Lakehead University "The Urban Mirror" Kabuki's Reflection of Tokugawa Social Trends A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities in Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of History By Les Praisley September, 22 2009 Thunder Bay, Ontario Library and Archives Bibliothèque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l'édition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington OttawaONK1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-71772-1 Our file Notre référence ISBN: 978-0-494-71772-1 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant à la Bibliothèque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par télécommunication ou par l'Internet, prêter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des thèses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, à des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, électronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriété du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protège cette thèse. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la thèse ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent être imprimés ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformément à la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privée, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont été enlevés de thesis. cette thèse. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. ¦?I Canada ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS It seems difficult, if not near impossible, to express my thanks and gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Carl Young. Dr. Young has been a mentor, teacher, guide and friend throughout the arduous process of completing my thesis. Without Dr. Young's encouragement, patience, knowledge and compassion, this thesis would not have been possible. He kindly guided me through the first stages of my journey into Asian history, and has continually been an invaluable avenue of support and knowledge. I am greatly in debt to Dr. Young, and would like to express my sincere thanks to him. I would also like to thank the Department of History at Lakehead University. The help of Dr. Ron Harpelle, Dr. Victor Smith, Dr. Patricia Jasen, Dr. Bruce Strang, Dr. Bruce Muirhead, and Jean-Yves Bernard was important in the progression of my research skills as well as my progression as a graduate student. The advice, knowledge and patience of these individuals was influential in my completion of my post-graduate studies. Thanks are also due to my parents, who have supported and encouraged me throughout my studies. Their continual support made it possible to begin and complete such an endeavour as graduate school. Finally, I would like to warmly thank my friends and colleagues who have made writing a thesis easier and more enjoyable. These individuals supported me in a variety of ways throughout the thesis project, and are greatly appreciated. 1 Contents I. Introduction 1 IL Here Come the Chönin: Settings for Urban Expansion 12 III. The Development of Kabuki: Growth of Characters, Settings, Plots, and Acting Styles 47 IV. Men In Women's Clothing 91 V. Fans and Actors: The Different Sides of the Kabuki Stage 131 VI. Conclusion 158 VII. Bibliography 163 1 Introduction I The Tokugawa period (1615-1868) ushered in an era of unprecedented peace and unity for Japan, a nation that had been engulfed by several hundred years of internal warfare. It was during this unique period of time that the theatrical performance of kabuki blossomed, and became a prominent feature of Japanese society. Although kabuki drew its roots from Bunraku (puppet plays) and No, it differed from these two theatrical styles as it was entertainment patronized primarily by the commoners of urban Japan. The presence of large numbers of commoners is an aspect of kabuki that begins to shed light on its cultural importance. At the present time, there are numerous studies dealing with kabuki; however, kabuki theatre as a reflection of Tokugawa society has been relatively neglected. This study will not attempt to refute the importance owed to social, economic and political changes during the period of early modern Japan in the development of kabuki. Instead, the intent of this work is to demonstrate how kabuki can be used as a mirror through which to view certain trends of Tokugawa Japan. Kabuki has been extensively researched in Japan, but has not been extensively examined outside of its country of origin. Owing to the language requirements, kabuki is not widely studied and is often given a cursory look within history courses. Many students of history can recognize kabuki, but cannot explain its importance or significance to Japanese history. It is the hope of this study to alter this situation so as to bring an improved understanding of kabuki as a useful tool for the study of Tokugawa 1 No was a theatre form associated with the aristocracy of Japan and was meant exclusively for them during the Tokugawa period. The performances were intricate in meaning and supposedly beyond the comprehension of the average commoner. Bunraku were puppet performances that predated kabuki, but which kabuki borrowed heavily from. The famous kabuki playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon wrote for both actors and bunraku. 2 Japan and Japanese history in general. This is not to say that kabuki is an unknown avenue of research in the West. However, kabuki has often been a component of other studies or been the backdrop of larger works. This work brings together information from a wide variety of sources to offer a well rounded study with kabuki as its central focus. The results provide a greater appreciation for kabuki and its ability to offer insights into Japanese history. The existence of kabuki begins in the early seventeenth century and stretches to present times. However, the scope of this study will be restricted to a limited portion of the Tokugawa era (1615-1868). While the Tokugawa government attempted to preserve the status quo of the period, social, economic and political situations changed over time. The beginning of the decline of the shogunate in the nineteenth century will be the limit of this work. The amount of space required to provide a detailed examination of the theatre and its reflections of society's changes at the end of the shogunate is not possible for this study. Thus, this work will examine kabuki from its earliest days until the end of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth centuries. The emergence of kabuki relied on the presence of certain conditions and factors. The quelling of domestic warfare and the subsequent peace that followed was a cornerstone for the birth of kabuki. With peace came a large number of changes that permitted the rapid growth and expansion of both the economy and population of Japan. These factors combined with government policies to spur on the rapid urbanization and development of the chönin (commoner) class. It was this class that supported and patronized kabuki throughout the Tokugawa era. Kabuki in turn was influenced and 3 moulded by the world of the chônin, which began to appear on the stage, structures and facets of this unique theatre form. It is vital to examine the conditions leading to kabuki' s development. This process of examination will shed light upon the requirements of peace, the growth of markets, the centralization of government authority, the stimulus for urbanization and the world this created. These factors will all combine to provide a general understanding of the world kabuki and its patrons inhabited. It will also demonstrate how this world affected kabuki and its structures and began manifesting itself on the stage. The appearance of the Tokugawa world upon the kabuki stage was a gradual process. This process was in essence the maturation of kabuki, which increased the inclusion of the chônin's world in all its components. Kabuki's maturation occurred as it was gradually forced away from relying upon sex and wild entertainment to attract audiences. For kabuki to remain financially successful it shifted its focus to other avenues of the chônin world. Sex and sexuality would remain with the theatre but would not take so prominent a role after the mid-seventeenth century. Performances turned to the urban world for the inspiration for themes, characters, costumes and plots. Thus a close examination of plays results in insight into features of the chônin's lifestyle, condition and woes. Issues of emotional connections and love, conflicts between giri (duty) and ninjö (personal feelings) and social advancement were routine themes of plays. Kabuki's inclusion of such topics notes their importance in the fabric of the chônins' lives. Kabuki's maturation pulled these issues into performances not only to entertain chônin, but also because this was the world surrounding theatres and stages. 4 Present in the chônin and theatrical world was the constant presence of sexuality in a variety of forms. Kabuki, from its earliest days, had an intimate connection to sexuality and its ability to draw large crowds.