Presentations

After sightseeing Wednesday morning, there was a Kyogen performance in the afternoon.  Thursday we attended presentations at the hotel, and Friday we chose from concurrent presentations in the morning and learned about Kabuki in the afternoon. 

Kyogen

Kyogen is a 400-year-old form of Japanese traditional theater based on ancient folk tales, in which actors use stylized movement and speaking, and wear no makeup.  Scenery is simple and masks are worn for non-human or ugly characters.  There are 257 plays in the repertoire.

Don Kenny, Kenny Ogawa Kyogen Players, performs Kyogen in English and French.

Presentations

On Thursday speakers told us about Japanese education, economy, and government.

Education in Japan is highly centralized.  The Ministry of Education prescribes courses of study for elementary and secondary students; pays costs of textbooks; organizes in-service training for teachers, subsidizes construction of school buildings; runs 99 state universities.  Centralized government, speakers said, ensures quality, 100% enrollment of students, no illiteracy, and high achievement in testing.  However, the Ministry wants to increase creative thinking, reduce competition for entrance exams to universities, and reduce violence and bullying in schools.

Friday morning there were four concurrent sessions:  Special Education; Math Education; Changes in Education and Peace Education, which I chose.

Susumu Ishtani was 13 years old when the atom bomb exploded in his city, Nagasaki.                  

Since that terrible day Mr. Ishtani has devoted his life to peace education.  He is a professor of ethics and economics from Hosei University, a third generation Christian who became a Quaker, and a former Fulbright scholar who studied at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana. 

Prefecture Orientation

After lunch we broke into our traveling groups of 20.  My group met with  Keiko Hisa, our coordinator, who told us about our upcoming week in Kagoshima City and Kanoya City in Kagoshima  Prefecture.  We would spend one week visiting schools, spending a day and a half with a Japanese family, and day at a traditional Japanese spa.

Kabuki

Kabuki was created about 400 years ago.  It is a traditional form of Japanese theater.  It was founded early in the 17th century by Okuni, a shrine maiden who brought her unique and lively dance style to the dry river beds of the ancient capital of Kyoto.  Today all roles are played by men.

On Friday afternoon our presentation included dance and music in the Kabuki style.  Narrator and singer Mark Oshima explained the details of classical Japanese dancer Masako Nishikawa's makeup and costume.  

After her performance, Mark Oshima sang traditional Japanese songs accompanied by a shamisen player.