Equestrian Show - Kyokubashibai

Japanese: 曲馬芝居 - きょくばしばい

...Female acrobats, who appeared in the Horeki period (1751-64), were acclaimed for their repertoire of plays such as "Tachikake," "Kagari Fuji," "Tekikakure," "Semi Domari," and "Tsuru no Baisui," and reached their heyday from the Kansei period (1789-1801) to the Bunka and Bunsei periods (1804-30). They performed Kabuki-style movements and quick costume changes in gorgeous costumes. At the end of the Edo period, there were troupes led by Higuchi Yatamaru in Osaka and Hanatani Katsujiro and Watanabe Yoshisaburo in Edo, and they gained popularity with their acrobat plays (horse plays) such as "Syatsukiyo," "Shichihenge," "Tamamo-no-Mae," "Hokkaibo," "Urashima," and "Akoya," but these performances were held in a staging facility for acrobats only, separate from the acrobatics troupes and footwork troupes. Eventually, Western acrobats appeared from abroad. ...

From [Circus]

...Until then, Japanese circuses, foot tricks, and acrobatics were each performed individually, with each troupe forming its own type of performance. However, foreign circuses were larger in scale and had a wider variety of performances, which made them very popular. In particular, traditional Japanese acrobatics, although they also included acrobatics, featured equestrian plays (horse plays) that were like kabuki plays performed on horseback, and the audience was overwhelmed by the speed and thrill of the acrobatics. The performance of the Charine in Akihabara, Tokyo in September 1886 inspired the fifth generation Onoe Kikugorou, who himself played the role of a charine acrobatics and animal tamer at the Chitose Theater in November, and gave a performance entitled "Narihibikuchiyarine no Kiyokuba" (Sounds of Circus with Sounds of Music). ...

*Some of the terminology that refers to "circus show" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

Japanese:

…宝暦期(1751‐64)に現れた女曲馬は，〈立ち駈（か）け〉〈下りふじ〉〈敵隠れ〉〈蟬どまり〉〈鶴の餌拾い〉などの曲目で評判をとり，寛政(1789‐1801)から文化･文政期(1804‐30)にかけて全盛で，華やかな衣装で歌舞伎芝居の所作事，早替りを演じた。幕末ころは大坂で樋口弥多丸，江戸では花谷勝次郎，渡辺芳三郎などの一座があり，〈石橋（しやつきよう）〉〈七変化〉〈玉藻前〉〈法界坊〉〈浦島〉〈阿古屋〉などの曲馬芝居(馬芝居)で人気をあつめたが，その興行は軽業一座，足芸一座とは別の，曲馬だけの掛小屋で行われた。やがて外来の西洋曲馬が現れる。…

【サーカス】より

…それまでの日本の軽業，足芸，曲馬などの見世物は，それぞれが芸種別の一座を組み個々の興行形態であったのに比べ，外国のサーカスは規模も大きく，芸種も豊富であったので大評判を呼んだ。とりわけ在来の日本曲馬は，曲乗りも演じていたものの，歌舞伎芝居を馬上で演じるおうような曲馬芝居(馬芝居)が主演目であったので，そのスピード，スリルのある軽業的曲乗りに圧倒された。86年9月東京秋葉原のチャリネ公演は5代目尾上菊五郎に刺激をあたえ，11月の千歳（ちとせ）座で彼はみずからチャリネ曲馬師，猛獣使いに扮し，《鳴響茶利音曲馬（なりひびくちやりねのきよくば）》と銘打って上演したほどである。…

※「曲馬芝居」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について | 情報

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