Kissing the Mask: Beauty, Understatement and Femininity in Japanese Noh Theater, with Some Thoughts on Muses (Especially Helga Testorf), Transgender Women, ... Geishas, Valkyries and Venus Figurines

Chronology

ASUKA PERIOD 552–645

552 Buddhism comes to Japan. De Bary et al. give the date of 538, and no doubt what little of this Chronology actually gets read will meet with a variety of disagreements.

EARLY NARA PERIOD 645–710

Late 600s Mention of the itinerant female entertainers called saburoko (serving girls). They have sometimes been interpreted as proto-geishas. See entry for odoriko in 1680s.

668 In Korea, the monarchy of Silla (founded in 57 B.C.) forcibly unifies the Three Kingdoms. In a trope for the highest level of beauty, Zeami will say: “In Silla at the dead of night, the sun shines brightly.”

LATE NARA PERIOD 710–794

710 Foundation of Kofuku-ji Temple (which had two prior incarnations at two other sites outside of Nara). Capital established at Nara.

752 Bronze Buddha (largest in the world) dedicated at Todai-ji in Nara.

755 An Lu-shan Revolt in China, which leads to the execution of Lady Yang Kuei-fei (718–56). Her beauty and attachment will be expressed in Komparu Zenchiku’s Noh play “Yokihi.”

759 Date of latest poem in the Manyoshu anthology.

767 Foundation of Kasuga Shrine, a place since associated with the Noh play “Kasuga ryujin.”

772–846 Life of the Chinese poet Bo Ju-yi, who wrote the “Song of Lasting Pain” about Lady Yang.

HEIAN PERIOD 794–1185

794 Capital moved to Kyoto, then called Heian-kyo. (Some sources date the move 10 years earlier.)

806 Tendai Buddhism brought from China by Saicho.

ca. 820–30 Birth of Ono no Komachi.

825–80 Life of Arihira no Narihira, who wrote many of the poems in The Tales of Ise.

Late 9th/early 10th century Composition of the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.

ca. 905 Publication of the Kokinshu anthology of poetry.

905–951 Completion of The Tales of Ise by an unknown author.

935 Collapse of Silla in Korea.

ca. 935 Ki no Tsurayuki completes A Tosa Journal.

ca. 970–78 — ca. 1015 Life of Lady Murasaki Shikibu.

ca. 970s The Gossamer Lady (Mitchitsuna’s mother) completes The Gossamer Journal.

ca. 1000–1010 Sei Shonagon completes her Pillow Book.

1008–1010 Period covered by Murasaki’s diary.

ca. 1009 Murasaki completes The Tale of Genji.

1030–1045 Akazome Emon completes the “main portion” of A Tale of Flowering Fortunes; an anonymous supplement is completed ca. 1300.

1114–1204 Life of the poet Shunzei, whose poem of the dead wife under moss is mentioned on p. 355.

1155–1216 Life of Ariie, whose poem about the sleeves dampened by a pining wind is mentioned on p. 355.

1160–1180 Known life-dates of the priest Shun’e, whose “curtain of mist” metaphor is referred to several times in this book.

1162–1241 Life of Teika, whose poem about the bridge over the deep gorge is mentioned on p. 375.

ca. 1120 Completion of Tales of Times Now Past.

1180–1185 War between the Heike (Taira) and the Genji (Minamoto), won by the latter.

KAMAKURA PERIOD 1185–1333

ca. 1210 Compilation of the Shin Kokinshu anthology of poetry.

1235 Fujiwara no Teika completes the anthology One Hundred People, One Poem Each, which will be illustrated by Hokusai 600 years later.

1241–1350 “Late classical period” of court poetry.

ca. 1300 Composition of “The Lady Who Admired Vermin,” which appeared in the anthology A Riverside Counselor’s Stories. See p. 108.

1307 Lady Nijo writes her memoir, Towazugatari.

ca. 1330 Completion of The Tale of the Heike, perhaps by the courtier Yukinaga. The Noh plays “Atsumori” and “Shunkan” are among those derived from this source.

ca. 1330 Time of events in The Taiheiki, written not long after this.

1333 Kamakura Shogunate thrown down.

ASHIKAGA (MUROMACHI) PERIOD 1333–1573

14th century Appearance of the samurai code of etiquette called the Ogasawara style, prescribing how to bow, how to enter a room, etc. Geisha still follow much of this code in their formalized movements. Some Noh gestures also derive from it.

1333–84 Life of Kan’ami.

Mid 14th century Active career of Komparu Gonnokami.

1363–1443 Life of Zeami.

1394 Yoshimitsu begins construction of the Golden Pavilion.

1395–1432 Life of Motomasa.

1400 Zeami composes Kadensho.

1405–68 Life of Komparu Zenchiku.

1423 Zeami composes Sando.

betw. 1423 and 1430 Zeami writes “Izutsu.”

1424 Zeami composes “Kakyo.”

1429 Zeami prohibited entry to the Sento Imperial Palace.

1434 Zeami exiled to Sado Island.

1434–1516 Life of Kanze Nobumitsu (Kojiro).

1467–78 The Onin Wars destroy most of Kyoto.

1482 Yoshimasa builds the Silver Pagoda.

1530–69 Active career of Tosa Mitsumoto, to whom the Tale of Genji illustrations in the Burke Album are attributed.

MOMOYAMA PERIOD 1573–1615

1582 Hideyoshi Toyotomi takes over the capital and environs.

1589 Hideyoshi permits a pleasure quarter (called Yanagimachi, “Willow Town”) to be licensed in Kyoto.

1590 Foundation of Edo (now called Tokyo).

EDO [TOKUGAWA] PERIOD 1615–1867

1644–94 Life of Basho.

1647 Actresses banned from public performances after too many samurai brawl over their favors. Other sources give the date of 1629.

1680s First mention of itinerant dancing girls, odoriko. To differentiate themselves from prostitutes, they begin to call themselves geiko, “arts-child.” In Kyoto this is still the word for a geisha who has graduated from the maiko stage.

ca. 1700 Kabuki and woodblock arts get popular.

ca. 1700 First (male) geishas appear.

1742–91 Middle Tokugawa Period.

ca. 1750 Kiku from Fukagawa is the first woman to call herself a geisha.

ca. 1760 Female geishas establish themselves.

[1789 Beginning of Kansei Period.]

1760–1849 Life of Katsushika Hokusai.

1765 Kanze Motoakira publishes the Meiwa kaisei utaibon, which (at least for the Kanze School) narrows the Noh canon and restricts the choices of masks and costumes for given roles.

1780s Geishas begin to perform in ad hoc festivals called niwaka which express “the ideals of the Floating World.”

MEJI PERIOD 1869–1912

1868–70 Noh performances abandoned in Japan.

1871 Mr. Umewaka Minoru resurrects Noh in Tokyo.

1871 First annual Miyako Odori or Cherry-Blossom Dance in Kyoto.

1873 The Empress appears in public without blackening her teeth.

1899–1972 Life of Kawabata Yasunari.

SHOWA PERIOD

1918 Kafu Nagai publishes Geisha in Rivalry.

1925–70 Life of Mishima Yukio (Hiraoka Kimitake).

1948 Umewaka Rokuro born.

1952 An American Occupation censor writes: “Today, the Umewaka school may be forced to cease its performances” due to “intrigue and pressure” by the Kanze School.

1954 After several decades of separation, the Umewaka School rejoins the Kanze School.

1958 Prostitution becomes illegal in Japan.

1988 Mr. Umewaka succeeds his father to become Rokuro Umewaka the fifty-sixth.