Actor - Haiyuu

Japanese: 俳優 - はいゆう

A person who performs in front of an audience using voice and movement as the main medium for whole-body expression. Theater is a comprehensive art, but its roots lie in the actor. Therefore, the way we perceive theater changes depending on where we look for the origins of actors. In that sense, the history of actors is the history of theater.

[Hideji Ishizawa]

foreign country

It is generally believed that the origin of ancient Greek actors is the choral conductor who interacted with the choir in the choral waltz praising the god Dionysus in early ancient Greece (6th century BC). The Greek word for actor, hypokrites, means "one who answers." During the tragic period of Aeschylus and others, actors differentiated into three roles, each of which shared the role of a character in a play that unfolded the story of a dramatic poem, and in the Roman period, there was no longer any restriction on the number of actors that could appear in a single work. The current English word actor and French word acteur, which correspond to actors, are derived from the Latin word actor, and the word actio, which means "action, behavior, action."

In China, the origin of actors can also be seen in the ancient priests known as shamans, and later from these rituals came those who served their lords with singing, dancing, and humorous nonsense. These were called "you" or "youren," and those who focused on singing were called "shouyou." As can be seen in the Records of Confucius's Sayings and Deeds, by the Zhou dynasty in the 5th century BC, youren were independent and distinct from lingren (dancers) and musicians.

In Japan, the origins of actors are said to be the imitation of the dance of Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto opening the rock door, and the legend of Umisachi and Yamasachi, both of which are recorded in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki, both of which were compiled in the 8th century, and these were called "wazaogi." "Waza" refers to magical physical movements, and "ogi" refers to inviting divine spirits, meaning a person skilled in magical possession actions, and the kanji character "actor" was used for this. Therefore, it can be said that in Japan there is a strong element of shamanism. Even today, kagura dances dedicated to shrines still convey the vestiges of "wazaogi."

Regardless of whether in the East or the West, the transformation and possession actors who originated from imitation of religious rituals, magic, and labor acts connected to daily life or production can be considered the forerunners of actors.

The theater companies that flourished from the end of the Greek period to the Roman period were suppressed in the Middle Ages under Christian domination, and religious plays were performed by amateurs, mainly believers, under the control of the church. On the other hand, street performers, mainly mimos, who were comical impersonators, which had been a tradition since the Roman period, specialized in their roles, despite being socially and religiously despised. Court jesters, as depicted in Shakespeare's plays, also began to serve feudal lords. The first professional theater companies in Western Europe were reborn in Italy in the early 16th century, during the Renaissance. That is, the masked improvisational comedy Commedia dell'arte flourished, toured Europe, and actresses appeared. Furthermore, in the late 16th century, actor-writer Shakespeare appeared in London, leading a theater company and performing theatrically (actresses had not yet appeared), and in the 17th century, actor-writer-theater leader Molière was active in Paris, and actresses also became active. However, even Molière was refused a Christian funeral, and his social status remained low. As the Renaissance progressed, national languages were established, dramatic literature was established, permanent theaters and performing groups were created, and theater developed. Actors also became professionally specialized and artistically independent, but it can be said that actors before the modern era were still under the protection of the wealthy ruling class.

In China, successive emperors are said to have gone against Confucian ethics and preferred dramatic and unrestrained vulgar music and sanraku to the strict ceremonial gagaku, and yujin were treated on the same level as sanraku performers. In particular, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (8th century) encouraged the art of sanraku and is said to have trained hundreds of men and women in the "Pear Garden" of the palace, and later actors praised Xuanzong as the ancestor of actors.

[Hideji Ishizawa]

Japan

In Japan, after the introduction of Buddhism, the trend of taboo against women grew stronger, and in the Middle Ages, male entertainers who served temples and shrines became the norm. The first professional acting troupes with theater organizations were the Dengaku and Sarugaku troupes in the late Middle Ages (14th century), and the word "yakusha" (actor) began to be used to refer to performers from this time. Then, in the Muromachi period, Noh theater was perfected by Kan'ami and Zeami, father and son, who were protected by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. In the early 17th century, the kabuki dance of Okuni of Izumo was the emergence of female entertainers who acted as shrine maidens for the general public, but female kabuki was banned in 1629 (Kan'ei 6), and the foundation of modern kabuki was established by restricting actors to adult men, and a unique performing technique called onnagata (female role) art was also established. Thus, until the Meiji era, female actors were not officially recognized and actors had a low social status, but as Japan modernized, actresses were officially recognized and the status of actors was established. Today, "actor" and "actor" are used synonymously, but there is also a view in theater theory that distinguishes the two sharply, corresponding to the distinction between actors and comedians. Also, while Western theater is centered on plays, Japanese theater has developed with actors at the center.

[Hideji Ishizawa]

[References] | Acting | Actress

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

Japanese:

音声と動作を主体に全身的表現により、観客を前にして劇を演じる人。演劇は総合芸術であるが、その根本は俳優にある。したがって俳優の起源をどこに求めるかで、演劇のとらえ方も変わる。その意味で俳優の歴史は演劇の歴史である。

［石澤秀二］

外国

古代ギリシア初期（前6世紀）の、ディオニソス神をたたえる円舞合唱で、合唱隊と対話する合唱指揮者を古代ギリシア劇俳優の起源とするのが通説である。俳優にあたるギリシア語ヒポクリテスhypokritesは「こたえる人」の意。そしてアイスキロスらの悲劇時代には、3人の俳優に分化し、劇詩の物語を展開する劇中人物の役を分担し、ローマ時代には一作品に登場する俳優数の制約はなくなった。現在、俳優にあたる英語アクターactor、フランス語アクトゥールacteurはラテン語actorを語源とし、「行為、行動、作用」を意味する語actioから派生した。

　中国でも俳優の源は古代の祭司である巫(ふ)にみられ、のちにそれらの祭祀(さいし)から歌舞や滑稽(こっけい)な諧謔(かいぎゃく)戯言で主君に仕える者が出た。これを「優」または「優人」と称し、歌唱中心の者を「倡優(しょうゆう)」といった。孔子の言行録にもあるところから、前5世紀の周代には、伶(れい)人（舞人）、楽人と区別された優人が独立していたことになる。

　日本では8世紀に成立した『古事記』『日本書紀』に記された天鈿女命(あめのうずめのみこと)の岩戸開きの舞とか海幸山幸伝説の模倣所作が俳優の起源とされ、「わざおぎ」といわれた。「わざ」とは呪術(じゅじゅつ)的な身体動作で、「おぎ」は神霊を招(お)ぐこと、つまり呪術的な憑依(ひょうい)行動に巧みな人をいい、漢字の「俳優」をあてた。したがって日本では巫的要素が強いともいえる。神社に奉納される神楽(かぐら)などは、現在でも「わざおぎ」の名残(なごり)を伝える。

　洋の東西を問わず、生活ないしは生産に結び付いた神事、呪術、労働の行為模倣に始まる変身、憑依行動者を俳優の先駆とすることができよう。

　ギリシア末期からローマ期に栄えた劇団はキリスト教支配の中世では弾圧され、教会管理による信者主体の素人(しろうと)たちによる宗教劇が行われた。しかしその一方で、ローマ期以来の流れをくむ滑稽な物真似(ものまね)芸ミモスを中心とする大道芸人が、社会的、宗教的に軽視されながら専門化の道を歩んだ。またシェークスピア劇に描かれたような宮廷道化が領主に仕えるようにもなった。そして西欧で職業的専門俳優団が再生するのは、ルネサンスを迎える16世紀初頭のイタリアが最初である。すなわち仮面即興喜劇コメディア・デラルテが隆盛し、ヨーロッパ巡演を行い、女優も登場した。さらに16世紀後半のロンドンには俳優兼作者のシェークスピアが登場し、劇団を率いて演劇活動を行い（女優はまだ登場しない）、17世紀に入るとパリに、俳優兼作者兼劇団リーダーのモリエールが活動し、女優も活躍する。しかし、モリエールでさえキリスト教の葬儀は拒否されたように、社会的地位は依然として低かった。やがてルネサンス期を経るなかで、各国語が成立し、劇文学が確立していき、常設劇場や上演集団もつくられ、演劇が発展する。俳優も職業的に専門化し、芸術的に自立していったが、近代以前の俳優はいまだ富裕な支配者層の保護下にあったといえよう。

　中国でも歴代の皇帝は儒教の倫理に反し、礼式の厳格な雅楽より、劇的で奔放な俗楽や散楽を好んだといわれ、優人は散楽人と同列に扱われた。なかでも唐の玄宗皇帝（8世紀）は散楽倡優の技を奨励し、宮中の「梨園(りえん)」に男・女優数百人を養成したといわれ、後世の俳優たちは玄宗を俳優の祖神とたたえた。

［石澤秀二］

日本

日本では仏教渡来以降、女性禁忌の風潮が強まり、中世では寺社に仕える法体の男性芸人が主体となった。劇団組織をもつ職業的俳優団の成立は中世後期（14世紀）の田楽(でんがく)座や猿楽(さるがく)座が最初であり、このころから演技者をさす役者ということばが使われるようになった。そして室町期に入り、足利義満(あしかがよしみつ)の保護を受けた観阿弥(かんあみ)・世阿弥(ぜあみ)父子により能楽が大成された。17世紀初頭、出雲(いずも)の阿国(おくに)による歌舞伎(かぶき)踊りは、民衆相手の巫女(みこ)的女芸人の出現だが、女歌舞伎は1629年（寛永6）に禁止され、成人男子のみを役者とすることにより現在の歌舞伎の基礎が確立し、女方(おやま)芸という独特な演技術も成立した。こうして明治期に入るまでは、女役者の存在は公認されず、役者の社会的地位も低かったが、日本の近代化とともに女優が公認され、俳優の地位も確立されていった。現在では「俳優」も「役者」も同義に使われるが、アクターとコメディアンの区別に対応させて、演劇論的に両者を峻別(しゅんべつ)する考え方もある。また西欧の演劇が、どちらかといえば戯曲中心であるのに対し、日本の演劇は俳優中心に展開してきたといえよう。

［石澤秀二］

[参照項目] | 演技 | 女優

出典　小学館　日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ)について　情報 | 凡例

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