The world of "hand shadow puppetry," created with hands and bodies, delivers a nostalgic yet fresh and moving experience.
The place where plays are born
File.4 Kakashiza 'Hand Shadows ANIMARE'
Koichi Imai (Editor/Writer)
Since its founding in 1952 as Japan's first shadow puppet theater company, Kakashiza has been a leading force in the "shadow puppet theater" genre, primarily performing classic children's stories from Japan and abroad. You may have even encountered them on stage or television.
Did you know that Kakashiza also has an artistic side? That's what "Hand Shadows ANIMARE" is. "ANIMARE" is Latin for "to breathe life into, to invigorate." In other words, "Hand Shadows ANIMARE" is an anthology performance in which various shapes are created using only hands and bodies, giving a sense of fresh surprise amidst a feeling of nostalgia.
We spoke with Kei Goto, the representative of Kakashi -za, about "Hand Shadows Animale."
"Theきっかけ (trigger) was about 30 years ago. A renowned director asked us, 'You're a shadow puppet theater company, so why don't you do hand shadow puppetry?' He said that hand shadow puppetry allows for incredibly rich expression, and that we should try it."
At that time, our main focus was shadow puppetry using cut paper and wooden puppets. We considered hand shadow puppetry to be a "traditional pastime," and never imagined that we could create a modern stage with it. But since that person suggested it, we thought there might be some potential, so we started researching it little by little. In the process, we discovered that we could do this and that, and our repertoire of hand shadow puppetry grew. However, we did have concerns that hand shadow puppetry is very physically demanding, and that it would be difficult to create a one-hour stage using only that."
Meanwhile, Kakashiza was considering a full-scale overseas expansion. However, overseas expansion involves the hassle and expense of transporting goods, so they had to travel with minimal equipment. This is a pressing problem that any company venturing overseas inevitably faces, not just Kakashiza .
Furthermore, Goto felt that "if I'm going to go abroad, it's meaningless unless I challenge myself with a work that is based on international communication, rather than the works I've made in Japan up until now." Therefore, he decided to challenge the world with "Hand Shadows Animale," a story that uses his mature hand shadow puppetry to create a dialogue-free, fast-paced, and sometimes danceable performance set to music.
This happened in 2009 at the 8th Schwäbisch Gmünd International Shadow Puppet Festival held in Germany.
"I had incorporated hand shadow puppetry scenes into my works before, but this was the first time I had done an entire film using only hand shadow puppetry. The most difficult thing was that, based on conventional wisdom, no one had ever thought that a one-hour film could be made using only hand shadow puppetry. I struggled to change that mindset first. And just a week before I left for Germany, I continued to experiment and refine the work until the very last moment."
As the members who first participated in the German festival all said, the audience erupted in cheers just from us creating shadow puppets with our hands. We received tremendous applause during the performance, and it was a wonderful experience. There are no other ensembles like this anywhere in the world, and we didn't know what kind of reception we would get until we actually did it, so we were very happy. We received an incredible response, with requests from various overseas festivals saying, "We'd like you to come to our festival next time."
After that, they participated in festivals overseas in countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, Finland, the Czech Republic, and Brazil. Now, their repertoire of hand shadow puppets has grown to about 100 different types, and it is said that 50 to 60 of these works are incorporated into "Hand Shadows Animale." The stage is composed of various combinations of these works.
However, not all members of the theater troupe can participate in this. Only five or six members from the 20-person stage crew are chosen to take on this role, meeting certain criteria such as exceptional skill in hand shadow puppetry, the stamina to endure a one-hour performance, and having received a certain amount of training from the Kakashi-za troupe. Of course, the Kakashi-za troupe itself also has its own activities, so performances of "Hand Shadows Animale" are a rare treat.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the premiere of "Hand Shadows Animale," and for the first time in three years, it will be performed in its hometown of Yokohama. It will be a fringe performance as part of the "TPAM" (International Performing Arts Meeting in Yokohama) program.
"At TPAM, we plan to perform 'Hand Shadows Animale' in its standard form. We want many local people to come and see how much the audience enjoys it, and we also want overseas directors to see that," said Goto.
This will surely surprise even those who have a preconceived notion of shadow puppetry.
*This is what the play "Hand Shadows Animale" is all about!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm2rWio8Td0
This event has ended.
《“Hand Shadows ANIMAR”》
■Date: Thursday, February 14, 2019
■Showtimes: 16:30 / 19:00
■Venue: Yokohama Doll Museum, Akai Kutsu Theater
■Composition and Direction: Kei Goto
■Music: Kuni Kawachi / Hiromitsu Ishikawa
■Stage art: Hiroki Saito
■Costume: Keiko Nakaya
■Sound: Mamoru Todo (Sound Method)
■Lighting - Ryuzen Stage Lighting Research Institute
■Shadow puppet art production: Kakashiza Theatre Company Art Department
■Shadow puppet art supervision: Kei Goto / Junji Oda (design Bee)
■Ticket prices: All seats reserved 2,500 yen / 3,000 yen on the day, 1,500 yen for elementary school students and younger
*Children under 3 years old are free. However, a fee will be charged if a seat is required.
*This work is primarily intended for elementary school students and older.
*TPAM participant registration fee: 2,000 yen
■Inquiries: Kakashi-za Theatre Company Tel: 045-592-8111
