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Tokoyo: a Story of Cultural Movement

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Tokoyo: a Story of Cultural Movement Syracuse University SURFACE Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Projects Projects Spring 5-1-2011 Tokoyo: A Story of Cultural Movement Melissa Jessel Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone Part of the Music Performance Commons, Other Music Commons, and the Theatre and Performance Studies Commons Recommended Citation Jessel, Melissa, "Tokoyo: A Story of Cultural Movement" (2011). Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Projects. 222. https://surface.syr.edu/honors_capstone/222 This Honors Capstone Project is brought to you for free and open access by the Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Projects at SURFACE. It has been accepted for inclusion in Syracuse University Honors Program Capstone Projects by an authorized administrator of SURFACE. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 Reflective Essay Research and Observation Occasionally I hear a word that I recognize, it’s comforting and confusing. As I look around I can’t even read the characters to sound out the words on signs and billboards. We know the name of our hotel but have not yet figured out a means to get there. The bus schedules were unreadable from the internet in the States, leaving us with no other choice than to figure it out when we arrived! We make our way to an information counter. I can confirm that it is an information counter only by the pictures of buses on the pamphlets stacked against the wall. Luckily for us, one of the women, in airport uniform, was able to look at the characters we had printed from the hotel’s website and direct us in the correct direction. Success: we know which bus to board and at which stop to get off. With smiles on our faces, we board the bus and at the fifth stop step out of the bus onto the streets of Tokyo. We are only three blocks from our destination but we don’t know which direction we are facing. Getting from the bus to our room was only the first of many challenges we encountered and overcame. Standing in the unknown in Tokyo, Japan there was so much to learn. All the research we had done had lead up to this moment, which began a new step in our creative journey. The idea that a picture is worth a thousand words and an experience is priceless has never manifested itself so clearly. The books I read stirred my intellect, the pictures and video clips I viewed opened my eyes, but standing on Japanese soil was unlike anything I had imagined. From research, to first-hand observation and experience, to creating a piece of 2 movement-based theatre has been challenging and rewarding as a person and as a theatre artist. The level of detail that I noticed being in a place of unfamiliarity was amazing. My eyes were opened wider than they ever have been before. Each and every outing was a chance to observe the specificity of the culture. Every observation is important, whether it is a difference or a similarity between Japanese culture and American culture. We made the decision to observe people in work, leisure, spiritual, and familial settings. It is important to observe both what is consistent throughout and what varies in different environments. Each observed quality can be followed to a cultural root. It may not be proven to have come from one specific ritual or rule of etiquette, but there are strong, clear ties. Our first journey of observation was at five o’clock, the morning after we arrived. We entered the subway station. The movement of the passengers seemed fairly slow. Movement was controlled, specific, and for a purpose. A change in position was only made if it was necessary, unlike our culture, where many people don’t ever stop moving. There was a general feel of conserving energy, and focus. Once off the subway, people’s movement continued to follow this pattern. Waiting at a crosswalk, the pedestrians did not swing their arms aimlessly as I may if my feet were stationary. The pedestrians waited calmly and quietly. From our first subway excursion we concluded that the slow and direct way of life was a result of using energy efficiently and a respect for others’ space and tranquility. The silence is relaxing and the lack of extraneous movement keeps people from interrupting those around them. It is fascinating that not only 3 did we read in books that the people of Japanese culture generally think of the society as a whole but we could come to that conclusion through observation. People work for the well-being of the group, or the society, and this was made clear through our people-reading. Our theory of respect for the community was tested when we ventured onto the subway at seven in the morning a few days later. As we descended into the subway station we noticed that the sea of business men in suits and ties was overwhelming. The people on the subway platform moved quickly and directly. The motion was completely forward and in straight lines suggesting that the people had a clear sense of efficiency and their intention. The majority of the people lead their body with their chest, head, and shoulders. In America, people generally lead with their pelvis or stomach. This energy forward was very different than that calm subway just two days before. When we got to the platform we waited in a large, quiet group as the subway slowed to a stop. Before we knew it, we were being pulled, pushed, squished, turned, and separated further and further from one another. I remember thinking, “How rude?” and having the urge to push back. I was taken aback. This was coming from a culture of people who hold their respect for others above everything. From where was this sudden burst of selfishness coming? We later asked a young Japanese woman who spoke English what this mayhem was about. She explained to us that this seemingly rude act is not that at all. People push so aggressively because if they do not make it onto that scheduled subway train, then they may be two or three minutes late for work. This would show a great disrespect for both their coworkers, boss, 4 and for their family for whom they are working. Through our western trained eyes, we saw selfishness. In reality, it is from a place of devotion and loyalty to family and colleagues. The awareness of others and the surroundings also manifests itself in how the Japanese people treat the environment in which we all live. There was seldom a piece of trash in view. At many food establishments, there were receptacles for each and every kind of recycling. Nature is an essential part of eastern culture. Eastern art often addresses the spirit of nature, festivals are based around the sacred blooming of the cherry blossoms, and Zen Buddhism relates seasonal changes to the changes in humanity. Even before Buddhist nature worship, the native Japanese believed in an animistic religion. Nature was worshiped in thankfulness and appreciation (Ernst). Some Buddhists make no distinction between man and nature. By preserving the environment each individual is helping to preserve the spirituality of those around them. This interaction with nature is heavily represented in Japanese theatre, dance, and poetry. Upholding the environment will uphold that beautiful connection. Day four, with my headphones on, I look across the theatre. Eyes are all focused on the curtain decorated with beautiful Japanese fans. Binoculars are being prepared and the program synopsis is ferociously being read. In just three minutes the musicians will begin playing the wood block: slowly at first and then accelerating until the curtain rises. I have read at least nine books about Kabuki theatre at this point and watched various clips narrated by English men, but this moment was unlike any other. I remember having the thought, “I am actually 5 watching a Kabuki show in Japan. I am so far from home and about to watch people perform. Watching people do what I am doing with my life, only on the other side of the world.” Excitement and nervousness run through my body, I am about to be a part of an ancient art form. The clappers begin to ring, first slowly and then more quickly, accelerating until one final clap as the curtain rises. These claps on the wood blocks create excitement in the theatre. I remember thinking at that moment that no matter what our show grew to be, it needed to start with a replica of the clappers building in speed and sound. It was an exciting effect that was too effective to ignore. Kabuki is purposefully stylized and far from actuality. The movement does not try to duplicate reality. It is a specific designed ordering of the gesture observed in life. Kabuki scenes are often brought to a climax with a grand pose, or mie. This pose is heavy in its meaning. To the outsider it may look like a funny puppet, but to those aware of Japanese culture, that pose has a story and layers upon layers of meaning. Buddhism emphasizes the idea that one can only live in the present; the past has ceased and the future is unreal. This is from where the specific poses are derived, punctuating the single moment in time and in the story being told. This static moment is recognized by the Japanese Kabuki audience member. Kabuki actors train their mind and bodies for performance for the entirety of their lives.
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