Takemoto Gidayu
Encyclopedia
was a jōruri
chanter and the creator of a style of chanted narration for Japan
's puppet theatre
which has been used ever since. The name "gidayū" has since become the term for all jōruri chanters. He was a close colleague of the famous playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon
, and founder and manager of the Takemoto-za
puppet theatre.
Originally known as Kiyomizu Gorōbei, he took on the name Takemoto Chikugo no Jō in 1701.
neighborhood of Osaka
, performed originally in Kyoto
, as apprentice to Uji Kaganojō. In 1684, he left Kaganojō and Kyoto, returning to Osaka and founding the Takemoto-za theatre. The year after his arrival saw a competition between Gidayū and Kaganojō for audiences in Osaka, as well as number of failed countryside tours, but also marked the beginning of Gidayū's collaborations with Chikamatsu, who he had met in Kyoto. Together, the pair overhauled the traditional elements of jōruri and reinvented the form, transforming it into the form which would be popular through much of the Edo period, and which it retains today.
The Chihiroshū ("A Collection a Thousand Fathoms Deep"), Gidayū's first work to be published, was produced in 1686, though his most important treatise would come the following year. The Jōkyō yonen Gidayū danmonoshū ("Collection of Jōruri Scenes of the Fourth Year of Jōkyō
"), like his other works, contained a lengthy preface containing elements of Gidayū's theories and attitudes regarding the theatre and performance. This text would remain a foundational one for jōruri performers up through the end of the 19th century.
Though Gidayū fully acknowledged the older traditional forms which jōruri drew upon, he thought of his art as a contemporary creation, and was known to poke fun at those who valued lineage and tradition over skill and beautiful performance. His writings also established frameworks for the structure of jōruri plays, based upon those described by Zeami Motokiyo
for the Noh
theatre. A play constructed according to Gidayū's framework has five acts, performed over the course of a whole day. The first act is an auspicious opening, the second characterized by conflict, the third, the climax of the play, by tragedy and pathos, the fourth a light michiyuki
(travel scene), and the fifth a quick and auspicious conclusion.
Gidayū, along with all jōruri chanters in the tradition after him, chanted the narration of a play alone, along with all the spoken (or sung) lines of every character. The chanting style shifts dramatically between speaking and singing, and is based on a notation exclusive to jōruri, inscribed into the chanter's copy of the script. Chanters may not perform an entire play, changing places with another chanter after an act or two or three, but they only very rarely perform simultaneously alongside another chanter. These, and many others, are all traditions and form established, or significantly altered, by Gidayū.
His son Takemoto Seidayū followed him as director of the Takemoto-za and continued the style and forms established by Gidayū.
Joruri
can refer to:*Jōruri , a type of sung narrative with shamisen accompaniment, typically found in Bunraku, a traditional Japanese puppet theatre.*Jōruri , an opera by Japanese composer Miki Minoru.*Jōruri-ji , a Buddhist temple near Nara....
chanter and the creator of a style of chanted narration for Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's puppet theatre
Bunraku
, also known as Ningyō jōruri , is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka in 1684.Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance:* Ningyōtsukai or Ningyōzukai—puppeteers* Tayū—the chanters* Shamisen players...
which has been used ever since. The name "gidayū" has since become the term for all jōruri chanters. He was a close colleague of the famous playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon
Chikamatsu Monzaemon
Chikamatsu Monzaemon was a Japanese dramatist of jōruri, the form of puppet theater that later came to be known as bunraku, and the live-actor drama, kabuki...
, and founder and manager of the Takemoto-za
Takemoto-za
The Takemoto-za was a bunraku theatre in Osaka, founded in 1684] by Takemoto Gidayū. Plays by many famous playwrights were performed there, including works by Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Namiki Sōsuke, and Takeda Izumo I...
puppet theatre.
Originally known as Kiyomizu Gorōbei, he took on the name Takemoto Chikugo no Jō in 1701.
Life and career
Gidayū was originally from the TennōjiTennoji-ku, Osaka
is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It is named after the Shitennō-ji , which is located in the ward.-General information:...
neighborhood of Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, performed originally in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, as apprentice to Uji Kaganojō. In 1684, he left Kaganojō and Kyoto, returning to Osaka and founding the Takemoto-za theatre. The year after his arrival saw a competition between Gidayū and Kaganojō for audiences in Osaka, as well as number of failed countryside tours, but also marked the beginning of Gidayū's collaborations with Chikamatsu, who he had met in Kyoto. Together, the pair overhauled the traditional elements of jōruri and reinvented the form, transforming it into the form which would be popular through much of the Edo period, and which it retains today.
The Chihiroshū ("A Collection a Thousand Fathoms Deep"), Gidayū's first work to be published, was produced in 1686, though his most important treatise would come the following year. The Jōkyō yonen Gidayū danmonoshū ("Collection of Jōruri Scenes of the Fourth Year of Jōkyō
Jokyo
was a after Tenna and before Genroku. This period spanned the years from February 1684 through September 1688. The reigning emperors were and .-Change of era:...
"), like his other works, contained a lengthy preface containing elements of Gidayū's theories and attitudes regarding the theatre and performance. This text would remain a foundational one for jōruri performers up through the end of the 19th century.
Though Gidayū fully acknowledged the older traditional forms which jōruri drew upon, he thought of his art as a contemporary creation, and was known to poke fun at those who valued lineage and tradition over skill and beautiful performance. His writings also established frameworks for the structure of jōruri plays, based upon those described by Zeami Motokiyo
Zeami Motokiyo
Zeami Motokiyo , also called Kanze Motokiyo , was a Japanese aesthetician, actor and playwright.-Acting:...
for the Noh
Noh
, or - derived from the Sino-Japanese word for "skill" or "talent" - is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. Many characters are masked, with men playing male and female roles. Traditionally, a Noh "performance day" lasts all day and...
theatre. A play constructed according to Gidayū's framework has five acts, performed over the course of a whole day. The first act is an auspicious opening, the second characterized by conflict, the third, the climax of the play, by tragedy and pathos, the fourth a light michiyuki
Michiyuki
Michiyuki is the term for a journey scene in Japanese theatre, which shows the characters dancing or conversing while travelling.The term michiyuki in its generic sense of michi wo yuku "to go on a road" is used in lyrical descriptions of journeys from the 8th century...
(travel scene), and the fifth a quick and auspicious conclusion.
Gidayū, along with all jōruri chanters in the tradition after him, chanted the narration of a play alone, along with all the spoken (or sung) lines of every character. The chanting style shifts dramatically between speaking and singing, and is based on a notation exclusive to jōruri, inscribed into the chanter's copy of the script. Chanters may not perform an entire play, changing places with another chanter after an act or two or three, but they only very rarely perform simultaneously alongside another chanter. These, and many others, are all traditions and form established, or significantly altered, by Gidayū.
His son Takemoto Seidayū followed him as director of the Takemoto-za and continued the style and forms established by Gidayū.