arelativenewcomer: Fujimusume, or the Wisteria Maiden is a kabuki dance sequence. There is no partic
arelativenewcomer: Fujimusume, or the Wisteria Maiden is a kabuki dance sequence. There is no particular plot, as the music and the dance describe the feelings of a young enamoured maiden, who is in fact a spirit of the wisteria. The dance is divided in sequences performed in different kimonos which are a multi-coloured variation on the theme of wisteria pattern. The costume changes are done behind the large painted trunk of a pine tree which traditionally serves as the background for the performance.In the sequence, various objects handled skilfully by the actor become other everyday items: a ribbon of the lacquered hat is a brush with which the maiden writes her love letter; long sleeves of the kimono become clusters of wisteria flowers, a bottle of sake, a cup; a fan, besides serving its original purpose, represents a sliding door or another cup. The actor’s skills and the spectators’ imagination work together to paint a lively and pleasant picture. For more on the dance and its history, see [here]. You can watch it on YouTube [Part 1; Part 2] with English commentary, or on Youku [here] without it.Photos, top to bottom, left to right: Bandō Tamasaburō in the Wisteria Maiden, first section [source]; Bandō Tamasaburō as Wisteria Maiden, after the second change of costume [source]; Bandō Tamasaburō and Nakamura Shichinosuke performing the Wisteria Maiden [source]; behind the scenes: Tamasaburō and Shichinosuke during the performance [source]; first and second from the right: purple and orange-green wisteria kimono used during the performance [source]; orange-green wisteria kimono used during the performance (after the first change of costume) [source]. -- source link
#kabuki#kimono