Summer Kabuki 2000
Miyajima Danmari
During my summer stay in Tokyo last year, I had the great opportunity to watch KABUKI! That's right, to see what the real thing was, to finally break through watching School library videos, reading books and dreaming about exciting fighting scenes, imagining the music would bring me to 18th century Edo....:)

The only draw back was, since I came so late, I could not make it in time to watch any major performances in the Kabuki-za or any za in Ginza...but who cared?! I got to watch one of MY FAVOURITE SHOWS! Heh heh...one was Migawarizazen (The Zen Substitute), Benten Kozo (Benten, the thief) and Miyajima Danmari.

The show started off with Miyajima Danmari. I had no idea what a Danmari was, but actually...is a dumb show, like a pantomime. It would be accompanied by music, and shows off the art of the actors and the beauty of the costumes. It can also be enjoyed as pure kabuki without any outside influences like Noh or Bunraku. It would usually be set in a lonely spot, and there would be sparse background, like a gate, or a wall. The actors would move about the stage, groping around, and suddenly, the doors of a shrine in the background will open to reveal the villian! Aha! This is followed by all the actors coming on stage and posing a mie for the audience.

Nowadays, the danmari scenes are performed independently. It used to be part of a jidaimono (historical period) play, which would be staged at an annual kao-mise performance (literally "face-showing") in November in the Edo period. At that time, many of the patrons would be introduced to the actors. Danmari also occurs in Sewamono (contemporary) plays as well.

(Quoted from
The Kabuki Guide by Masakatsu Gunji)

Miyajima Danmari has two shamisen players coming out to play, followed by the usual display of the actors. It was a very new experience for me, to see this for the first time and to see Kabuki introduced in this pure form. Naturally, I was very excited and got lost in the midst of rich costumes and beautiful music...
Miyajima Danmari 宮島のだんまり
Click here to see review of Migawarizazen...! ここにクリックして下さい!
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