune, then she disappeared behind the old burial mound.

Thinking it strange, the monk heard from a local passerby the story of Narihira and his wife, Lady Izutsu. The passerby recommended that the monk hold a memorial service for the spirit of Lady Izutsu.

Deep in the night, the ghost of Lady Izutsu appeared in his dream while the monk was taking a nap. The woman in his dream wore Narihira’s headdress and nōshi (an imperial court male’s kimono) and danced showing her love and yearning for him. Her appearance was reflected in the water in the well as she sought some trace of Narihira.

The dawn came, and the ghost of Lady Izutsu disappeared. The monk was awakened from the dream.
masterpieces of mugennoh, which even Zeami himself praised as his best work
centers on the story of “Tsutsu-izutsu,” the twenty-third story in Ise Monogatari (Tale of Ise)
The tsukurimono (large stage props) of the well, with a few stalks of Japanese pampas grass, emphasize the lonely atmosphere in the autumn.