More Kojiki and Nihon Shoki and stuff like that but yes.
Nobunaga’s Ambition Realized: Dawn of a New Rising Sun
- Thread starter Ambassador Huntsman
- Start date
Chapter 134: Rise of the Gekijo - Music and Theater In 17th Century Japan
Chapter 134: Rise of the Gekijo - Music and Theater In 17th Century Japan
As Japan rapidly urbanized, various forms of theater and related entertainment became ever more accessible to the average Japanese person in the cities. To keep pace with this growing demand, large gekijo playhouses (劇場) would begin to be built. Before this, theater and performances like sarugaku (猿楽) used the indoor spaces of temples, shrines, and residences of high-ranking samurai and court nobles, restricting their accessibility to those of privilege for the most part. Early structures and buildings specifically to accommodate popular consumption of kabuki and other theater were therefore built in the early 17th century with the popularization of among commoners. The first one, called Naniwa-za (難波座) was built in Sakai in 1634 and quickly began the center of Japanese theater. This was followed by the construction of a second one in Sakai called Asaka-za (浅香座) and one in Azuchi called Hachiman-za (八幡座). In the late 17th century, more of these gekijo would slowly emerge one by one in Japan’s biggest cities and it was in these spaces that kabuki (歌舞伎), bunraku (文楽), noraku (能楽), and other forms of entertainment would take place and captivate audiences composed of all social classes. The biggest ones were able to accommodate a variety of theater forms while others were more exclusively aimed at hosting kabuki performances [1].
The spread of gekijo particularly played a hand in popularizing kabuki, a form of theater originating during the 17th century. Its roots could be traced to the ex-miko of Izumo Taisha, Izumo no Okuni (出雲阿国), who gathered an all-female troupe in the early 1600s and began performing on the Shijogawara riverbed (四条河原) of the Kamo River (鴨川). Her troupe quickly became popular to the point where she was asked to perform before the Imperial Court and later at Azuchi Castle in front of daijo-daijin Oda Nobunori. Rival groups quickly began to form and soon kabuki spread throughout Japan’s urban centers across all social classes from high-ranking samurai to lowly townspeople. Among these groups included those predominantly made up of teenage actors known as wakashu-kabuki (若衆歌舞伎) to contrast with the female yujo-kabuki (遊女歌舞伎). Kabuki, however, quickly faced criticism from the ruling classes for its often suggestive themes and the intermixing of different social classes at performances. Although there were some voices who called for its ban as early as the 1620s, pressing overseas issues and the economic influence of the merchant class delayed any sort of regulation until the 1650s when the kobu kanpaku Konoe Toshishige, influenced by the court nobility, issued a nationwide ban in 1658. Under Kanbe Tomoyoshi, however, this ban was reversed and replaced with regulations that seeked to tone down the sexual themes of many performances and promote all-male groups that performed more serious stories [2]. Ironically, however, these regulations would diversify kabuki and distinguish it further from nogaku which kabuki had first derived from. Through Azuchi’s promotion of all-male groups, yaro-kabuki (野郎歌舞伎) would join yujo-kabuki and wakashu-kabuki as a vibrant genre within kabuki. This was particularly due to the work of playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon (近松門左衛門) whose kabuki tragedies and romances often involving double-suicide plots established him as one of Japan’s foremost dramatists and truly separated yaro-kabuki as a more serious and dramatic theater form compared to its more comedic and suggestive counterparts.
The spread of gekijo particularly played a hand in popularizing kabuki, a form of theater originating during the 17th century. Its roots could be traced to the ex-miko of Izumo Taisha, Izumo no Okuni (出雲阿国), who gathered an all-female troupe in the early 1600s and began performing on the Shijogawara riverbed (四条河原) of the Kamo River (鴨川). Her troupe quickly became popular to the point where she was asked to perform before the Imperial Court and later at Azuchi Castle in front of daijo-daijin Oda Nobunori. Rival groups quickly began to form and soon kabuki spread throughout Japan’s urban centers across all social classes from high-ranking samurai to lowly townspeople. Among these groups included those predominantly made up of teenage actors known as wakashu-kabuki (若衆歌舞伎) to contrast with the female yujo-kabuki (遊女歌舞伎). Kabuki, however, quickly faced criticism from the ruling classes for its often suggestive themes and the intermixing of different social classes at performances. Although there were some voices who called for its ban as early as the 1620s, pressing overseas issues and the economic influence of the merchant class delayed any sort of regulation until the 1650s when the kobu kanpaku Konoe Toshishige, influenced by the court nobility, issued a nationwide ban in 1658. Under Kanbe Tomoyoshi, however, this ban was reversed and replaced with regulations that seeked to tone down the sexual themes of many performances and promote all-male groups that performed more serious stories [2]. Ironically, however, these regulations would diversify kabuki and distinguish it further from nogaku which kabuki had first derived from. Through Azuchi’s promotion of all-male groups, yaro-kabuki (野郎歌舞伎) would join yujo-kabuki and wakashu-kabuki as a vibrant genre within kabuki. This was particularly due to the work of playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon (近松門左衛門) whose kabuki tragedies and romances often involving double-suicide plots established him as one of Japan’s foremost dramatists and truly separated yaro-kabuki as a more serious and dramatic theater form compared to its more comedic and suggestive counterparts.
Depiction of an early yujo-kabuki performance
Although kabuki had become the dominant attraction at gekijo by the end of the century, other forms of entertainment were not absent either. Nogaku, which up until the 17th century had been referred to as sarugaku and had been a progenitor of kabuki theater, continued to co-exist, being especially patronized by the samurai and court nobility in addition to being performed at gekijo. Meanwhile, bunraku (文楽), like kabuki, also arose in the 17th century, specifically in Sakai [3]. However, in contrast to the live theater of kabuki, bunraku utilized puppet theater in tandem with the rise and diversification of Japanese dolls and figures. Like kabuki, its growth was fostered by the work of Chikamatsu Monzaemon who also authored many bunraku plays. Meanwhile, at Iriebashi’s Wakamatsu-za (若松座), kunqu theater from the mainland became performed on a regular basis alongside kabuki, bunraku, and noraku to cater to the large Chinese population whereas it was only rarely performed in the cities of the home islands.
Accompanying the evolution of these entertainment forms were changes to Japanese music including the adoption of new instruments. The most significant of these changes was the widespread adoption of the shamisen (三味線) which came from the Ryukyu kingdom to Sakai in the late 16th century. It quickly became a popular alternative to the traditional biwa (琵琶) especially in narrative music genres like sekkyo-bushi (説教節) and joruri (浄瑠璃) and particularly became popular among commoners in urban and rural areas alike. The shamisen also found its way in the new theater of kabuki and bunraku alongside nogaku instruments like the taiko drum (太鼓), tsuzumi hand drum (鼓), and nokan flute (能管). Another foreign import was the virginal harpsichord from Europe [4]. Although other European instruments like the organ and viola had been introduced and been readily played by the Dutch and Portuguese before figures like Nobunaga, the virginal would be one that the Japanese would incorporate natively due to its small size and distinct sound. In the first half of the 17th century, virginal making would be adopted by Japanese craftsmen who based their construction on Italian-made imports. The latter half, however, saw influences from Flemish imports by the Ruckers family in their construction. Despite this intake, however, the virginal would largely be limited to the wealthy and upper classes of society, only occasionally performed to the wider public in the streets of big cities. When they were performed, however, its sound captivated all who heard it. Its most famous practitioner during the century was the court noble Nakanoin Michizumi, who was part of the Kanei Embassy and was first introduced to it during his time in Paris. He proved to be a natural at the virginal harpsichord and was so talented he even performed before the retired Emperor Mizunoo in 1648.
Shamisen
Ceremonial music also evolved in the 17th century to become a blend of gagaku music (雅楽) from the imperial court and the samurai class’ preferred nogaku genre through the fusion of imperial and samurai political traditions and systems, with the virginal harpsichord gaining acceptance through the success of Michizumi as a court noble and harpsichord practitioner. In the now stable Japan, performers for such ceremonial practices were given stipends, reviving the practice of musician patronization and supporting the flowering of musical talent. Among these patronized musicians were a guild of blind artists called the Todo-za (当道座) who had previously been supported by the Muromachi shogunate and were similarly patronized and given special status by Azuchi and many prominent daimyo and noble families.
[1]: Gekijo were more geared towards yaro-kabuki performances IOTL, but the coexistence of yujo-kabuki and wakashu-kabuki forms of theater incentivized greater flexibility in terms of construction.
[2]: IOTL, kabuki became an all-male entertainment form when yujo-kabuki was banned in 1629, followed by wakashu-kabuki 10 years later.
[3]: Arose in Osaka IOTL.
[4]: A unique phenomenon ITTL.
@Ambassador Huntsman Amazing work! Very interesting to see the culture of japan evolving!
Oh, Japanese music now! Again, I absolutely adore learning about the cultural development in Oda Japan.
I do like how the different genres start developing! The kabuki keeping female groups would be interesting as kabuki evolves beyond the 17th century, and we get different styles developing further for different audiences. The shamisen spreading during this period (along the kokyu which isn't mentioned but that did happen around the 17th century) makes sense, and the introduction of the virginal and harpsichord would make things very interesting. These instruments have very interesting sounds that I don't think the other western instruments can replicate, and I think harpsichords being developed as the ensemble leads replacing the koto would make sense. Still, I do think it would lead to chamber music being developed in Japan bc there needs to be multiple instruments to balance out the relative loudness of the harpsichord, which would be interesting, as I don't think Japan would import the piano as readily as the harpsichord, which has a very different soundscape when played.
I hope we get more admixture with the europeans by the mid to end of the 18th century where we see instruments developed from the kokyu and organs being brought in (organs were being built like insane in cathedrals and chapels in this period, I don't see the Japanese not taking notes and bring it back home), and harmony and polyphony prob be brought in too by the west to Japan too.
Also found this on YT and the guitar and shamisen work together surprisingly well.
Really great chapter on Japanese music! I wonder if rock and roll will somehow come on the Japanese music scene hundreds of years from now.
So kabuki doesn't become exclusively all-male this time around? Superior TL already.
I've had the pleasure(?) of reading an h-manga starring a yujo kabuki troupe that continued giving underground performances while evading law enforcement during the Bakumatsu, even meeting Ryouma Sakamoto. And yes, their shows were lewd. Hentai after all.
I've had the pleasure(?) of reading an h-manga starring a yujo kabuki troupe that continued giving underground performances while evading law enforcement during the Bakumatsu, even meeting Ryouma Sakamoto. And yes, their shows were lewd. Hentai after all.
Thank you!!
This video is cool, thanks for sharing!!
That depends on whether rock and roll comes about ITTL.
Speaking of Sakamoto Ryoma, one of his supposed lovers (also featured in the drama Ryomaden) was a Kirishitan geisha in Nagasaki so cool connection there.
Ye it is very fun to watch, and the different voice from the shamisen and the guitar is interesting to hear!
What's the name for it? DM me for... research purposes lol
Hmm - it’s interesting that during the Meiji and Taisho periods, women’s theater was deeply Westernized, in contrast to the “traditionalist kabuki”. Here the relationship becomes more hierarchical - dramatic kabuki versus frivolous and comedic. I wonder what Sakura Taisen will look like in this era?
The two genres aren’t completely mutually exclusive to yaro-kabuki and yujo-kabuki respectively but yeah there is a sort of distinction.
Chapter 135: Upheavals in English North America
Chapter 135: Upheavals in English North America
After the death of Charles I in 1654, royal power had begun a gradual resurgence under the rule of the more unassuming Charles II. Parliament’s 10 year monopoly over military and ministerial appointments ended and a royalist faction would emerge in the House of Commons itself. Additionally, though the Parliamentarians would still retain a dominant majority in the Commons, internal divisions remained between Presbyterian moderates, congregationalist Independents, and even a few radical Levellers. Nevertheless, the biennial renewal of Parliament and the inability for the king to dissolve the House of Commons would continue to limit the Crown’s power. Charles II therefore relied on his appointed ministers as well as short-term coalitions between royalists and moderate Parliamentarians in the House of Commons against the radicals. He reached the peak of his popularity after overseeing the reconstruction of London from the Great Fire of 1666 and the forging of an Anglo-Dutch alliance in 1668. However, Charles II would play too ambitious of a hand when he accepted subsidies from French to become less financially dependent on Parliament in return for neutrality in the Franco-Dutch War, turning most of the Commons against him.
England’s North American colonies would also adjust to the political and religious changes taking place in their homeland. Virginia, being the most Anglican colony prior to the war, transitioned towards Presbyterianism with the Church of England while Plymouth and its puritanical Separatism remained distant from its mother country. In the other New England colonies as well as Maryland, these changes would prove to be more disruptive. Although the Massachusetts Bay colony welcomed the dismantling of the old Church of England and its hierarchy of bishops and archbishops, its reformation into a Presbyterian church undermined the established Congregationalism and legitimized the efforts of a vocal minority advocating for a Presbyterian polity. Tensions grew when the Crown attempted to establish the Church of England throughout New England. This issue, along with attempts by England to exert greater control over its New England colonies via mercantilism, persisted without any resolution for the entirety of Charles II’s reign due to Massachusetts Bay’s status as a self-governing joint-stock colony largely independent of England. They would be resolved by the next king.
Meanwhile, Maryland’s status as a Catholic haven under the proprietary rule of the Lords Baltimore was increasingly undermined as Puritan settlers grew in numbers and sought to take over the colony. Eventually, war broke out between the colonial government and the breakaway Puritan settlement of Providence, leading to the Battle of the Severn, where the Puritans beat Governor William Stone and those loyal to Lord Baltimore. Westminster would subsequently recognize a Puritan assembly as the legitimate government of Maryland, ending proprietary rule and paving the way for anti-Catholic discrimination in the colony [1]. Many Catholic colonists would eventually emigrate to New Netherlands where they would settle amongst the Flemish and Brabantine Catholic community.
England’s North American colonies would also adjust to the political and religious changes taking place in their homeland. Virginia, being the most Anglican colony prior to the war, transitioned towards Presbyterianism with the Church of England while Plymouth and its puritanical Separatism remained distant from its mother country. In the other New England colonies as well as Maryland, these changes would prove to be more disruptive. Although the Massachusetts Bay colony welcomed the dismantling of the old Church of England and its hierarchy of bishops and archbishops, its reformation into a Presbyterian church undermined the established Congregationalism and legitimized the efforts of a vocal minority advocating for a Presbyterian polity. Tensions grew when the Crown attempted to establish the Church of England throughout New England. This issue, along with attempts by England to exert greater control over its New England colonies via mercantilism, persisted without any resolution for the entirety of Charles II’s reign due to Massachusetts Bay’s status as a self-governing joint-stock colony largely independent of England. They would be resolved by the next king.
Meanwhile, Maryland’s status as a Catholic haven under the proprietary rule of the Lords Baltimore was increasingly undermined as Puritan settlers grew in numbers and sought to take over the colony. Eventually, war broke out between the colonial government and the breakaway Puritan settlement of Providence, leading to the Battle of the Severn, where the Puritans beat Governor William Stone and those loyal to Lord Baltimore. Westminster would subsequently recognize a Puritan assembly as the legitimate government of Maryland, ending proprietary rule and paving the way for anti-Catholic discrimination in the colony [1]. Many Catholic colonists would eventually emigrate to New Netherlands where they would settle amongst the Flemish and Brabantine Catholic community.
Depiction of the Battle of the Severn
It was in this state of affairs in which James II ascended to the throne in 1685. The younger brother of Charles II, he immediately gained Parliament’s trust and approval with his mediated end of the Franco-Dutch War. The line of succession for the House of Stuart was also secure through him, as he had had 3 sons with his young and new queen Johanna Magdalena of Saxe-Altenberg [2]: James, Charles, and Francis. Unlike his late brother, however, James would prove to be a more authoritative monarch after witnessing the decline of Crown authority in England and Scotland. His gaze first turned towards Congregationalist New England, still recalcitrant towards royal authority. In 1686, he issued a royal decree that reorganized the various colonies that made up New England as the Dominion of New England and appointed colonel Percy Kirke [3] as its first governor. Under Kirke, the Church of England would be formally established in the new colonial capital of Boston and efforts were made to harmonize colonial law with royal English law. However, Kirke’s policies were undermined and even boycotted by Puritan leaders like Cotton Mather at every turn and the new Church’s bid to incorporate the independent congregations into a new presbyterian hierarchy went nowhere.
The anti-Presbyterian Puritans would even go further and petition the dwindling but vocal minority of congregationalist Independents in Westminster to raise their grievances before the whole body and to the king. However, the royal majority in Parliament not only tabled any discussion on these grievances but accused the Independent MPs of colluding with the colony’s leadership to undermine the Crown’s authority. Although nothing would happen to the MPs, James II would send a fleet and a sizable force of English and Scottish soldiers in 1688 under the command of the Duke of Monmouth, an illegitimate son of Charles II from one of his many affairs, to Boston in order to bolster royal authority in New England [4]. With Monmouth now present, Kirke began to see success in enforcing his decrees. A proper chapel, King’s Chapel, would be built to facilitate the proper establishment of the Church of England in New England and many independent congregations began to be forced under its authority. Newly passed tax laws began to be uniformly enforced as Monmouth’s presence coerced many towns to give in and appoint commissioners that would collect the revenue. Even Kirke’s controversial proposals to force landowning colonists to confirm their titles and land grants with the new Dominion government began to see compliance, though many in Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay provinces continued their abstention from the process.
Portrait of Percy Kirke, 1st governor of the Dominion of New England
Nevertheless, anti-government sentiment among many Puritans remained high, their voices airing prominently at New England’s town meetings. This was when Kirke would go too far in centralizing New England and fundamentally altering its socio-political dynamics. In 1690, he issued an order to crack down on New England’s town meetings after becoming paranoid of the criticism being aired there. On April 18th, when dominion officials attempted to enforce Kirke’s order in the town of Salem, they were thrown out by the local militia. In response, a dominion militia marched into the town and confronted the hostile townspeople. The situation quickly spiraled out of control and the dominion militia ended up firing into the aggressive mob in what would be known as the Salem Massacre. Sympathetic towns, especially in Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth heavy with remaining congregationalist and Separatist churches, began raising local militias of their own and connecting with one another. An anti-Dominion resistance soon sprung up and what would become known as the Salem Revolt broke out. The anti-government side supported rolling back the Dominion’s harsh decrees and returning to the pre-Dominion society that had predominated much of New England and was successful in spreading their efforts for the first few months. However, the Dominion’s forces were able to contain this spread, managing to hold onto Boston despite an extensive attempt there by the city’s Puritans to seize it from Kirke and the Dominion’s government.
Depiction of Dominion officials being driven out of Salem by its local militia
Eventually, James II would be able to send reinforcements to Boston and by the end of 1691, the Dominion had suppressed much of the revolt. Kirke also died in the same year, to be succeeded by Edmund Andros. Andros noticeably would take a lighter approach towards the colonists, walking back Kirke’s previous attempt to crack down on town meetings across the board and including more colonists including congregationalists into the government. As a result, the remaining embers of the Salem Revolt were put out on their own and the Dominion quickly recovered political unity. This would help when the Castin’s War [5] broke out between France and England over border tensions between New England and New France, the interests of each country’s preferred native tribes, and Louis XIV’s ambitions in North America in 1692. After 5 years of inconclusive warfare, the Treaty of Portsmouth was signed between the two sides maintaining the prewar status quo.
It also strengthened the king’s political position at home and for the rest of the 17th century, strong royalist majorities would dominate in Parliament. Meanwhile, the congregationalist Independent faction saw its ranks drastically dwindle in coming elections as they became tied to the failed rebellion in New England. As a result, Parliament was now almost entirely made up of two factions: the pro-king Court party and the parliamentarian Country party with a smattering of radicals remaining separate from the mainstream. Through strong parliamentary majorities and the political will of the king, the Court party would monopolize the various ministerial posts of the kingdom, empowering James II and giving the Stuart monarchy the most power it had since the English Civil War.
[1]: ITTL, Westminster declines to reinstate the proprietorship, ending it 34 years earlier than IOTL.
[2]: As royal marriages with Catholics are forbidden ITTL, James marries a German Lutheran princess.
[3]: Percy Kirke was supposed to be the governor of the Dominion of New England, but his actions when suppressing the Duke of Monmouth's revolt IOTL got him dismissed. ITTL, there's no revolt by the Duke of Monmouth so he never gets dismissed.
[4]: Because James II is a Presbyterian and not a Catholic, the Duke of Monmouth never rebels and continues being a prominent member of the English government.
[5]: A name for OTL’s King William’s War but the main name for what is essentially TTL’s King William’s War.
Great chapter! I really love learning about North America in this timeline.
@Ambassador Huntsman ! Amazing work! Hope James II keeps his Power but knows to play Nice with parliment. Britain needs a strong monarch
Thank you!! Yeah North America is very different ITTL, especially when you still have New Sweden and New Netherlands occupying the Mid-Atlantic region.