Tamasaburo 坂東玉三郎 「籠釣瓶花街酔醒」

[NowhereWoman152]

1:05 XD

[msmcis]

Absolutely spectacular - Thank you so much, tiffenakou-san

[leananshae]

Those are either men in dresses or it is a convention of the ugliest women in Japan!

[SIPSOAP]

...magnifico!...

[KatsushikaMatsuyama]

not orian, tayuu

[WillyyyV]

@KatsushikaMatsuyama, no that is an Oiran. U can tell by the obi & the hair.

[PrincessAki2009]

@WillyyyV Tayu is the highest class of courtesan in Kyoto and an Oiran is the highest class of courtesan in Edo (old Tokyo). Tayuu being the early term for the highest class of courtesan and Oiran being a later termThey are actually the same just that in different regions they are call different names.

[silvicurlytop]

@KatsushikaMatsuyama oiran is a courtesan,oiran were not simple prostituts,they were artists, tayu is the one with the highest rank, which is her.

there are lower rank oirans, called sasha, yuujo and hashi but all oiran.

[ReaperRain]

Oiran were, as far as I know, high-class prostitutes. I mean REALLY high-class - only nobility could afford their services. Eventually they became so inapproachable that the practise ended up dying out, so there are no Oiran today.

They were essentially prostitutes, yes. But the time and money that went into their their etiquette, mannerisms and outfits made them on par with their upper-class customers.

The high shoes were a status symbol and a show of wealth, I imagine.

[WillyyyV]

@ReaperRain, true but there are 3 full time working Oirans today! Of course they don't do sex anymore [which is a good thing, lol] but they fulfill all of the other roles that an Oiran did in the past.

[MaximilianMontesa]

For all the layers of clothing he's wearing he amazingly looks like he's floating or underwater.

[MorroccoSurrogate]

Those are some impressive shoes!

I wonder why Japanese women of the past, for whom shortness was part of the attractiveness package, wore such tall shoes?

[silverdog09]

the taller your shoes the higher you were from the ground, which is dirty. the japanese religion, shinto, has the biggest sin of being dirty. so the higher up you are, the less close to dirt you are. make sense?

[usamiakihikosan]

uh no ur shoes has to match with ur identity and since she is the highst rank women she has to ware high shoes

[scanch]

@silverdog09 The tall shoes are only what Oiran (high class courtesans wore), not everyone wore them.

[MaximilianMontesa]

@silverdog09 So that does mean oiran are far above the sin of being dirty?? :-\ I'm confused. Aren't they prostitutes?

[Sephiroth21682]

@MaximilianMontesa remember these women were sold into prostitution at a very young age by their parents, perhaps victims of sex is better suited than "prostitute," simply, these women were making the best out of their inescapable situation.

[scanch]

@MorroccoSurrogate The tall shoes are only what Oiran (high class courtesans wore), not everyone wore them.

[gogoincognito]

It's the artifice that was attractive for these high ranking prostitutes.

[complementa]

Wonderful!!

[harajukuboy20]

i love that facial expression @ 2:44 :)

[hopstepbunny]

You can watch this in Kabuki theater Tokyo in February of the next year. Tamasaburo will play Yatsuhashi again.

[teamshintaichi]

do you know if tamasaburo will perform anything in summer or winter this year?

[tiffenakou]

Botantei (Mudanting) in fall.

[teamshintaichi]

Thank you! Do you know where? Will it last until December? Whaere can I get more info?

[tiffenakou]

no. October in Tokyo. I saw it on some Japanese news sites. There is another performance in Kyushu in November.

[naokii2]

I LOVE THIS DRAMA

[MissQuade]

Is there a way to see the rest of this play?

[sigursiggi]

she got some serious junk up in that uchikake. a bit busy, tho'.

[KumoYanagi]

those facial expressions were killer. amazing I love it!

[contortionist104]

seriously, i got respect for those women, walking on a 15cm Geta and with all those weight on their heads !

And the clothes, must be hard to walk in really

[heypan1954]

能看見玉三郎真是美啊！

[jaedynramiro666]

Is anybody else amazed that that's a guy? :O

[Tekirai]

i am!!!

[MangoLady777]

Tamasaburo is incredible!

[tenten1353]

oh my god !

[kieran196]

WOW!...I love look of the face!

[sheepandgreen]

sad women history

oiran is the most popular prostitute

[darkjapanesegirl18]

i know...and what was worse, they were sold into it, they didn't have a choice, they were forced into the trade.

[Tekirai]

and sadly things like that still go on today *sigh* things never change

[1102299]

Театральное действие может быть понятно и без слов ! Такие же чувства ,которые не возможно скрыть даже ярким гримом.Желания и возможности.Здесь на сцене рождается трагедия!

[BlackMisay]

tamasaburo....now where have I heard that name before? hmmmm

[joanofarcscats]

天啊......0.0

2:40開始

我整個被他(她)迷住了0.0.......

[ChoukoCha]

Absolutely breathtaking.

[sailormoonjoo]

TAMASABURO'S MY HOMEBOY.

[yohtan]

BEST COMMENT!  WORD UP, YO!!!!!!

[deilizsempai]

beautiful...

[CaptainOats74]

I love this!! I would love to see this live. And I liked the fact that they included the oiran's 8-figure walk for a few seconds.

[chibicat13]

Amazing!!! The way Yatsuhashi gazes and smiles at the merchant took my breath away. Such grace!

[mikebmakeup]

PROPER FIERCE! The way the character maintains perfect balance and elegance is beautiful and awe inspiring. I wish I knew where in America to rent videos like this!

[TonyPstunts]

And bitch, don't you wish you had platforms like that? ^_^

Tamasaburo face got some fierce face!

[ferjelo]

I do not understand. Could anybody tell me what's going on at stage?

[dogyearrex]

I loooooooove japanese Theatrical arts!!! they are sooo sophiscated and elegant!

[ERUJIEproduction]

it would be scary if you see something like this in a random place not in japan

[kimmykid]

This is my favourite video on Youtube but for some reason it now shows squashed-up. It used to fill the screen and a lot of the subtlety is lost by not seeing it as it was. Please could you upload it again? Or am I doing something wrong to see it this way?

[osbourn15]

You aren't the only one.

[pglyons]

this is an astonishing piece of performance - i am partcularly stunned by the drama of the gaze, poised as it is on the abyss of eternity - it is diffcult to see this now that it has somehow 'shrunk' - it too is one of my all time youtube favourites - clearly i am not the only one who would be grateful if this could be uploaded again. thank you.

[ERUJIEproduction]

all you need to do is add &fmt=18 at the end of the url of this video and it'll fit the screen

[tiffenakou]

you are so right. Guys I have no idea why this got resized. Thanks for ERUJIEproduction for this tip. Works great.

[ERUJIEproduction]

no prob! glad to help

[ERUJIEproduction]

oh and you should put a link in the description with the &fmt=18 so people could just click on it. make sure you put an annotation to let the people know the link is in the description because youtube doesn't allow video links with &fmt=18 in annotations

[Fishroads]

when he walks on the stage does it call

soto hachi monji?

[Fishroads]

why doesn't he have the two hairwings as hairstyle on his head

[kieran196]

Is this available on dvd?

[christianshounen101]

why is she wearing tall shoes ?

[tyrusemory]

Because she is an important courtesan.

[Samuelc10]

Girls,

If you think that your 7 inch stilettos or pumps are hard to walk in, try these on!!!

The figure 8 walk is almost as good as Nakamura Utaemon's and hes is Kabuki's #1 onnagata of the 20 century. Saying that to Tamasaburo is a HUGE COMPLIMENT!!!

[JPandCo]

Yeah! He is pretty good. I saw Nakamura Utaemon once, my God! he is able to move all his body and lift his feet with those geta! He is amazing. Tamasaburo has already reached perfection, he has the elegance and the technique.

[jwwindsor]

The most interesting thing is that Nakamura Utaemone had polio deforming one leg to be shorter than the other.

[Martinit0]

can somebody please post a video of Nakamura Utaemon. I would be very interested in that as I can hardly imagine an onnagata better than Tamasaburo.

[ginaho]

I can't help but think that Beijing opera is the real deal...

[Sawrattan]

I don't know much about Beijing opera, but I've checked it out on YouYube.

I actually prefer this Japanese style, it's more subtle than Chinese opera, which is spectacular but also too loud and showy.

[victimofsleep]

wow did top courtesans wear these in the past??

[osbourn15]

Yes they did, they were, lets say "high fashion" girls.

[haikutee]

a work of art

brought to life

[haitang]

finally i get to see this costume in motion

[cscentrlvideos]

I'd like to pose a question. I know that all kabuki actors are men, but has that status changed in modern Japan? Have women been allowed to perform in kabuki plays? I saw a couple of little girls in the parade & I was wondering if they were real girls or boys made-up to be girls.

[JPandCo]

wWmen are now allowed to play roles in kabuki nowadays, but the quality is not so good. The parades you saw are Oiran Douchu or parades in which courtesans walked to be presented and yes, they are actresses

[cscentrlvideos]

Maybe because the women are just starting out and have several hundred years worth of quality & standards to meet. Now that you've answered the basic question, I would like to pose a derivative question: have women been allowed to perform main parts in kabuki plays?

[aquarius85]

I think women playing the main female part defeats the whole performative aspect of gender in kabuki. Being a woman is a role, just like how white people blackfaced themselves, pretending to be black. It's this notion that gender (and race) can be perform. It's an imagined reality. I'd like to ask you, "what's wrong with men playing the women part?"

Women are not excluded from theater tho. Takarazuka Revue is an all female musical theater where there are woman who take on the main male roles.

[YoshitheDino87]

It's interesting to note that Kabuki was originally an all female form of theater, then it became all boys, and now all men. Kabuki has a history of gender roles and perhaps now again it's changing again. I saw a few plays with young girls in kabuki roles, as women. There is a response to all-male kabuki and that's the takarazuka theater troupe if you're interested in seeing something different.

[JPandCo]

Many years will take for women to recover from about two centuries, and even more time to be at the Kabuki-za, and more more time to take a main role; I think

[JPandCo]

Many years will take for women to recover from about two centuries, and even more time to be at the Kabuki-za, and more more time to take a main role; I think

[xxliew]

Exquisitely performed piece, especially from Yatsuhashi.

Can anyone tell me why she was dragging her.... footwear *swt*... when she was exiting through the hanamichi? What device is that and what does it symbolize? Reluctance? Tiredness?

[JPandCo]

The 8 walk form is one of the most important characteristics of the Oiran in Yoshiwara or Tayu in Shimabara, the koma geta are very high black lacquered sandals. It was pure fashion and I think it was pretty sexy to show the bare feet in those days

[FireHidrentPro]

Bare feet, so that they could see how thin their ankles were... thin ankle means they were well endowed... ^^ As for men, high or big noses...

I wish I had a pari of geita like that... They are expensive though... T-T... Must save up... XDDD

[WillyyyV]

@FireHidrentPro yea i know, lol. I once heard that they cost an average of $5,000! Does not really surprise me though...

[ilovesamsungverymuch]

아이구...

[daisukekuroneko]

god this is a living piece of art!

thank u so much for sharing!!!!:)

what an amazing actor Tamasaburo is!

[dphoenix2008]

SUGOI~

[ixora318]

orian!

[Cervallon]

Hahahaha!

His heart went, *Boom!*

Wow. THAT is platform footwear.

She gave him that LOOK.

I loved her second thoughts when she was about to walk away.

[carmierizalim]

thanks because of this video i finished my final requirement

[kieran196]

I'm amazed the way you know what the Oiran is thinking when she glances back at the merchant,so beatiful.

[mesobonten]

五代目！！

[mesobonten]

大和屋！！

[mesobonten]

大和屋!!

[Kurtlane]

I heard of this play long ago. Now I can finally see a part of it. Thanks.

[freefancy763]

Where can I find this TV Show or Dvd?

[tiffenakou]

this one was broadcasted on TV. Another version (in which Tamasaburo co-staged with Nakamura Kanzaburo) is available in DVD.

[freefancy763]

what is the exact Dvd title?

[tiffenakou]

It is disc 6 in this boxset usDOTyesasiaDOTcom/en/PrdDept.­aspx/code-j/section- videos/pid-1004070527/

[LiebestodBlut]

What are the shoes the courtaesan wearing called?

[JPandCo]

they are a pair of black lacquered geta wooden sandals with three tooth, but they are only used for long walks (michiyuki) on the street 8-)

[Jennacy]

Komageta.

[pincushionllama]

if i remember right it is katsuyama who created the figure 8 step. a very popular courtesan in her time. she also created the katsuyama hairstyle, worn by some maiko today.

[JPandCo]

it is fantastic how tamasaburo can bring us such a real presentation of an oiran. although they dnt exist anymore,it's like being in the 1860's or before, he does even better than the actresses that walk during festivals ( the one of douchu or something like that). Oh it's not for runing u the end but at the end jirozaemon kills yatsuhashi. Thnx tiffenakou without you i've never seen kabuki before, in mexico we haven't had the opportunity of watching tamasaburo acting.

[tiffenakou]

glad to hear that you like it!

[Furzkopf888]

is that a bride? did the people in the past wear that clothes? so funny^^ but beautifull

[tiffenakou]

no, a very high ranking courtesan.

[xxxxenon5]

Wow, imagine how good it would look if this was a woman acting this role. I think its good women are acting in kabuki now, not that Tamasaburo is bad ^_~

ironically enough women invented kabuki...

[lololaugh]

When Tamasaburo is walking off, why does he move the geta like he does? I've seen Tayu do it before, the way they move them to the side and then drag them back in, but I never knew why. Just asking. Thanks

[gogoincognito]

I think it's all apart of a dramatization of these ideas: this courtesan looks at the man and then smiles to herself. She then catches herself betraying this emotion and continues to walk on. Her body drags because she is reluctant to go, but she still moves forward, away from the person she shared the electric glance with.

[lololaugh]

Thanks!

[lololaugh]

Whenever Tamasaburo/the Tayu is walking out, why does he move or walk in the geta like that, as in moving them to the side and somewhat dragging them. Is it just for show?

[CaiteDesu]

When Tayuu were at their height, one began walking like that, it's called the figure 8 walk. It became the epitome of vouge for courtesans of that time, everyone in the business copied it.

[lololaugh]

Thanks!

[tiffenakou]

Unfortunately the copy I have only contains clips from here and there. I do wish they will release it as a full-length DVD one day.

[americanfitch66]

This clip is very good!! Tamasaburo-san is sooo elegant and graceful and this clip really displays this! MOre more more! :)

[MisaoTakahashi]

I would love to see more of this, it seems very interesting. Thanks for uploading!

[theblackscorpio]

So plateaushoes are not popculture ;)

[budgiebudgielover]

How expressive thier cultural clothes are (how interestingly big, too). I love how they make themselves move to, so slow, and with ease.

[gogoincognito]

think of kabuki more like opera.. it's meant to be flashy, big, and expensive, so the costumes correspond to this demand. kabuki clothes are one sort of "tradition," but they're basically an extreme exaggeration of everday wear from their time periods (this would be reflective of clothes from roughly 200-400 years ago)

[SiKedek]

Walking in those platform geta can't be easy...

[gardengeisha]

The lower ranking tayuu reminded me of a NASCAR pit crew.

Dr.B