All these aspects of yūgen must be kept in mind and made a part of the actor’s body, so that whatever part he may be playing yūgen will never be absent. Whether the character he portrays be of high or low birth, man or woman, priest, peasant, rustic, beggar, or outcast, he should think of each of them as crowned with a wreath of flowers. Although their positions in society differ, the fact that they can all appreciate the beauty of flowers makes flowers of all of them.[1] Their particular flower is shown by their outward appearance. An actor, through the use of his intelligence, makes his presentation seem beautiful. It is his intelligence which permits him to grasp the above principles; to learn poetry so as to impart yūgen to his discourse; and to study the most elegant costuming so as to give yūgen to his bearing. Though the characterization varies according to the different parts, the actor should realize that the ability to appear beautiful is the seed of yūgen. It is all too apt to happen that an actor, believing that once he has mastered the characterization of the different parts he has attained the highest stage of excellence, forgets his appearance and is therefore unable to enter the realm of yūgen. Unless, however, he enters that realm he will not attain to the highest achievements, and will therefore not become a great master. That is why there are so few masters. The actor must consider yūgen as the most important aspect of his art, and study to perfect his understanding of it.
The “highest achievements” of which I have spoken are beauty of form and manner. The most careful attention must be given to the appearance presented. When the form is beautiful, whether in dancing, singing, or in any type of characterization, it may be called a “highest achievement.” When the form is ugly, the performance
- ↑ That is, their love of beauty makes them beautiful, irrespective of their station.
a master does not know any more than what he has learned and what he expresses, but as he himself acquires mastery there are things which he comes to understand beyond what he has been taught, and which he suggests rather than expresses. The relation between the movements of the body and feet refers to a theory of Seami’s that if the body and the feet move in the same manner the effect will be crude. Thus, in an agitated passage when the feet are stamping wildly, the movements of the body should be gentle or a disorderly effect will be produced which will mar the spectators enjoyment.
