The Succession of Monkey Training within the Group Concerned With Monkey Performances in Japan and the Historical Appreciation of the Performances by the Japanese People

Abstract

In 1978 in Hikari City Hall, Yamaguchi prefecture, the author delivered a lecture on "Japanese Monkeys and the Japanese People : the History of the Feeling of the Japanese to the Monkey." From this time members of the Sarumawashi no Kai (The Group of Monkey Trainers for the Restoration of Traditional Performances of Monkeys) and the author began a survey of the environment and actual lives of monkey trainers as well as the accompanying lore of the traditional monkey training techniques in Yamaguchi, along the Shimada and Nishiki rivers to their upper basins. Throughout the long history of Japan there has existed a special feeling for the Japanese monkey and the traditional Monkey Performances. Once the monkey was regarded with fear as a sacred animal or as a motif for god, but gradually in the development of Japanese society, the feeling changed. In modern Japan, year by year the traditional monkey lore is vanishing along with the opportunities for Monkey Performances. The author recognizes the fact that in the fields of natural science, ethnology and folklore there is intense interest in the relationship between man and non-human primates. Since ancient times the Japanese attitude toward the Japanese monkey has altered. The Monkey Performances were included events after the feeling of fear of the monkey was conquered. A study of the depth of feeling for the monkey in Japanese culture and the psychological evaluation of monkey lore appeared in Mayazaru Shinko, referring to the belief of the stable with monkey and horse, which had some historical influence in early times. The actual characteristics of Monkey Performances in the religious dances, objects of worship and in documents were arrived at through textual information and successive folklore in Japanese culture. From the medieval period of Japanese history the characteristics and value of the peculiar Monkey Performances gained a reputation in many fields and were respected by the people of Japan. Next, the author dealt with the traditional successive transmission of Monkey Performances, and through a questionnaire of those who appreciated the Monkey Performances in their youth, mentioned the keen observations of those of the Meiji, Taisho and Showa eras. In 1977 the Suwo Sarumawashi no Kai was organized and started the training of monkeys to maintain the Monkey Performances and the members shared the knowledge of training techniques. An analysis was made between the acquired knowledge of the old trainers and their successors, so that the methods of tradittonal training and the understanding of the behavior of monkeys by the old trainers is now known. The consciousness and feeling of the people toward monkeys, and the way the monkey lore has developed in Japan are analyzed, and some comparable feelings toward monkeys could be seen between the trainers and appreciators of monkeys. There is considerable regional variation in the attitude toward monkeys and in different age groups. Since training of the monkeys to stand up had already been started by contemporary trainers of Monkey Performances, it was possible to discuss the methods and to observe the reaction of the people present as the group performed all over the country. The special techniques and the concepts are the result of long experience.