“Katari” and Drama: on Gidayu-kyogen

Abstract

Gidayu-kyogen in kabuki is a form of drama which is adapted from joruri, originally written for puppet theatre. However, the characters in the gidayu-kyogen are played by human actors, who speak the dialogue part, and the description part is spoken by a narrator, who sits to the stage right in the sight of the audience. Therefore, the dramatic and the narrative aspects are intermingled in the gidayu-kyogen. The present article examines the nature of this unique style of representation of gidayu-kyogen.