Hiroshi Watanabe - Dragos Lumpan

BUCURESTI - Muzeul Taranului Român, 30 octombrie - 9 noiembrie 2010
CLUJ-NAPOCA - Turnul Croitorilor, 11 noiembrie - 15 noiembrie 2010

Dragos Lumpan

"Proiectul „Ursi si alte masti” spune coerent si detaliat o poveste foarte putin cunoscuta. Cu totii stim obiceiurile de Anul Nou. Mai mult, uneori suntem asaltati de acestea, devenind chiar obositoare... Am fost obisnuiti sa vedem obiceiurile de Anul Nou “la pachet” cu “luna cadourilor”. De multe ori mass-media “ne-a ajutat” sa le percepem ca pe un fel de “Cantarea Romaniei” de iarna. Consideram ca acest punct de vedere este unul superficial, in mare parte fals si nefast.

Pe parcursul celor cinci ani in care am lucrat la acest proiect ne-am consultat cu prof. dr. Ion Ghinoiu si dr. Alina Ioana Ciobanel cercetatori la Institutul de Etnografie si Folclor „Constantin Brailoiu”, autori a numeroase lucrari de referinta in domeniul civilizatiei si culturii populare, coordonatori si coautori ai unor sineze stiintifice nationale. Unele fotografii, unele „situatii” surprinse au fost surprize mari (si foarte placute) chiar si pentru cei doi cercetatori cu o foarte bogata experinta.

Consideram ca proiectul „Ursi si alte masti” va ajuta la o intelegere mai buna, mai profunda a obiceiurilor de anul nou din Romania contemporana. Proiectul incearca sa scoata aceste obiceiuri din zona pseudo-folclorului excesiv pus pe tapet si sa le arate cat mai bine dimensiunea reala. Acest demers este compus din fotografii – un mediu apropiat privitorului contemporan. Proiectul „Ursi si alte masti” spune o poveste veche – de peste cateva mii de ani – asa cum nu a mai fost spusa: intr-o cheie sincera, profunda prin abordare, usor “de citit” prin forma.

Obiceiurile de anul nou cu ursi si alte masti sunt foarte vechi - cu siguranta precrestine. Aceste obiceiuri se pastreaza inca in anumite parti din Romania, in special in Moldova si in Bucovina. O parte din aceste obiceiuri se tin inca in mediul rural – intr-o atmosfera oarecum apropiata de cea din vechime. O parte a populatiei locuieste in orase; astfel aceste obiceiuri au migrat si s-au adaptat la viata urbana. Aceste obiceiuri precrestine de-a lungul a citorva mii de ani au parcurs o mutare de accent: de la functia apotropaica si mimetica (dat fiind mediul in care au luat nastere), ritualurile de Anul Nou din zilele noastre au glisat spre sarbatoresc."

(Dragos Lumpan)

Fotografiile din aceast proiect sunt facute astfel:
31 decembrie 2003 – 1 ianuarie 2004 la Vintileasca;
30-31 decembrie 2004 si 2005 la Ruginoasa;
31 decembrie 2005 – 1 ianuarie 2006 la Rotaria;
31 decembrie 2006 – 1 ianuarie 2007 la Comanesti, Dofteana si Darmanesti;
13 si 14 ianuarie 2007 la Crasna - unde se serbeaza Anul Nou pe stil vechi.

Hiroshi Watanabe

Noh

Noh is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century. It evolved from various folk and aristocratic art forms, including Dengaku, Shirabyoshi, and Gagaku, many of which were performed in shrines. Kan'ami and his son Zeami brought Noh to its present-day form during the Muromachi period under the patronage of the powerful Shogun. The repertoire is normally limited to a specific set of historical plays.

Masks

Many performers are masked on stage, and the masks (nō-men ) all have definitive names (characters). These masks are intended to convey the mood and character of the part played by a performer in an extremely stylized dramaturgical form.

Usually the shite, the main actor, wears a mask. However, the tsure, the side actor, may also wear a mask, particularly for female roles. There are some extravagant masks which often portray nonhuman divine deities, demonic monsters, and animal characters. Several types of masks, in particular those for female roles, are designed so that slight adjustments in the position of the head can express a number of emotions such as fear or sadness due to the variance in the angle shown towards the audience. Large body language is not usually used to show emotions in Noh play.

The rarest and most valuable Noh masks are in the private collections of the various "heads" of Noh schools. These treasures are usually only shown to a select few and only taken out for performance on the rarest occasions.

Noh Masks of Naito Clan

By the Meiji Restoration (late 19th century) and modernization of Japan, many feudal lords became financially strapped, and those feudal lords who were in possession of valuable properties began to sell their treasures including Noh masks. Many of them were bought by foreigners from western countries and were taken out of the country. Some clans including Naito family, however, held on to the cherished possession of these masks, partly because they were located in the most southern island of Kyushu, far away from the capital city of Tokyo.

Naito Memorial Hall holds the collection of 66 Noh masks and 6 Kyogen masks donated by Naito family. They are all from Momoyama and early Edo period and are more than 300 years old.

Masks of Naito Clan have not been well known until recently. Recent studies dicovered that not only these masks are superior in craftsmanship but also are quite noteworthy in historical sense as they include rare and valuable 30 masks (almost half of the collection) that are branded in the verso with "Tenkaichi".

"Tenkaichi” (Best on Earth)

Tenkaichi’s literal translation is “No. 1 under the Sky” therefore Best on Earth. That title was originated by Hideyoshi Toyotomi who was a daimyo in the Sengoku period who unified the political factions of Japan, and brought an end to the civil war. He is noted for a number of cultural legacies. He branded most valuable Noh masks with “Tenkaichi” and gave them as rewards to warlords who contributed to his winning of wars. This tradition was continued by other rulers. There were only small number of Noh mask artists who were given the title.