Kurokawa Nō : Shaping the Image and Perception of Japan's Folk Traditions, Performing Arts and Rural Tourism.

Kurokawa Nō -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- List of Maps -- Acknowledgements -- Abbreviations -- Notes on Translation and Transliteration -- Notes Regarding Dates -- Introduction -- The Village of Kurokawa and Kurokawa Nō-A Brief Outline -- Geographical Data -- Village Structure and Inhabitants -- Kurokawa's Festivals -- Kurokawa Nō as a Cultural Property and Challenges for the Village Community -- Materials, Sources, and Data on Kurokawa Nō -- Outline of the Chapters -- 1. Historical Development of Kurokawa Nō -- Routes of Transmission-Kurokawa Nō, Shugendō, and Nō Theatre -- Early History of Kurokawa Nō-The Legends -- Kurokawa Nō during the Edo Period -- The Patronage of the Daimyō of Shōnai-Performances in Tsuruoka Castle -- Benefit Nō (kaichō nō) and Other Performances -- Making a Difference-Kurokawa Nō and Performances of other Troupes -- Edo Period Village Life and the Meaning of the Shrine Guild -- Preserving an 'Authentic Tradition'-Disputes within the Village -- Kurokawa and the Village Administration of the Domain -- Kurokawa Nō during the Meiji and Taishō Periods -- Changes in the Wake of the Meiji Restoration (1868) -- Performances Outside the Village Since the Meiji Period -- 2. Contemporary Village Structure and Forms of Representation -- Kurokawa's Shrine Guild and the Nō Guilds -- Guild Membership and Guild Leadership -- Hereditary Positions -- Households and Individuals -- Mediating and Competitive Aspects between the Lower and the Upper Guild -- Village Life and the Festivals -- Men-Actors and Musicians -- Women-'Invisible' Supporters -- Children and Young Actors -- Community Life as a Rite de Passage -- The House of Office of the Fan Festival -- 3. Festivals and Events of Kurokawa Nō -- Festivals and Folk Traditions -- Meaning, Structure and Organization-A Brief Definition.

Approaching Festival Time from a Nō Theatre Perspective -- Festival 'Stages'-The Kasuga Shrine and the Ōgisai -- The Fan Festival -- The Beginning of the Festival and the 'Climbing up to the Shrine' -- Preparing the Tōfu and the Mirror Rice Cakes, Inviting the Deities and Receiving a Messenger from the House of Office -- The Descent of the Deities and their Arrival at the Houses of Office -- Preparing the Divine Symbols, Banquets, and the Assembly of the Guilds -- Preparing the Nō Stage at the House of Office and the All-night Performances -- Heading back to the Shrine, Performances and Competitions in the Shrine -- Other Rituals of the Ōgisai -- Staging the Community and Self-representation During the Fan Festival -- Smaller Annual Shrine Festivals -- Decreasing Participation and Shifting Meanings -- Participating in Events-Maintaining a 'Sacred' Image -- The Candle Nō and the Nō on Water-Attempts to Attract more Visitors -- 4. Kurokawa Nō as a Folk Performing Art -- Notions of Folk Performing Arts and their Terminology -- The Academic Discourse -- Defining a Folk Performing Art -- The 'Essence' of Folk Performing Arts -- Classification Systems-Categorizing Kurokawa Nō -- Governmental Preservation Measures-Kurokawa Nō as a Cultural Property -- The Cultural Properties Protection Law and the Festival Law -- The Academic Discourse on the Protection of Cultural Properties -- (Re)Acting as a Cultural Property -- Preservation Societies (hozonkai) and New Transmission Spaces -- Preserving an 'Authentic' Performance Style-The Example of Kurokawa Kyōgen -- 5. Tourist Images of Kurokawa Nō -- Cultural Tourism in Japan -- Defining Cultural Tourism, Cultural Tourists and the Tourist Gaze -- Cultural Tourism, Authenticity, and Nostalgia -- 'Hometowns' (Furusato) as Tourist Sites and Tourist Campaigns -- Folk Performing Arts and Tourism.

Nostalgic Notions of Kurokawa Nō -- The 'Real' and 'Authentic' Kurokawa Nō -- Types of Visitors -- Visitors to the Fan Festival -- Participating at the House of Office-Creating a static Audience -- Impact of Tourist Visits on Kurokawa Nō -- Conclusion -- Appendices -- 1. Performances of Kurokawa Nō Outside the Village During the Edo Period -- 2. Regular Performances of Kurokawa Nō -- 3. Flow Chart of the Ōgisai -- 4. The Ōgi kōisai of 1843 -- 5. Awards for the Community of Kurokawa -- 6. Honda Yasuji's Classification System of Folk Performing Arts -- 7. Categories of Cultural Properties -- Bibliography -- Index.