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nO D I HL N N $ RO M $ PR R ET R E A T
THE J AP AN E S E D AN C E

M A R C E L L E AZ RA Q I N C K S

L OND ON

W I L L I A M HE I N E M AN N
1910
 I N TR O D U C T I O N

o ne of the oldest legend s o f Japan w e are told that the

S un G o dd ess A materasu being angry hi d herself i n a ca v e
-
, , ,

so that the w orld w a s plunged i n darkness and l ife on earth,

became intolerable A nd the eight m illion d eities of the

.

Japan ese hea v en seeing the sorro w and d estructi on w rought by

,

A materasu s absence from the w orl d sou g ht by every means

’

possib l e to coax her from her retreat ; but n othing coul d

prevai l o n h e r to lea v e i t unti l one god w iser than the others
, , ,

devise d a plan w hereby the angered goddess m ight be lured

from her h iding place A m ongst the i mm ortals w as the
-
.

beautifu l Am é no U z u m é ; they sent her t o dance and sing at

- -

the m outh o f the c a e and the goddess attracte d by the

v , ,

unusual soun d of musi c and dancing and unab l e to w ith

,

stan d her curiosity emerge d from her concealm ent to ga z e

, ,

u pon the dancer S O that once m ore she gave the l ight
.

o f her smile to the w orl d The people ne v er forgo t that

.

d ancing ha d been the means of bringing bac k A materasu to

Japan — the land o n w hich she sti ll shines w i th i ncom parable
ra d iance an d softness — an d therefore from tim e i m memorial
, ,

the dance has been honoured as a religious cerem ony and prae
t i se d as a fine art throughout the lan d called o f the rising
“

sun. To fi n d th e origin o f dancing i n Japan w e m ust then , ,

go back to that rem ote peri o d w hen history m erges i nto fable ,

an d w hen the si m p l est occurrences o f l i fe are attribute d to

supernat ural ca uses A n d i nasmuch as the fables an d l egends
.
 T H E J APAN E S E D AN C E
o f a country reflect the thoughts and feelings an d the manners ,

an d customs of its earl iest inhabitants this fable of A materasu ,

sho w s the extraordinarily i m portant place assigned to the dance

at the very beginnings of the race From thi s and m uch evi .

dence of the sam e nature one i s j ustified i n concluding that

,

e v en the barbaric ancestors o f the Japanese loved to dance ,

and that they indulged to a consi d erable extent i n the exercise

w hich abo v e all others satisfies both the physical and em otional
, ,

demands o f a healthy organism S e v eral other l egen d s attest .

the great antiq uity o f Japanese dancing $ the fi rst costume

dance i s said to have been prompted b y pain for w hen a certain ,

deity conquered in fight w as threatened w ith drowning he

, , ,

painte d his face re d and l ifted hi s feet in an agony of supp l i

cation thus giving rise to w hat has ever since k ept the nam e of
,

W arrior D ance Hay a to m a z which is still include d am ongst

” ’

-
, ,

the classical m i mes o f the Imperial C ourt D ancing in Japan .

i s not associated with pleasure and j oyful feelings alo n e ,

but every em otion grave o r gay m ay becom e the subj ect o f

, ,

a dance Thus at o n e time funeral d ances w ere performed

.
, ,

around the corpse w hich ha d been place d i n a building

,

special l y constructed for the purpose and though it is sai d ,

that originally the dancers hoped to recall the d ea d to life by

the po w er and charm o f their d ance later the measures w ere ,

performed merely as a fare w ell ceremony .

The Japanese d ance i s of the greatest i mportance an d

i nterest hi storically L i ke her ci v ilisation and the greater
.

n umber of her arts Japan borro w ed her d ance from C hina

, ,

though t h e genius o f her people very soon develope d m any new

form s o f dances quite d istinct from the C hinese i mportation
, .

From the earliest times dancing has been close l y associate d w ith
re l igi on in both the S hinto and the B u d dhist faiths w e fin d it
occupying a foremost place i n w orshi p The B uddhist priests .

i n the thi r teenth century m en of learning an d enlightenment

, ,

6
 T H E J A P AN E S E D AN C E
ma d e use O f the dance as a re fi ning i nfluence along w ith the ,

cult o f the tea cerem ony and land cape gardening and the
- s -

arts w hich hel ped to r e fi n e the uncul tured military cla s by s

w hich Japan w a s more o r less ruled at that ti me To .

the dance Japan o w es her fi ne t d ramatic li terature w hi chs , ,

b y the hel p o f these sam e B uddhi st pri est wa gradually s, s

e v ol v e d from the combination O f e v eral dances i n v ogue at an

s

early peri o d The in v ention o f a stage and the construction

.

o f the m odern theatre w ere also the outcom e o f dancing .

A nd m oder n Japan i i ndebted to dancing f r the pre er v ation

s o s

o f the clas ical Japanese language i n the poem s w ri tten se v eral

s

hundred years ago to accom pany the N 6 dancers Thus i t i s .

di fficul t to o v er estimate the i m portance of this po w er fu l

-

aestheti c factor i n the history O f the culture o f Japan .

B efore attempting to gi v e either an hi tori cal sur v e y o r a s

d escription of Japanese dancing i t i s necessary to explai n that

,

i n Japan the m eaning O f the w ord dance i s totall y di fferent

“

from the O ccidental concepti on o f the term \V h e r e a o ur . s

d ance consists alm ost entirely o f rhythm i cal gym na tic w ith s

n o set purpose but that o f stri k i ng graceful attitudes the ,

Japanese dance li k e the ancient G reek dance is e n ti r e ly o f a

, ,

pantom i m i c nature an d stri es to represent i n gesture an his

,
x

t o r i c a l i nci d ent some mythical legend or a scene from fol k

, ,

lore ; its chie f characteri tic i s al w a ys expressi v eness a n d i t

s
,

in v ariably possesses a strong emotional tendency The Japane e . s

have extraor d inary m im eti c gi fts w hich t h e y ha e culti x

v a t e d to such an extent that it is doubt ful w hether any other

,

people has e v er de v eloped such a w i d e and expressi v e art

O f gesture. D ancing in the E uro pean sense w ould be called
, ,

gymnastic i n Japan and classed w it h J u j utsu o r the ancien t

,
-
,
”
acrobatic D e ng a k u
“
This essential di fference bet w een the
.

Japanese an d E uropean dance m ust al w ays be borne i n m ind

w hen w e look at Japane e d ancing and are some w hat
s
 T H E J APANE S E D AN C E
be w ildered and perhaps n o t very i ntereste d by the apparently
, ,

meaningless gestures and sleeve w aving an d fan w aving and

,
-
,
-
,

stamping of feet \V e must remember that every m ovement

.
,

e v ery turn o r t w ist o f the hand the arm or the body has
, ,

some significance as clear to the Japanese as spoken wor d s ,

an d that the subtlety of the E astern m in d d etects various

shades an d d egrees of em otions in dance mo v ements w hich w e ,

neither l ook for nor understand In a country where expressive

.

gesticulation has been in use for many thousan d s o f years ,

w here all art ten d s to become conventionalise d an d forma l it i s ,

n ot surprising that an extensive vocabulary as i t were o f , ,

motions should ha v e been e v ol v ed the meaning o f w hi ch i s

,

clear on l y to the Japanese themsel v es L i ke the tea ceremony

.
-
,

the d ance i s esoteric as w ell as exoteric and to apprehen d the

,

meaning of every gesture i s no easy task to the uni nitiated .

Thus to arch the hand o v er the eyes conveys that the dancer is
,

w eepi ng ; to extend the arms w hilst l ooking eagerly in the

,

direction in dicated by the hand suggests that the dancer is

,

think ing of some one or something in a far aw ay country ; the -

arm s crossed on the chest and a drooping head mean medita

ti on ; these ho w e v er are comparati v ely easy to interpret but
, , ,

many others are o f a nature too complicated to be so easily

un d erstood by foreigners There is fo r instance a set o f
.
, ,

special gestures fo r the N O dances di v ided first o f all into a

,

certain number o f fundam ental gestures an d postures and then ,

into numerous v ariations o f these an d figures d eri v e d from

,

them much in the same w ay as the technique o f E uropean

,

balle t dancing consi sts o f fun d amental position s and endless

-

less i mportant posi tion s

“
B u t the gestures of the Japanese
.

d ance seem to the E uropean m ind to be such rem ote symbols

, ,

of the feelings w hich they seek to exp r ess and so di fferen t ,

from the natural an d spontaneous gestures w here w ith w e

shoul d express si milar em oti ons that it i s diffi cult to under
,

8
 T H E J A PAN E S E DAN C E
sta n d h o w they e v er could ha v e been e v ol v ed These c o n e n
. v

t i o n a l gestures an d slee v e w aving and fa n w a v ing mo v ements

- -

constitute the greatest diffi culty t o an i ntelligent i nterpretati o n

o f the Japanese dance The techni que i s also elaborate
.
,

though the v ocabulary o f dancing term s is hard ly as com

p l ete as that of French dance technique but
-
the
, positions
an d attitudes of the li m bs are radically d ifferent from those
o f the E uropean d ance the feet being l ittle seen and their
, ,

action consi d ere d subor d inate though the stam ping of the feet
,

i s i mportant i n some d ances B ut the ease o f m ovement the

.
,

smoothness an d the leg a to e ffect o f a Japanese d ance i n w hich

,

the m usic o f m oti on is so subtly pro d uced as to escape any but

the finest apprehension an d in w hich any m ovement suggestive
,

o f e ffort i s banished can only be O btained by the m ost rigorou s

,

physical training The Japanese are faithful to their high

.

artisti c ideal i n this as i n every other art ; they stri ve to master

,

technique so thoroughl y that every w ork of their art is produce d

w ith perfect ease and spontanei ty ; thei r i d eal is art hid d en by
”
i ts o w n perfection.
 C HA P TE R I

THE d ances of Japan m ay be grouped under three broa d d iv i

si ons each o f
, equal i mportance $ ( 1 ) Religious ; ( 2 ) C lassical ;
( 3) P opular.

The ol d est recor d s sho w that religious dancing w as brought

from C hina at a very early period w hen it w as still a national
,

institution there an d w idely practised ; and it i s chiefly as an

ai d to religious services that extraor d inary d evelopments o f t h e
choreographi c art i n Japan took place at an early peri o d I n .

these religious exercises especial attention w a s given to gesture

an d to expressive meaning of m ovement and here the origin of
,

the conventionalise d gestures o f Japanese d ancing is probably

to be foun d for everything said o r done w ith religious i ntent
,

after centuries o f practi ce tends to become either a stereotype d

formu l a or a conventional m ovement the signi ficance and m ean
,

ing of w hich are known only to the initiate d The last vestige s .

of a re l igious d ance of ancient C hina may sti ll be seen at the

ha l f yearly sacri fices to C onfuci us w hen eight pairs of d ancers
-
,

i n gorgeous robes hol d ing a trip l e pheasant s feather in one han d

,
’

and a three o r si x holed flute in the other posture an d d ance

-
,

as an accompaniment to the C onfucian hymn It is sai d that .

the B ag a k a a religious dance of C hina w as intro d uce d two

, ,

thousand years ago ; but the history o f Japan at that time i s

shrou d ed i n the m ists o f mythology and i t is only to w ards the
,

seventh or eighth century A D that his torica l recor d s become to

. .

a certain extent trust w orthy In the early part of the fifth

.

10
 |\ O( Mo o n “l l l l- lt H \ . In “ . I .

O ne o f l lnc Ka t$u m d a m L ] N l l n i
‘
‘
ui u l at t he t em pl e I n ln m n ur u l l hc
t w o h u ml l c d t h a m u v c r
- s li
) o f ( he fi r t
s h lm u u n . lw y i s u
 T H E J A PAN E S E DAN C E
century the E m peror Mom m a e tabli hed a m usi cal school i n
s s

w hich the B u a k n w a taught i t posture being probably v ery

g s , s s

si milar to those o f the m odern tem ple dances B ug $ m eem .

’

a s s
,

ho w e v er to be a m ore or less generi c te r m and the other and

, ,

later religious and m ilitary dances are either included i n i t o r ,

d eri v ed from it It is i n the Nara and the Heian epochs from

.
,

the eighth century to the mi ddle o f the t w elfth that the history ,

o f dancing really begins ; an d the unbro k en record o f its ro

p
gress can be traced step by step from that ti me to the present
day Indee d the history o f all the arts o f Japan w ould seem
.
,

to date from the Nara period pre v ious recor d s artistic r

, ,
o

other w i se bei n g too slight and uncertai n t o be taken i nto

,

serious consideration The intellectual development o f Japan

.

at this ti me w a s remarkable and o ffers a striking resemb l ance

,

to the rapid m ilitar y na v al and com mercial e v olution of

, ,

m odern Japan ; for as the best things o f E uropean ci v ilisa

tion ha v e been successfully assim ilated an d occasionally i m
pro v ed by the Japanese o f the nineteenth century so the arts ,

and re fi nements of C hina w ere enthusiastically adopte d an d

developed by the cu l ture d d ilettanti o f the eighth century fore ,

m ost amongst those ar ts being the d ance By far the m ost .

i m portant and intere ting religious dance w a s the d ance o f the

s

S hinto shri nes the K ag u r a o f pure Japanese gro w th w hose

, , ,

strai ns w ere suppose d to be those sung by the fair dancer w h o

l ure d the S un G o dd ess from her ca v e It seem s t o ha v e been
.

originally a k in d of com mem orati v e service w ith pantom imi c

representati ons of this mythical i nci d ent and i t w a s celebrated
,

at night ta k ing place d uring the dark hours i n memor y o f

, ,

those darkest hours w hen A materasu depri v ed the w orld O f her

l u minous beau ty ; and the E mperor and nobles usually presided
at the performance of the Vg u r a i n i m itation o f the deities
l ,

w h o w i tnessed the original measure tro d by A m e no Uz u m é - -

.

To w ar d s the close o f the tenth century thi rty eight chants that -

11
 T H E J A PA N E S E D AN C E
were use d to accompany the Kag u r a w ere comm itte d to writing .

They w ere divided into t w o parts both of a religious nature an d

,

i nclu d ed in the K ag ur a the C hants o f the W orship D ance

”
( T o r i-
m o n o-
u ta ) an d C hants o f the F ete D ance M
( ya eb ar i
) .

They consisted mainly of sleeve waving h an d m ovements an d

-
,
-
,

bo dy swaying each with its symbolical m eaning an d ha d l ittle

-
, ,

o r no m otion o f the feet The poems have not m uch poeti c

.

value o r significance and are m ore i n the nature of verbal

,

m e l odies the rhythm and ca d ence o f the verse being an aeco m

,

p an i m e n t to the steps an d postures o f the d ance The two .

fo ll owing exam ples are typical

M AY B E ARI
A

(C HAN T O $ THE F ETE D AN CE )

D eeply dipping deep
In the rain fed ri ver s ti d e
-
’
,

Robe an d stole we dye .

Rain it r a i n e t h yet ,

Rain it r a i ne th yet , ,

Rain it r a i n e t h yet , ,

D ies the co l our never m ore

Never fa d es the d eep d ye d hue -
.

TORI M O NO-U TA
-

( C HAN T O $ THE W O RSHI P D A N CE )

S acred o fferings pure ,

No t for morta l beings sprea d ,

B ut for her sky throned

,
-

Maj esti c To yOo k a ’

O fferings for the G o d s d ivine ,

O fferings for the G o d s .

12
 PM u r nu

A u m lu '
i K i n $m u d nce
a
 T H E J APAN E S E D AN C E
and he fro m the S hogun s C ourt To earn a l iving she d ance d o n
’
.
,

the s w ard in Kyoto and w ore a w ide brimm ed lacquer hat a

,
-
,

red rain coat and a string of bead s about her neck and probably
-
, ,

i ntro d uced some m odifications i n the K ag u m to suit the popular

taste He r success w as great and she found many i m itators
.
, ,

but on l y amongst the lo w est classes The erection of a stage for

.

these performances soon fo ll o w ed but the con d uct of the mi xed

,

com panies of dancing men and wo men w as so bad that i n ,

1 6 4 3 w omen w ere bani she d from the stage an d in the Japanese

, ,

theatre female parts have since been taken by men In such .

wise did O — K uni becom e the foun d ress o f the k a bu k i o r

popular theatres o f Japan the dances w ere later combined with
marionette sho w s and in the eighteenth century the foun d ation
,

of the drama proper w as firmly establishe d by Japan s t w o ’

greatest dramatists C hikamatsu Mon zaemon the Sh ak e sp

, ,

of Japan an d Tak e d a I z u m o whose historical dramas are yet

, ,

the standar d plays o f the k a buk i It is strange that a l thou gh

.
,

the aristocracy had enj oyed theatrica l d isplays as early as the

fourteenth century the lo w er classes had n o theatre ti ll the
,

—
sixteenth century hen O K uni popularise d the K ag u r a The
w , .

d ram a o f modern Japan has become entirely separate d from

d ancing bu t traces of its choreographic origin are e v en n o w
,

visible for o n the Japanese stage the m imeti c art is as im portant

,

as the spoken w ord .

14
 SAM tu os

S a mb u s o is t he p t c h u lc t o o t h er p lay s 1 11 t h e It a b u lu t h e a
'

tre
 C HA P TE R II

T HE origi n o f the classi cal dances o f J a pan i neither as m yth o s

l ogi cal nor as rem ote a that o f i ts re l igi ous dance A t a v ery
s .

early period there exi ste d t w o dances i n Japan w hich although , ,

o f a som e w hat tri v ial and un interesting character w ere trans ,

forme d later by the B u d dhist priests i nto dramatic dances of

great artisti c beauty The D en g a k u or bucol ic m im e w a s
.
-
, ,

acrobatic a n d the S a r u g a k u o r m onkey m im e com i c The

,
-
, , .

former seem s to ha v e been a d isplay o f rhythm i c acrobatic feats ,

such as pole balanci n g sti l t w alk ing and a s w or d and ball

-
,
-

,
- -

exercise by m en m ounted o n high c l ogs an d stages for i ts ,

performance w ere erected at an early peri o d i n all parts of the

country The S a r n g a k n i s suppose d by som e authorities to d ate
.
-

as far back as the year 5 7 2 but others belie v e that i t was of

,

som e w hat later gro w th an d tha t i t origi nated through the com i c
,

acti ons of a courtier w h o danced about the P alace gard en o n e

night w ith the s k irts o f hi s robe tucked up si m ulating cold Its , .

obj ect w as thus al w ays to exci te m irth an d although none o f,

the early poems em pl oyed to accom pany the S a r n g a lr u are -

extant i t i s supposed that they w ere o f a trivial nature In

,
.

the Heian epoch i t achieved great popu l ari ty nob l es them ,

sel v es taking part i n i t B ut had i t not been fo r the r e li g o u s and

.

artisti c z eal o f the B uddhist pries ts both these dances m ight ha v e

,

remai ne d i n their original undevel oped state The B u dd hist .

priests fi n d ing the lo v e of m usi c and dancing so thoroughly i n

,

grai ne d i n Japanese character i nstead of at t em pting to ban ish art

,

15
 T H E J APANE S ED AN C E
from the real m of religion and daily l ife w isely made use o f it as ,

a mediu m for teaching religious truths They enlisted i n their .

service the m ost popular arts of Japan an d devel ope d and altere d
,

them so subtly and cleverly that w hi l st the people i magine d they

,

w ere dancing merely for pleasure they w ere i n real ity learning
,

religious teachings in the poems that accompanie d the d ances ,

and at the same ti me perform ing a sacred duty Li k e Roman .

C atholicism d uring the Renaissance B u dd hism encourage d and,

promote d the arts an d Japan li ke Italy i s indebted to religion

, , ,

fo r many of her m ost beautiful artistic productions B ut the .

change from the unintellectua l acrobatic D en g a k a an d S am -

g ak a was gradual an d m ust have occupie d a consi d erab l e

ti m e A l most a century elapsed before the perfect form of the
.

”
N O d ance w as attained B oth the
. m onkey mim e an d the
bucol ic mime ha d been transforme d from fri v olous to religious
exercises an d each in turn became the favourite measure of C ourt
,

an d temple whereby in w itnessing a dance the people w ere

,

taught the instability of life the vanity o f all things human and
, ,

those d octrines which the B u d dhist priests strove to inculcate .

E xactly ho w and when the change took place is not known but ,

i t is certain that the D en g a leu suggeste d spectacular e ffect an d

-

provi d ed both stage an d costumes for the new d ramatic d ance ,

w hilst the various sorts of chante d an d sung poem s i n vogue at

that tim e probably supp l ie d the accom paniment to the rhy thm i c
gestures The B u dd hist priests thus foun d the elements of the
.

n e w dramatic d ance i n the popu l ar songs and d ances of Japan ,

but their o w n geni us a n d skill blen d e d these existing songs an d

d ances into an artistic an d i nte ll ectua l en s emble of the highest
order For the JVO d ance is very simi l ar to the ancie n t G reek
.

”
d rama in w hich the three
,
“
m usical arts poetry music a n d , , ,

d ancing ha d equa l im portance

, A gain i n their appeal to the
.
,

highest and best si d e of Japanese character the N O d ramas sho w a

striking resemb l ance to the G reek d rama they have the sam e
16
 T H E J APAN E S E DAN C E
perfection of style and langua e an extraordi nary depth of
g
,

feeling and a nobleness o f senti ment w hich runs throughout al l

,

of them They are am ongst the masterpieces of Japane e litera

. s

ture but l i k e al l great w ork s of art they have ne v er been

, , ,

popular an d they are read an d l o v e d only by the cultured class

,
”
of Japan ; they are for all and none as Zarathustra says o f
“
,

his teaching an d as may be sai d of al l great art The NO d ramas .

are fo r tho e w h o ha v e sought to penetrate beneath the urface

s s

o f things ,
an d to w ho m a w ork of art means m ore than the
mere beau t y o f out w ar d form The B uddhi st priest ha v ing
. s,

the m onopoly o f learning and culture at that ti m e i n Japan ,

w ere the authors o f m ost of the NO u td z an d under the gui se

’

o f d rama and poetry they taught the d octrines of B uddh a .

C loaked i n the subtlest and m ost beauti ful m etaphors and

s i m iles w e fi n d the contem pt o f w orldly pleasures the e x h o r ,

ta t i o n s to lea d a pure l ife a nd al l manner o f w i se advi ce

, .

B u t these allusi ons are clear on l y to those i n itiated in the ph ilo

s ophy of B u d dhi sm w hilst the constant m enti on o f hi stori ca l
,

an d mythi cal incidents of C hina are nei ther un d erstoo d n or

appreciate d by the une d ucate d The tone o f pessi m is m and
.

d eep m e l anch o l y per v a d ing all the NO dramas is also charac

t e r i st i ca lly B u dd histi c ; o n e fee l s that they are the n at u ra l
com plement o f a re l igion w hich ha v ing found li fe fu l l of
,

su ffering an d pain both physica l an d m ora l hol d s out as the

, ,

suprem e goo d the total extincti on of S e l f There are abou t .

30 0 NO dramas w ith m usica l accom paniment and occasionally

, ,

the postures o f the dance are m arke d by S pecial signs c on ,

sisting o f abbreviated Japanese w ords The dr a mas are.

acted o n a stage and they are partl y sung partly recite d

, , ,

an d performed by d ancers o r w hat i n E urope m ight be

,

calle d actors w ere i t n o t that their gestures are to a certai n

,

extent rhythm ical and conventi onal and by a chorus w hich sit s ,

on one si d e and sings and reci tes but takes n o acti v e part in the
,

c 17
 T H E J A PAN E S E
DAN C E
procee d ings The stage is constructed o n an al together d ifferent
.

plan from the stages i n the a bu k i theatre O n three sides the

’

s tage i s surrounded by seats lai d flat on the floor matting i n

,
-

Japanese fashion an d l ittl e w oode n partiti ons about six inches

, ,
”
high di v ide them i nto boxes
,
The subj ects of these dramas
.

are taken from the history of Japan a n d C hina an d nothing of ,

a commonplace or fri volo us nature i s ever represented ; the a d

v entures of national heroe s are usually chosen an d the chorus ,

either chants a poem d escriptive of the scenery through w hich

the hero i s suppose d to j ou rney or else suppl ies the key to his ,

thoughts an d actions thus tak ing the place of the m onologue

,

of the E uropean stage or the l eitmoti v of the W agnerian

,

m usic dramas The hero hi mself da n ces o r stri kes appropriate

-
.

attitu d es both hi s paces an d postures being slo w and solemn

, ,

or he j oins i n a ki n d of questi o n and ans w er d ialogue w ith - -

other d ancers or w ith the chorus In the i l l ustration w e see

, .
,

B enk ei the great Japanese giant hero whose many and w onderful
, ,

adventures have been celebrate d by poets and artists The .

scene i s taken from the NO dram a B en k e i and represents the

giant about to fi ght Y o sh i t su ne the va l iant boy who conquers , ,

h i m $ whereupon B en ke i becom es the faithful an d d evote d

henchman o f Y o sh i t s un e an d helps hi m i n his a d ventures and
,

tribulations The m ost stirring and the m ost touching scenes

.

are enacted i n thi s man ner by one or several men women never ,

publi c l y perform ing i n the NO d ance O f scenery there i s .

practically none for the descri pti ve beauty and vivi d ness o f the
,

poem s i s deeme d more po w er ful than the sceni c painter s a r t ’

.

I n S u m i da G a w a fo r instance a w ell kno w n JVO drama the

, ,
-
,

scenery consists of a con v entional pine tree painte d at the bac k -

of the stage an d three l i v e pine trees lining the a v enue or w ay

,
-

lea d ing to the stage The costumes ho w ever are of great

.
, ,

richness an d beauty an d masks are al w ays w orn Those i n

, .

”
the Monstrous S pider are particu l ar ly strange an d fantastic ,

18
 T H E J APAN E S E D AN C E
and the fight bet w een the armed I m perial G uard and masked s

m onster w h o entangl e and ent w ine thei r human opponents i n

s,

the long gau y fi laments of thei r spider s w e b is curious and

z
’

i m pressi v e The origin o f the tale i s S u pposed to be the story

.

o f K i n t a r o the ser v an t o f Y o r i m i t s u w h o exterminated a band o f

, ,

robbers d w elling i n caves and po pularly k no w n as earth ,

spiders .

A typical NO d ance full o f allu sion to B uddhist teachings i s

, ,

that called Ha chi n o k i o r The Pl a nts

“
- -
, i t i s am o n gst the
favourite u té i o f the NO theatre It tells of a B u dd hist mon k .

w h o sought shelter from a sno w storm i n the house o f som e poor -

people He i s hospitably recei ve d and his host being unable to

.
, ,

fi n d fuel for a fi re sacri fices three p lants — the plum cherry and
, , ,

pine tree — w hich he ha d collecte d an d lo v e d i n the days o f hi s

prosperi ty and uses them as fire w ood Thi s noble an d gene
, .

rous man w a s once a fam ous w arri or S ano G e n za e m o n Tsu n eyo , ,

but he has been ruined through the i ntrigues o f his relati v es ,

and as the S hogun is a w ay travell ing he cannot appeal to hi m ,

to redress his w rongs T su n eyo i s faith fu l ho w ever to hi s lor d

.
, , ,

and k eeps the w orn sui t o f arm our the rusty halberd an d a , ,

lean charger and d ecl ares that hi s l o yalty i s unshaken a n d that

,

he i s al w ays i n rea d iness to fi ght fo r the S hogun The mon k .

ta k es leave o f his generou s h O t S om e tim e elapses an d a s .

,

proc l amation being i ssued by the S ho gun calling all w arriors ,

to K amak ur a the ruine d bu t e v er fai thful soldier sets out on

,

hi s m eagre horse cla d i n hi s thread bare suit o f armour A

,
-
.

messenger i s sent to find hi m am on g the w arriors fo r the ,

S hogun w ould speak to hi m A n d to hi s astonishment he

.
,

fi n d s that the S hogun an d the tra v el l i n g monk are one that ,

this call to arm s w a s but to test hi s loyalty an d as a re w ard fo r ,

his hospitali ty an d the sacri fi ce o f his favourite trees he i s to ,

rule o v er three v illages Ume da ( P lu m ) S a k u r i ( C herry )

, ,
a ,

JI a tsu eda (P ine ) and he i s m ade governor o f S ano

,
In every line .

19
 T H E J APAN E S E D AN C E
of this JVO d ance o ne finds a subtle embo d i ment of B ud d hist
t eaching . E v en t h e plants w hich give the drama its title are
s ymbo l ical o f those virtues m ost l oved and encourage d by the

m onks for in Japan the p l u m i s the emb l em of purity the

, ,

cherry represents the S am urai spirit o r spirit of knighthood

, ,

an d the pine is the symbol o f constancy .

D uring the reign o f the A shi kaga S hogun Y oshi m itsu 1 3 68 ,

1 39 4 the JVO was devel oped to an extraor d inary degree an d

, ,

the subj ects o f its repertory w ere consi d erably i ncrease d To .

this epoch belongs the fam ous school o f d ancers upon whom the
S hogun conferred the na m e o f K w a n a m i and several historical
-
,

i ncidents o f both C hina and Japan w ere compose d into dramatic

dances by the gifted foun d ers o f the school The descendants .

o f the K w a n a m i are stil l the privi leged NO d ancers o f Japan

-
,

and share the honour w i th three other families w h o d ate from

the sixteenth century The JVO was consi d ere d the accomplish
.

m ent of every nobly born indivi d ual — A6 in fact signi fying 7

,

accomplishment S umptuous war d robes w ere provided for the

.

dancers i n all aristocratic m ansions w here stages w ere erecte d

,

for the performance of the NO every nob l e in the land with ,

the exception o f the E mperor took part in them D uring

, .

the m ilitary epoch the S hogun Y o shi m asa a prince of ,

dilettanti to w hose i m moderate lo v e o f cu l ture Japan of the

,

fourteenth century o w es the d e v elopment o f the tea cerem ony -

and landscape gar d ening patronise d NO dancing i n the same

-
,

lavish fashion He declared it to be the cerem onious a ecom

.

li sh m e n t o f every military man an d having organise d the m ost

p ,

renow ned dancers into four schoo l s b e arranged that once in

,

his life each d ancer shou ld repair to Kyoto to perform the

”
“
once i n a life JVO w hich natura l ly became an all im portant
- - -
,
-

event con d ucte d on a scale o f splen d our hitherto unsurpasse d .

A nother famous an d popular u ta i o r NO drama still to b e

‘

seen in the NO theatres o f Japan is the poetical tale of Kog O ,

20
 T H E J A PA N E S E
D AN C E
the dramatise d v ersion of an historical i ncident Ko g O i s a .

beautifu l Japane s e la d y an d the fa v ourite of the E m peror

,

Tak a k ura n o i n B u t o w ing to the j ealousy an d po w er of

- -
.

the E m press w h o happens to be the d aughter o f the po w erful

,

P ri me Minister Ko g O i s forced to leave the C ourt an d to hi d e

,

where she h O p e s that nei ther man s l ove nor w oman s hate w il l ’ ’

fin d her The scene opens w hen Takakura disconsolate at the

.
,

loss o f his l ove sen d s a courtier to Na k a k u n i a loyal con fi dant

, , ,

to beg hi m to fin d Ko g O and d eli ver an Im perial m essage It .

is sai d that the la d y has retired to S agano a suburb o f K y oto , ,

w here she lea d s a lonely l ife i n a ver y humble d w elling .

Na k a k u n i remembers that this i s the fi fteenth o f A ugust and ,

that K o g O w ill surely play her harp ( k o to ) to the ful l m oon ,

a n d as the remembrance o f her soft and exquisi te playing sti l l

l ingers i n hi s mem ory he w i ll have n o d i ffi culty i n recogni sing

,

it “Therefore he sends the messenger to the E m peror w i th

.

hopeful ti d ings Na k a k u n i sets o u t o n his j ourney m ounte d on a

.
,

steed from the Im perial stab l es He j ourneys far w i th the clear

.
,

k y above lighted w ith the bright m oon s w hite light w hilst

’
s , ,

aroun d hi m the m urm ur o f l iving things m i ngles w ith the soft

sighing o f the autumn w in d Here and there he sees the w il d
.

d eer startle d by h i s ap proach s w iftly disappear into the dark

, ,

forest fol l o w e d by their l oving m ates O n an d o n he rides

, .
,

through pathless fie l d an d forest ever l istening for the sound of ,

the soft k o to but heari n g naught sa v e the w in d i n the trees and

,

the count l ess w eir d n oises of the great sleeping forest aroun d
hi m A t last a fai nt soun d catches h is ear ; i t seem s m ore
.

m elancholy than the rustle of the lea v es o f the p i n e i t i s clearer ,

and s w ee ter than the song o f falling w ater o r ri ppl ing brook .

Then to his d e l ight the me l o d y gro w s m ore distinct as he

, ,

appro a ches an d Ko g O i s hear d playing sadly and softly an

,

ancient C hi nese lo v e song the S o f a r em o r Think ing o f my

-
“
,
-

”
l ove . S he remem bers her l ove $ Na k a k u n i knocks at the d oor ,

21
 T H E J A PAN E S E D AN C E
but Ko g O startle d and frightened denies that she i s the person
, ,

w hom Na k a k un i seek s In d eed I am too humble a creature

.
,
”
to recei v e an Im perial m essage Ti s i n vain to d eny that
o u are Ko O Y o u may hide your face but the sound of your
y g .
,
”
p l aying I would al w ays kn o w K o g O at last sees that Nak a k un i
.

has rea l ly recognised her an d she break s the seal of her lord s
,
’

love letter A las as she read s the tender words o f the message
-
.
,

she remembers the days o f her happiness ; she sees herself at

C o urt as of yore l ove d and favoured am idst flowers music
, , , , ,

singing dancing an d all the hours ma d e bright by the sunshine

, ,

of love ; then the dark d ays when she w as d eprive d o f her love
, ,

an d the sa d present come back to her and the w or d s of the ,

E mperor s letter gro w d i m through the tears that fall from her
’

eyes .

A nd Nak a k un i sets out i n the m oonlit night bearing a , ,

message to the E m peror from his love .

The NO d ances are am ongst th e few rel ics O f ancient Japan ,

an d the NO theatres quite distinct fro m the K a b u k i are yet

, ,

patronised by the Imperia l family and frequen te d by the aristo

cracy L anguage costu mes and postures are th e same as those
.
, ,

o f eight hundre d years ago and i n the NO w e see perhaps better

, ,

than i n any other art J ap an s characteri sti c artistic traits ; the

,
’

l ove of rich but sober colouring the rigid rules w hich ha v e ,

rem ained unaltered for centuries the expressi v eness the high , ,

emoti onal qualities pre v ailing in spite of and through the

me d ium o f con v entional forms .

S i d e by si d e w ith the rvO an d ser v ing as a rel ief from their

,

solemnity are farces called K i og en o ften played bet w een each

, ,

NO d ance A survival o f the S a r a Ga len the monkey m i m e so

.
-
,

w ell l oved by the m irthful Japanese is foun d i n these plays , .

Thei r action i s that of a broa d farce and although the j ests are ,

tri v ial they are w e l l calculated to raise l aughter

, .

”
The d ances of the Map l e C lub at Toki o in the present
22
 C H AP TE R III

O$ ‘

perhaps even greater antiquity than either the religious and

classical dances of Japan are the popular dances the o do r th e
'

,
z,

w ild flo w ers i n the field of Japanese dancing . The pri m itive

Japanese must have dance d long before any organised religion
had i nvente d the Kag u m and many centuries before there
existe d an aristocracy to d ance the NO It w a s one of their
.

i nstincts to d ance their emotions an d fee l ings as al l prim itive

,

peoples have d one an d to fi nd the origin o f popular dancing in

,

Japan one m ust go back to that period w hen Japan had neither
arts nor civili sation ; it i s probably as ol d as the race as d eep
,

down in their nature as love an d hate B u t as with the

.

re l igious d ance so the trustworthy historical accounts o f the

,

popular d a n ces take us n o further back than the Nara epoch ,

when the artistic d evelopment o f the country was so great .

Indee d the history of the Nara an d Heian perio d consists

,

rather of the records of religi on an d the arts than o f war l ike

a n nals ; the people seem to have then d evote d most o f their
ti me to the cu l tivation o f their aesthetic sense e ither in the
,

i n vention o f new songs an d d ances or in the long hours d evote d

to the worshipfu l admirati on o f som e beautiful aspect o f nature ,

such as the visit to the cherry blossom s i n spring or the

-
,

excursi ons to view the beauty o f the autum n m oon i n the fal l
o f the year From thi s close an d lovi n g observatio n o f nature
.
,

from the carefu l study o f the forms and co l ours of trees flowers
, ,

birds cam e not only Japan s wo n d erful pictoria l art but als o
,
’

24
 T H E J A PAN E S E DAN C E
the capacity f r combining and grouping large masses of people
o

so as to carry o u t some scheme of colour a harmony of the ,

m o t subtle lights an d shade such as w a s seen i n the grand

s s,

spectacular d ances of this epoch .

A t Nara the people delighted i n the Uta g a k z a gorgeous

'

-
,

and elaborate dis pla y ; youths and mai d ens c l ad i n b l ue si l k

robe and scarlet girdles assembled at the palace gate to dance
s

in the presence o f the E mperor an d from thence procee d ed ,

through the c i ty singing and dancing i n organised masses .

In 7 g 4 w hen by order o f the E m peror K w am mu the Im perial

i
, , ,

capital w a s transferred from Nara to K y oto the inhabitants o f ,

the favoure d city exhi bi ted thei r j oy by an other dance o f the

same character and o n every festi v e occasion they per forme d in
,

large m asses the H o nen o do r z i n w hich eac h d istrict o f the city

'

-
,

w a s represented b y a special col our and costum e The east of the .

cit y w a s suppo ed to be guarded b y a d ragon and therefore the

s ,

ea t w a s t ypified by a so ft light green colour ; over the south

s

soare d the s carlet bird and cri mson crepe w a s w orn in his honour
,

the d ark po w er of the m ili tary north w a s attire d i n black v el v et ,

w hilst w hite crape w a s d onned by the representati v es o f the w est ,

w here crouched the grey tiger A nd on e v ery costume the m ost

.

d e l icate an d exquisite patterns an d fantasies w ere w o v en and

em b roi dered The artist s deft fi ngers ha d here pi cture d the
.
’

nightingale perche d on the blossoming plum tree there sho w n a -

,

sil v er stream w ith golden fish gleam ing i n its clear w ater ; o n a
c rim son back g roun d stalked long and graceful herons b a s k i n g i n

the sunshine cherry peta l s shaken from the tree by the so ft w ind
w ere fal l ing o n the light green folds of a go w n w isteria grace

ful ly ent w ined a youth s l ithesome figure ; the w hole fairy

’

li k e w orld of Japanese nature i n its ten d er and ra d iant bea uty

wa s depi cte d on the go w ns of the dancers w hose m o v ements ,

w ere regu l ated by the co l our w hich they w ore There w ere .
,

t o o the S u i b a r a or sonnets set to C hinese m usic and aecom

, , ,

D 25
 T H E J A PANE S E
D AN C E
panying pantom i mic dances o f d i fferents kinds i n w hich the ,

principal participants w ere men and w omen o f the highest class .

led by nobles an d m inisters w h o carried i vory batons to mark the

,

m easure and an orchestra consisting of two k in d s of flutes

,
Here .

again the costumes w ere of many colo u rs and great attenti on ,

was besto w ed upon the arrangemen t o f a harmonious en semb le .

In one of the S a i ba r a the d ancing youths an d mai d e n s carried

toy nets and baskets and strove by their gestures to reca l l the
,

un d u l ating m ovements o f the sea ; as they sung a short poem

i n the characteristic Japanese m etre they wave d their arms an d
gli de d about retreating and a d vancing as w ith the s w eep of the
,

outgoing a nd incoming tide m oving w ith the grace an d flo w ing

,

m otion of the wa v es an d i nvoking the sea d eity to sen d them

,

his treas ures L ike all fol k songs an d fol k d ances the o dor i are
.
- -
,

thoroughly characteristic of the soi l from whence they spring I n .

spiration for these d ances is sought i n the incidents o f daily l ife ,

i n fo l k lore an d i n mythol ogy Many are of a rustic character

-
, .
,

country lad s and l asses being the principal executants and ,

although they m ay l ack technical ski l l their natural grace m akes ,

one forget the m ere mechanical d efi ciency O ther odoo i are .

'

organise d d ances and form the r ep er to i r e o f the m o der n g e i sh a ,

w h o un d ergoes a trai ning as ard u ous an d lengthy as that of

the very best O cci d ental bal l erina The dance o f Ise O n d o .
-
,

fo r instance shown i n the illustration i s a group d ance v ery

, ,

sim i l ar to a E uropean bal let i n its well organi se d grouping -

and en semb le The range of the o do r z i s wide they co m

'

prise m easures for ol d an d young for winter an d s umm er , ,

for earth sea and sky an d fo r the w hole gam ut of the em otions
, , , ,

w hilst the S hinto cult which consists mainly of ancestor w o r

,

shi p has also gi v en rise to m any popular songs an d d ances A t

, .

a certai n time o f the year the spirits of the d eparted are supposed
to isit the w orld and S hintoism or d ers that they shou ld be
v ,

w elcomed cheerfu l ly w i th singing an d dancing

, an d the B on ,

$6
 T H E J APAN E S E D AN C E
o dm i danced fo r thi purpo e i n A ugust throughou t co untry
ar e s s
, ,

d i trict
s E er y pro v ince has its special form f B
s . v dance the o on ,

detail o f the songs step

s and p O t ur e di ffering consi d erably
,
s, s s

in di fferent parts o f Japan the main feature ho w e v er usually , , ,

remaining the sam e The peasan ts form a great circle a li ing

.
,
v

w heel w hich
,
re v ol v es n o w slo w l y n o w s w iftly w hilst they , ,

posture and express their feel ings b y means o f slee v e —w a v ings

an d con v entional gestures It i s easy to describe the actual .

steps and attitu des but h o w express the subtle charm the
, ,

w eirdness o f the w hole performance and the spell w hi ch it

casts upon the spectator $ To a E uropean the sight seems
unreal and so n e w and strange tha t at first h e cannot
,

grasp its meaning and he can scarcely realise that the ,

dancers are actually creatures of flesh and blood li k e hi mself .

Little fairy l ike figures gli d e about i n the w hite ghostly m oon
-

light their long soft sl ee v es w a v ing like w ings their rhythm ical
,

and preci se paces are silent and m u ffled their gestures are ,

m y steriou s and expressi ve of w orship an d their song m ingles ,

w ith occasi onal sof t han d clapping A l l i s done w ith unreal

-
.

and uncanny smoothness and facility ; and i n w atching the

strange scene o ne w on d ers w hether these are not the ghostly
shado w s of the peasants w h o d anced the B o n o do r i t w o thousand -

years ago A s the great w heel re v ol v es and the sense of

.

stran geness an d w eird ness gro w s greater one agai n w onders ,

w hat matter after all w hether they be o f yester d ay or to day

, ,
-

they are as their l ord B uddha has taught the same but w ith
, , ,

n e w faces A n other beautiful o do r i less w ei rd and suggesti v e

.
,

than thi s B e n i s danced by l i ttle mai d ens o f se v en o r eight

,

y ears of age O n the seventh day o f the se enth m onth the

. v

Ta n a ba ta Ode $ z i d ance d to celebrate the union of the t w o stars

s
,

the Herd B o y P rince and the ‘V e a er P rincess a tale of C hinese v ,

origin ; the chil d ren are decked i n su m ptuous costumes ,

w ith cri m on undergarments a sash of gol d an d purp l e

s , ,

27
 T H E J APAN E S E DAN C E
fantastic head d ress o f silver pi ns an d tortoise shell a k erchief
- -
,

bound round their heads and they carry highly ornamente d

,

miniature drums on w hi ch they beat the rhythm o f their song

,

w ith l ittle lacquere d drum sti cks

-
The nurses who accompany thi s
.

gay com pany are no less gorgeously equipped but instea d o f ,

drum s they carry brightly painte d umbrellas The measures .

trod b y the little mai d s are simple for the lo n g heavy sati n
, ,

robes do not allo w much freedom o f m ovement A contrast .

to this is the G ebo n o do m the local dance o f W a k ayama in

’

-
, ,

which seventy o r eighty merchants ta k e part Their costumes .

are very fanciful $ black surcoats are w orn over white garments ,

and the hats are a d orned w ith many hued artificial flo w ers -
.

They carry gourds umbrellas gongs d rums and in d ancing

, , , ,

they chant a religious formula These are types o f the i n .

numerable d ances of the k in d in vogue throughout Japan ,

w hich vary accor d ing to the l ocality each province town or , , ,

v i ll age ha v ing its special measures B ut bright costumes .

,

u sually ha v ing a symbolical meaning various accessories ,

fl o er s nets cask ets j e w els — and expressive gesticulation a r e

vv , , , ,

the chief characteristics o f the odor i i n every part o f t h e

country .

28
 T H E JAP AN E S E D AN C E
as for e v il B u t though it must be confesse d that the geisha
.

has n ot al w ays a m oralising infl uence her beauty an d ch arm ,

are such that in spite of the peril o n e cannot w ish to have her
, ,

d isappear from Japanese life A s to the m odern geisha she is

.
,

not as E uropeans think m erely a pretty w aitress i n a tea —house

, , ,

w h o makes dancing an excuse fo r d isplaying her beauty ; she i s ,

above all an artist i n the best sense o f the w ord For the tech
,
.

n i ca l skill required for the geisha d ances i s only acquired by

long years o f patient practice and study and at an early age , ,

w hen she i s but seven or eight years o ld the chil d w h o later ,

w ill become a dancer is sent to a house w here she learns various

accomplishments S he i s taught singing and poetry besi d es

.
,

dancing an d after years of har d work she becomes a full fl e dg ed

,
-

geisha ready to charm all w ith her artistic accom plishments

, ,

her w inning sm ile and her graci ous manner A nd as she per
, .

forms her pantom i mic d ances one sees that the geisha l ike her , ,

ancestor the S hi m by oshi has as m uch intelligence as she has

,

grace o f bo d y and skill o f hand and foot E very m ovement i s .

suggesti v e every gesture expressi v e The turn of the head the

, .
,

glances the hands — the slen d er m obile hands— are exquisite

,

poems in themselves ; poems w hich i n a few m ovements will

express m ore than al l the j erky d islocated acrobatics o f o ur ,

O cci d ental stage A mo n gst the favourite and typica l geisha

.

dances is that descriptive o f the tale o f U r ash i m a the fi sh e r lad ,

-

w h o w a s beloved o f the S ea K ing s dau ghter The fable is ’

.

popular throughou t Japan A nd all k now h o w one d ay U r a .

shi m a w ent fi shing an d as he lay dream ing i n his boat d rifting

, ,

on the stretch of q ui e tib lue sea the d aughter o f the S ea Ki ng w i t h

, ,

crimson robe and long dark flo w ing hair glided over the w ater
, , ,

and invite d hi m to visit her father s palace for Ur ash i m a had ’

been kin d to the S ea K ing s fa v ourite creature the tortoise and

’

, ,

therefore the K ing w ished to re w ard hi m Naturally U r ash i ma .

,

marries the beautifu l P rincess but being human he w earies of , ,

30
 T H E JA P A N E S E D A N C E

the beauty o f both the e a ki ngdom and hi s P rinces and s s

,

i m plore her t o let hi m see once m ore the green hills and the
s

trees of his beauti ful land He l ongs to feel the touch of a .

human hand to breathe the pure air of his nati v e shore A nd

, .

he l ea v es his orro w ing P rincess prom ising to return soon and

s , ,

as a pledge taking a w ay w ith hi m a box bound w i th a ilken s

cor d the gift o f his beloved w h o makes hi m promise that he w ill

, ,

never un fasten the k not or open the box B u t w hen he return . s

to the lan d o f reality he finds that four hundre d years have

e l apsed that al l i s changed hi s parents an d friends ha v e l ong
,

been dead and he sees hi s o w n tombstone i n the cemetery

, .

S adly he w ends h i s w a y back to the sea shore i ntent on lea v i ng -

,

the strange sights an d n e w faces ; but alas $ he i s be w il d ere d ,

by the experiences of hi s soj ourn on earth an d o v ercom e by ,

curi osi ty opens the box O ut o f i t comes only a clou d a soft

,
.
,

w hite v apour w hich silently and s w iftly rolls a w ay to w ards the

,

S ea K ing s king d om running to tell the P rincess that her b e

’

love d w i ll ne v er return A nd U r a shi ma su d denly fee l s the

.

w eight o f his four hun d red years coming do w n u pon hi m ; the

enchantment i s over ; he sees him sel f w itheri ng the co l d o f ,

death chills his body the bloom o f eternal youth fa d es w ith

,

m agical s w iftness the horror an d d ecay of four centuries crush

,

hi m d o w n an d soon U r a shi m a crum bles a w ay i nto d ust hi s

, ,

remains m ingl ing w ith th e dust o f the earth .

The gei sha odo r i are as num erous as the tales and poem s
w hich in pire them an d as v arie d i n nature as the literature of
s ,

Japan refined an d coarse religi ous and profane t h e v sho w al l

, ,

the phases of Japanese l ife In them are reflected the people s .

’

i n most feeli ngs ; they are the l i v ing em bodi ments o f their su per
s t i t i o n s and folk lore A curi ous fact i s that unlike the people
-
.
,

o f A u tralasia the Japanese ha v e v ery fe w

s ,
dance i m itati v e o f s

th e m ovements o f ani mals the lion dance of a some w hat comi c

,
-
,

nature being o n e o f the fe w exceptions

,
.

31