Belly Art (belly art) - Haragei

Japanese: 肚芸(腹芸) - はらげい

A Kabuki acting term. It refers to expressing psychological changes such as changes in feelings and decisions as the play progresses without flashing lines, movements, or expressions, but by keeping everything quiet and static, yet still expressing them in a way that is convincing to the audience. It is a kind of realistic acting, and the term comes from the fact that the character's character is called "hara." Ichikawa Danjūrō IX, during the Meiji period, emphasized hara art, and it became an important acting technique, especially in the "katsureki" that he himself started, and it has had a great influence to this day.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

歌舞伎の演技用語。劇の進行上の気持の変化や決心などの心理表現のさい，せりふや動作，表現などをいちいちはでに表面に出さず，すべて地味に静的に抑制して，しかも観客には十分納得できるように表現することをいう。一種のリアリズム演技で，役の性根（しようね）を〈肚〉と称するところから出た用語である。明治期の9世市川団十郎は肚芸を強調し，とくにみずから始めた〈活歴〉における重要な演技術となり，今日にまで大きな影響を残している。

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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