#edo-tokyo

[matryokeshi]

August  2017. Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, Tokyo, Japan

[msbosleynihon]

Edo-Tokyo Museum

19.06.25

The Tokyo-Edo museum is so cool, because it is all about one city and yet there is simply so much to talk about. The fact that the Tokyo side was just as large and detailed as the Edo side really shows how much change Japan went through from the end of the Edo period into the Meiji and further Modern eras.

The most striking exhibits at the Edo-Tokyo museum for me were the Ukiyoe and kabuki exhibits on the Edo side of the museum. I find paintings and art of daily life extremely fascinating. It’s so much easier to feel like you're there than when you read about them. Wood block paintings are so cool because they can be mass produced, but there is still a bit of uniqueness to each painting since humans are imperfect beings and likely can’t place the blocks in the exact same place every time. The intricate carvings on the wood were so beautiful, especially on the block used to outline.

The kabuki exhibit was also fantastic. It was obvious how much work was put into that exhibit with the full scale stage scene, and the large, scale model of a playhouse. 

One thing I noticed immediately was that despite mentioning how women, and eventually wakashu, were banned from kabuki, there was no mention of onnagata. I figure onnagata were a fairly large part of kabuki, and also unique to it as well. (I have come to learn later through my research that onnagata weren’t unique to only Kabuki, they were present in all forms of Japanese theater, and even early Japanese film!)

I remember the Nancy K. Stalker reading, “Japan: History and Culture from Classical to Cool”, talking about kabuki and she did indeed mention onnagata and went into a good amount of detail, even explaining an onnagata’s daily life living as a woman. I never knew that there were two different kinds of kabuki, aragoto and kamigata. I also didn’t know anything about how advanced the stage effects were in kabuki. There were so many moving parts of the stage to allow for exciting story telling. I have never been to a kabuki play, but when I do go to one, I want to see if I can identify which type of kabuki it is.

[matryokeshi]

Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, Japan

[minuga-hana]

classic by sekihan

[matryokeshi]

Udon in the cafe in The Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, Japan