Warrior Ghost Plays from the Japanese Noh Theater: Parallel Translations with Running Commentary (Cornell East Asia, No. 60) (Cornell East Asia Series) [Paperback]

Chifumi Shimazaki (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cornell East Asia Series | Publication Date: March 1993

Translations of six shura (battle)-Noh that have for the main character the ghost of a warrior whose story is told in the Tale of Heike. Each Noh has a detailed introduction and footnote.

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About the Author

Chifumi Shimazaki worked as a translator, lecturer, script writer and marketing researcher, and studied Noh as a performing art under leading Noh actors and musicians for more than fifty years.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Cornell Univ East Asia Program; First Edition edition (March 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0939657600
• ISBN-13: 978-0939657605
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,890,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Translation and commentary for six Warrior Ghost plays, December 30, 2005

By 

Zack Davisson "japanreviewed" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Warrior Ghost Plays from the Japanese Noh Theater: Parallel Translations with Running Commentary (Cornell East Asia, No. 60) (Cornell East Asia Series) (Paperback)

Noh Theater is a highly proscribed, traditional system of theater that has persisted for centuries almost unchanged. Its plays are classified into five categories, each dealing with a different subject matter such as the gods, women or madness and grief. One such category, shuramono, deals with the figure of the Warrior Ghost.

In terms of Japanese ghosts, the Warrior Ghost is the main contribution from Noh. Almost always based on the Heike Monogatari, a dramatization of the Heike/Genji civil wars that divided Japan during the twelfth century, shuramono are a unique and interesting tradition.

"Warrior Ghosts Plays from the Japanese Noh Theater" translates and introduces six plays in the shuramono category. Each play has an individual introduction, giving the historical setting of the characters, as well as a running commentary and cultural notes on the plays. The plays are "Yashima," "Michimori," "Tomoakira," "Kanehira," and "Tomoe." The plays are bilingual, with the original Japanese side-by-side with the English translation.

The introductions are as interesting as the plays themselves. Noh tends to be a bit esoteric, and difficult to get into, but the author provides a doorway to understanding. However, this is a scholarly book, and not written for a disinterested audience. The writing can be a bit dense at times, but does provide some insights and information.

All in all, an interesting book that heightened my appreciation for Noh. I look forward to seeing one of these six plays being performed, and finally being able to understand what is happening onstage!