Japan’s Mysterious Travelers, Puppet Showmen, and Prostitutes

In feudal Japan, prostitution was a highly competitive business. Some professionals, such as Asobi stand out Performing surgery on the river and singing folk songs songalthough they are not the only ones. Jiujiutsu Again, they were a combination of singing and prostitution, but their entertainment mix was more diverse.

So whenever a new social movement arose against working women, the kugutsu could still perform circus acrobatics and puppet shows. Or they simply packed up and left, constantly traveling around the country, forming mobile communities the likes of which Japan had never seen before or since. So who exactly were these Japanese nomads?

Toyohara Chinobu, The Maids of Chiyoda Castle: Sword Practice and Puppetry, 1895. The Metropolitan Museum of Art

We don’t know where Kugutsu comes from

Some of the earliest records of kugutsu – sometimes called Bere Stone — originated around the 8th century AD. No one knows exactly how they came about, though. Japan wanted its citizens to stay put for census and tax purposes. While mandatory registration at temples and shrines and permits to leave one’s village came later, when kugutsu first appeared in historical records, the idea of ​​not staying in one place (at least for non-monks) was considered odd.

Since they engaged in fishing, hunting and trading rather than farming, some believe they were originally farmers who were unwilling to cultivate the land. A more radical theory is that they may have been real Roma who traveled to Japan more than a thousand years ago.

The roma makeup that is mainly based on kugutsu, which is prose Imperial scholar Masao Oe wrote: “Women painted thin, curved eyebrows on their faces. [and] Use powder to create fake teardrops on cheeks. ”

A more plausible theory is that the kugutsu may have been immigrants from China or Korea, as these nomadic peoples were known for their puppet shows, and the ancient Korean word for “puppet” was “kuktu,” which is still known today as “kkogdugagsi.”

Kugutsu may have helped create the entirety of Japanese drama

Masao also wrote that kokeshi could “make puppets jump and have wrestling matches between the peach wood dolls.” Travelers’ association with kokeshi eventually changed their reputation as prostitutes, and today, “kokeshi” simply means “puppet” in Japanese.

As the performances became more complex and accompanied by music, they gradually evolved into the “Ebisu Dance” puppet show, which had an impact on later Bunraku Puppet theater.

Even those puppeteers who did not perform puppetry made their mark on Japanese theatre. wrote Kongguzu could “twirl pairs of swords, juggle up to seven balls…transform sand and pebbles into gold coins, and transform grass and twigs into birds and animals.”

This description sounds like Three studies, A general term for various performing arts such as juggling, magic, and acrobatics, which were introduced to Japan from China around the 8th century AD. After being favored by the royal family and court nobles, it gradually evolved into Sarugaku A form of comic dance theatre – c. 11th century.

exist Shadows of Sin: Prostitution Architecture in the Heian and Kamakura PeriodsIn the 1860s, Janet R. Goodwin writes that the kugutsu “entertained guests at the emperor’s palace,” meaning they were likely the ancestors of the sarugaku.

This is actually a big deal, as Sarugaku is the precursor to modern Japanese theater such as Noh and Kyogen. Kabuki theater has its own independent history, but given its Closely associated with prostitutesperhaps kugutsu also played a role in shaping this look.

Kugutsu may have originally been a war wizard

Located in what is now Oita Prefecture in Kyushu, Usa Shrine, dedicated to the god of war Hachiman, is one of the earliest shrines to record the existence of the Sora puppets. It is said that the Hayato Rebellion against the imperial court in 720 AD was quelled thanks to puppet performances performed by the Sora puppets (if they were truly Korean, Chinese or Romani, they would have been the first people to arrive in Kyushu from the mainland).

The event is a success, but the problem of Hayato’s spirit remains. In order to stop any haunting activity, kugutsu are hired to perform religious rituals against evil spirits using sacred puppets.

This is consistent with later accounts of nomads. These women were said to be responsible for performing purification rituals and exorcisms. This also explains the connection between the kugutsu and the asobi, as both groups had a shamanic background, but eventually they lost that background and chose to support themselves through art and prostitution. This is a very unique set of circumstances, and interestingly, it has occurred twice in Japanese history.

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