The Princess LONG-NIGHT an the BIG EARs MAN
Japanese page is here.
Yonaga-hime(The princess Long-night)---13 years old girl , the marvel of beaty,is
said to have a body which naturally shines and is fragrant with gold. Mimio(A man
of big ears)--- a young sculptor from Hida, is one of the best three masters throughout
the country; selected to compete carving a jibutsu/an image of Buddha to guard the
princess.
Number of incidents occurs upon Mimio.
Enako, who is this beatiful weaver woman?
What happens to a village that is said to be attacked by two epidemic prevalences?
When the princess smiles as like an angel, you will sense the death and ravages.
The past three years, (we) have been introducing classical(rather antique) texts
through our modern play productions, in which the ancient texts manifest their fertile
imaginery world with the powerful languages.
As yet we had:
"Kojiki wo mekuru vol. 1" on 1995,
"Kojiki wo mekuru vol. 2" on 1996,
colaborated with other group is: "Taketori" on 1996,
and "Mushi mezuru Himegimi gojitsu tan" and so on.
This is our latest challange to the text of "Yonagahime to Mimiotoko(??)",
a novel(?) written right after the WW II, with its scene in the medieval Okuhida.
However, this story is somewhat "modern", We so used some factors to reactivate
the text's classical factors(sides) as to bring forth metaphor of the Yonagahime-like
existence in this (fin-de-siecle;decadant)day; masks and some other formalizing methods--although
they are "modern".
In spite of apparent peace in these everyday life, we see so many uncanny calamities
either with natural or human neglects. Those are the weird scenes we have today;
aren't they curiously resemble to the vociferous scenes that terrified villagers
run about in the pestilent confusion under the medieval azure?
The debris that Ango had encountered after the defeat of the WW II, seemingly intermediates
as to fulcrum those two scenes historically saying, far apart.
Ango Sakaguchi's works have been said to be incarnated and retrieve the vividness
when the earth gets unrestrained and violent. But Master Ango, had never been influenced
nor disturbed by such
commotions. "Just keep a sharp eye out for them," he would say, with faint
smile on his face. "if you encounter anything unusual, even if you are bit by
a giant snake on your leg, you must not look
away." Definitely, we public need to see.
"Do not overlook but see them. You and whatever the encounterred matters are,
must become limpidly together as though they are the elements of same pure water."
Now, what would you see? What would you WANT to see? Or, would
you be able to see?