Gigaku

In the 6th century, with the spread of Buddhism, art was originally called “gogaku” (“Go music” ^{[k. 1]} ), later it became known as “gigaku” ^[1] . The word “gigaku” is a translation from Sanskrit into Chinese of the word “music” ( IAST vadya): in Buddhist texts, this word denoted music offered to deities ^[4] . In China, the concept was written in hieroglyphs, read as "jiyue" (Japanese "gigaku"), which could mean "skillful music", "skillful ritual", "skillful theater" ^{[5] [4]} . According to the researcher K. Shigetoshi, the name “gigaku” was given to the performance by the prince regent Sotoku , who took this word from the sutra of his honor “ Saddharma pundarika ” in the Chinese translation ^[5] .

There are several hypotheses about the origin of gigaku ^[6] . According to one version, this is an art of Chinese origin, since in early sources it appeared under the name of kure-no gaku or kure-no utaman , that is, “the music of the country of Kure ^{[c. 1]} ”, southeastern China ^{[1] [7]} . According to another version, the gigaku hails from Central Asia : according to the discovered evidence of pilgrims from the Tang dynasty , the performances were in the state of Kucha , and the musical accompaniment of the performances incorporated both local (kingdom of Kucha) music and Silyan ^{[k. 2]} . At the same time, some of the masks used in the gigaku are of Indian and Late Roman origin; the carving technique in some cases is close to Scythian . According to another version, a gigaku came to Japan from Korea, masked performances in which have similar features to a gigaku ^[6] . The circumstances of the occurrence of gigaku may also be associated with the functioning of the Great Silk Road ^[7] . The largest number of evidence of this art has been preserved in Japan ^[8] .

Prince Sotoku

Amid the spread of Buddhism, the gigaku came to Japan from the mainland ^[8] . According to the historical chronicle " Nihon Shoki " ^{[c. 3]} in [612], a Korean Mimashi arrived in the country, having learned the art of gigaku in southern China ^{[c. 4]} . After he showed the performance at court, Prince Sotoku (574-622) decided to use the gigaku to promote Buddhism; Mimashi was entrusted with a group of young men who were to train a gigaku ^{[10] [11]} .

In the VII – VIII centuries, gigaku became a permanent part of Buddhist holidays and was popular at the court as entertainment ^[11] . The performance was performed during initiation into the sanctuary and the consecration of new temples and monasteries, some of which contained their own gigaku actors; in Gakko schools attached to Buddhist monasteries, students were required to master this art. The construction of temples contributed to the spread of gigaku art throughout the country ^[8] . The artists performing the gigaku belonged to the Bemin social group, which in addition to them also included artisans, court servants, and other artists. Artists performing at court received a salary and were exempted from the tax burden ^[4] .

Gigaku's performances at the imperial court were given until about the beginning of the 9th century ^[8] when, as an official entertainment, they were replaced by the bugaku ^[12] . From the end of the Heian period (794–1185), the schools of Buddhism at monasteries were liquidated, and from the 11th century, interest in this art in the capital ( Kyoto ^[ K. ^5] ) faded. Since the XII century, the word "gigaku" began to mean any procession in which masked people, accompanied by prayers, went around the Buddha statue. By the fourteenth century, such actions took place only in Buddhist temples remote from the capital ^[14] ; in the XV century, gigaku disappeared ^[15] .

In the 21st century, under the supervision of the Nogura Manojo, a kyogen theater actor, a singigaku (lit. “new gigaku”) began to be arranged in Japan, which was a reconstruction of the performances of the past ^[16] . The first such performance took place in October 2001 ^[17] . Although the true art of gigaku has been lost, its elements have been preserved: some dances and masks, having changed, have gone over to bugaku, some modified masks are used in the Buddhist representations of the , and musical instruments used in the gigaku were also used in dengaku ^[18] .

Unlike masks of some folk and temple holidays in Asia, made by the performers themselves from improvised materials for one performance ^[19] , the so-called. gigaku-man ^[20] - gigaku masks - were created by professional carvers ^[19] . Some masks are made of precious wood (such as paulownia ), while others are made of fabric and varnish ^{[k. 6] [22]} . According to the assumption of N. A. Iofan, when they were created, Japanese masters “relied on the tradition of making kagur masks that had already been established by that time and modified the“ theater type ”, borrowed from the mainland, in accordance with its familiar forms”; “The appearance of these masks on an open stage, illuminated by the bright sun, was supposed to give the audience the impression of a fantastic spectacle” ^[23] .

The only surviving detailed description of the gigaku performance is contained in the composition "Kekunsyo" (lit. "Book of Instructions"), created in 1232-1233 by the court musician and eyewitness of the performance Coma Takazane (1172-1242) ^[15] . According to him, 14 characters took part in the play, their names also denoted the names of the masks they wear: Baramon, Goko, Gojo, Karura, Congo, Conron, Rikishi, Shishi, Sishiko, Suikoju, Suiko, Taikoji, Taikofu and Tido ^{[24 ]} . Some of the surviving masks have notes indicating the date of manufacture. As Nikolai Konrad previously reported in his work On the Literary Mediator, the oldest of the dated masks was created in 752; Among the undated, there may be even more ancient ones ^[25] .

Of all the theater masks in Japan, gigaku masks are the largest, some of them reach a size of more than half a meter ^{[21] [26]} : the mask covers the performer’s face so that the front of the actor’s head is underneath. Some of the masks are headgear, while others are half helmets. Masks have always been worn with a special multi-element and multi-color suit with a predominance of Chinese and Korean elements in it. At the same time, the main color in the ritual costumes of the ministers of Shinto shrines was white ^[27] .

The earliest examples of gigaku masks are in the treasury of the Horyuji Temple; in the Horyuji Homotsukan Gallery in the Tokyo National Museum, they are exhibited once a quarter (except for winter) for one month. The largest collection of masks belongs to the Shoshoin treasury. In total, about 240 gigaku masks have been preserved in the world ^[26] .

According to Kekunsyo, the opening part of the gigaku proceeded in the form of a procession: masked actors and musicians without them were sent from the temple gates to the inner territory to the site or the stage, where the main action took place. The second part included several dance mask mimes , dances, and musical numbers. In the final, third, part, the procession returned to the place from where the procession originally began. The number of participants in one performance in a gigaku could reach 40 people or more ^{[28] [29]} .

Performance progress

The exit procession was begun by the character of Tido, who carried a halberd and dressed in a brocade suit, and a tido mask with a very long nose was put on his face. Tido's task was to “cleanse” the scene from the demons ^{[to. 7]} ; next to him could be two assistants ^[30] . For Tido there were two actors who played the lion Sisi ^{[to. 8]} , as well as two male actors who played the role of lion Sisiko (lit. “child of a lion”) ^{[30] [31]} . Next came two characters without masks under the name of Hisashimoti, musicians with a group of twelve people, two more Hasashimoti and a man with a spear . Then followed another group of musicians, which included twenty-one people. Among the instruments they used were a seven-hole Chinese flute , a koshi zumi drum, and a dozen cymbal . It is possible that the procession itself was accompanied by music ^{[30] [32]} .

It is not known how the procession passed into the performance of dance scenes. According to the assumption, musicians and characters took places along the edges of the platform or the temporary scene, and the audience was located on the ground around it, and after that the second part of the gigaku performance began. Of the fourteen characters who participated in it, Taikoji performed in pair dance, and Suikoju in a group of 6-8 people. The total number of actors who took part in the play was 21–23 ^[24] .

In Japan, it was believed that the lion mask was able to cast out demons with its magic, and that is why the lion’s dance always opened the show and the lion cubs: two actors imitated the body of the animal with the help of a cloth in which both were wrapped; their legs in red pants and straw sandals were visible from beneath the canvas. The lion mask was a bright red mask-cap with movable jaws, a red tongue and white teeth. The color of the lion's mane was brown, green or red. Lion dance performed by children; their red masks had a smiling mouth, large mustache and eyebrows drawn ^[33] .

The second number, according to researchers, was a solo comic pantomime dance, which was a parody of the behavior of Chinese princes. It was performed by a character named Kuregimi (lit. “aristocrat of Kure” ^{[k. 1]} ) or Goko (lit. “sovereign Go” ^{[k. 1] [31] [33]} ) ^{[k. 9]} . The earlobes on the Goko mask are extended, and the lips are extended in a half-smile. The mask was worn with a carved golden crown. According to another version, the character was not comic ^[34] .

The third issue was a pair dance of two Buddhist gods - Congo ("diamond") and Rikishi ("strong man"). The masks of the characters express rage: veins are swollen on their foreheads; the difference is that in Congo the mouth is half open with a slight smile, while in Rikisi, the mouth is closed with a smile. In the fourth issue, the dance of the character of Karur was performed (this is the name of the Hindu bird deity Garuda in Japanese). Since Garuda was eating a snake, according to one version, the performer of the role of Karura by the dance imitated killing and eating the snake. There are two options for Karura’s mask: in the first case, its crest rises vertically, the beak is open, and there is a pearl in it, in the second case the crest has a drooping appearance, and the beak is closed. In both varieties of the mask, Karura has large bulging eyes with pupils ^[35] .

The fifth was a character named Baramon, depicting a representative of the caste of priests (brahmanas) . He performed the pantomime dance “Washing the Diapers”, which over time became the theme of other theatrical performances in Japan - sarugaku , kyogen , kabuki . The character's mask depicts the face of an old brahmana with half-closed eyes; the lobes of his ears are elongated, and there are no upper teeth in his mouth ^[36] .

Unlike previous scenes, the sixth had a more elaborate plot and diverse characters ^[36] : rude Conron ^{[c. 10]} was in love with the beautiful Gojo ^[37] (lit. “girl of the royal family of Go” ^{[k. 1] [38]} ). When she came to the temple for worship, Conron tried to seduce the girl, but at that moment strong man Rikisi appeared and stopped the harassment ^{[c. 11]} . The strongman danced with a spear, thus depicting the defeat of the demon of voluptuousness. Conron's mask has animal features: black complexion, bulging eyes bulging, his ears are pointed, his teeth stick out forward. The Gojo mask is the only female mask in the gigaku; has a white color with red cheeks and lips ^[37] .

The seventh number was performed by the widow Taikofu and the orphan Taikoji (also Taikoko); sometimes there were two orphans. In a pantomime manner, Taikofu prayed at the Buddha statue, and Taikoji parodied his walk. The Taikofu mask represents a kind face with a half smile, and the Taikoji mask represents the loneliness of a child ^[37] . In the eighth issue, the dance “The Drunk King from the Land of the Western Barbarians of Suiko” was performed, condemning the abuse of alcoholic beverages. Presumably, a drunken Persian prince appeared in front of the audience along with a retinue in masks of Suikoju, transmitting the characteristic grimaces of drunken people. Suikiko mask, depicting the Persian king in a headdress, has a long nose with a high nose bridge ^[40] .

After the eighth number, the performance ended, the performers grouped in a procession and left the temple ^[40] .

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•   Wikimedia Commons has Gigaku- related media files.