Click or tap on the blue flames to learn more about the techniques and details that brought these stories to life for their audiences.
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The warrior Minamoto no Yorimitsu (944–1021) is one of the most cherished heroes in Japanese visual arts and literature, and he is associated with several fantastical tales. One of those, the eerie story of Tsuchigumo, has become so beloved, it was adopted into the kabuki theater and has been depicted by countless artists. In the story, Yorimitsu has been struck by illness, and nothing seems to help. A strange monk soon reveals that an evil spider, the so-called “earth spider” (tsuchigumo), has cast a wicked spell over the warrior. It becomes clear the monk himself is the earth spider in disguise, spinning his poisonous net over Yorimitsu.
Click or tap on the blue flames to learn more about the techniques and details that brought these stories to life for their audiences.
Most of Kōgyo’s noh prints don’t just capture the actor performing onstage; they also add features that transport the viewer into the plot. The subtle gradations in the gray and black tones along with the mossy green suggest the dark, damp opening of the earth spider’s lair at the moment when it jumps outside and attacks the brave hero of the tale.
Return to objectIn Japanese prints, artists often added their signature and seal—located here in the upper right. The signature and seal both read “Kōgyo.” Tsukioka Kōgyo was so prolific in creating images of the noh theater that he made several series of hundreds of prints each. Most of his prints carry the name of the series. Here, Kōgyo lets us know the print is from the series One Hundred Noh Plays (Nogaku hyakuban), and he has also included the title of the play below: Tsuchigumo, “Earth Spider.”
Return to objectTraditionally, the entire cast of a noh play is male. The protagonist (shite), most often a spirit of a deceased person or a specter associated with a place, dons a carved wooden mask along with elaborate wigs and costumes that enable him to act not simply a part but effectively to assume the very soul of a character. The actor becomes someone—or something—other than himself. The protagonist interacts with actors performing other roles (tsure), sometimes masked, sometimes not.
Return to objectActors in the noh theater do not simply reenact a role—their masks effectively allow them to become it. The elaborate costumes enhance this sense of becoming a completely different entity from oneself. The billowing trousers and heavy, multilayered garments allow the actor to appear larger than life, taking on a magnificent stage presence. The clothes’ bright colors and patterns support that effect. Here, the costume is made up of different cloud patterns meant to evoke and enhance the speed and violent dynamism of the earth spider.
Return to objectThe prints in Tsukioka Kōgyo’s series One Hundred Noh Plays are at the intersection of print and painting. The anonymous carver and printer of Kōgyo’s works captured the artist’s drawings line by line and made the prints seem as if they were hand-drawn—an illusion of a bespoke product that would have appealed to the people buying Kōgyo’s prints.
Return to objectThe net that is cast in a Spiderman-like fashion by the actor onstage is one of the most beloved and effective stage props in noh theater. Most props are usually abbreviated, carefully built approximations of the real thing. The dramatic, larger-than-life paper net, however, is the opposite of the restrained aesthetic common to most noh plays.
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