Puppeteer turns his hand to Genji's world
By HIROKO OIKAWA Contributing Writer
Chances are you've heard of ``The Tale of Genji,'' the 1,000-year-
old tale of romance that's considered the world's first great novel.
But chances are you've never experienced the book, penned by court
lady Murasaki Shikibu, in quite the way it's being presented by
Yukiza, a centuries-old marionette theater.
The idea of turning the epic story into a play for puppets was
unimaginable-until last year.
Produced by the Shizuoka Convention and Arts Center Granship, ``Yume
no Ukihashi'' (Floating bridge in a dream), a play based on the
timeless love story, was performed last spring by Yukiza, which
boasts 370 years of tradition. The production, which has been
performed only in Shizuoka and a few other prefectures, will finally
make it to Tokyo in late July.
The project was the brainchild of Hajime Yamamoto, Granship's
executive director. It was his dream to have the world of Genji
staged by the marionette troupe.
But at first, Yamamoto's proposal didn't seem feasible to Magosaburo
Yuki XII, who heads the company.
``I wasn't sure if we'd be able to do it, because a pure love story
without action scenes was not in our repertoire,'' Yuki said in an
interview at the company's studio in Tokyo.
Also initially unsure was Makoto Sato, who wrote the script and
directed the production. Preparing the script took three years and
required him to pore over the lengthy novel in classical Japanese
and two modern translations.
The result was ``Yume no Ukihashi,'' an adaptation of the 54-chapter
story of Genji, an aristocratic playboy, and Kaoru, his wife's
illegitimate son. Sato's adaptation is narrated by Ukifune, a
heroine in the novel's final chapter who attempts suicide following
her involvement with Kaoru in a love triangle. She leads the
audience to the world of Genji, where key epsodes from the epic
novel unfold.
Of particular note about this production is the interaction between
the Yukiza's marionettes and a human actor, which calls for a bit of
imagination on the part of the audience.
Ukifune, the storyteller, is played by actress Tomoko Mariya. Other
characters, including Genji, his wife, Aoi, and his lovers, Yugao
and Rokujo no miyasudokoro-whose malignant spirit leads Aoi to her
death-are portrayed by marionettes.
Mariya also plays Genji in one scene and Rokujo in another,
interacting and conversing with marionettes.
Founded in 1635, Yukiza was one of five shogunate-supported theater
companies in Edo, as Tokyo was known under Tokugawa rule. Of the
five, only Yukiza still operates as a troupe.
Yuki feels the group's innovative spirit was the key to its
survival.
``Performers in traditional arts tend to stick with classics, which
were unproven new works when they were first performed. With that in
mind, we want to create new works that can become classics later.
That was the thinking of my father and grandfather,'' he says.
Born in 1943 to Magosaburo Yuki X and Sokyo Takemoto, a samisen-
playing storyteller in gidayu tradition, Yuki said he was playing
with marionettes as far back as he can remember.
``Marionettes were just about the only toys I could find around me.
I taught myself how to manipulate them,'' he recalls.
After his debut at age 4, he continued teaching himself the art
rather than training under his father. As a teenager, he studied
other traditional arts, including Kabuki, Noh and kyogen, under
acknowledged masters.
``Like many other people born into the world of traditional arts, I
was at the point of no return before I knew it,'' he says.
Meanwhile, Yuki was involved in the underground theater movement of
the 1960s, which explored new styles of expression. Among the people
he met in those days was Sato, one of the scene's leading lights.
Yuki and Sato have worked together since their 1975 production of
``Shojo Kamen,'' written by actor and scriptwriter Juro Kara. Their
use of marionettes instead of human actors drew large audiences.
That innovative spirit prompted the company to stage a Japanese-
language production of Shakespeare's ``Macbeth,'' which won a
special award at the 1986 Belgrade International Theater Festival.
Their artistic path eventually led them to ``Yume no Ukihashi.''
But in bringing the world of Genji to the stage, the marionette
artists had hurdles to clear.
Among them was the use of delicate puppets designed by Sayoko
Yamaguchi, a top model in the 1970s. For the first time in the
company's history, the marionettes' faces and costumes were made
with traditional washi paper.
``Made of paper rather than cloth, the marionettes are light and
hard to handle,'' Yuki says.
For the audience, the extra effort makes a difference. The
marionettes, dressed in black or white costumes representing light
and shadow, make a deep impact.
Another highlight of the production is 91-year-old Takemoto, Yuki's
samisen-playing mother.
``When she forgets the song and starts improvising, we won't know
what to do with the marionettes,'' Yuki says with a laugh.
Up next for Yukiza is a planned collaboration with a marionette
theater in China's Fujian province.
``Maybe we'll do Shakespeare,'' Yuki said. ``The fusion of similar
yet different cultures will be a challenge.''
* * *
``Yume no Ukihashi'' will be performed July 22 (7 p.m.), July 23 (2
p.m.) and July 24 (2 p.m.) at Tokyo's Setagaya Public Theater. See
map on this page. Performances are in Japanese, with no translation.
3,500 yen and 4,000 yen. For tickets, call Click Ticket Center at 03-
5432-1515. Tickets can by purchased online at <
http://eee.eplus.co.jp >.(IHT/Asahi: May 27,2005)