My Path of Wild Words

Author: Motoya Izumi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: The Chinese premiere of the autobiographical novel My Journey in Kyogen was held yesterday at the Cultural and Art Press. With the release of this new book documenting the story of the inheritance of traditional Japanese folk art, the issue of protecting folk cultural art forms has once again drawn special attention. "Kyogen" is one of Japan's representative, ancient stage performance art forms, even older than the history of Kabuki. Two years ago, it was listed by UNESCO as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity, alongside China's Kunqu Opera. "Izumi-ryu," as one of the schools of Kyogen, has been passed down through 20 generations and has had a significant influence in Japan. I, the book, was written by Motoya Izumi, the 20th patriarch of the Izumi-ryu school. Through his self-narrative, he records the small incidents during his father's teaching him the art of Kyogen, capturing the artistic spirit of this orally transmitted art form as it is passed down through generations. According to experts, many Japanese folk arts have inheritance methods that seem (unbelievable). For example, Motoya Izumi began practicing at the age of two, meticulously imitating his predecessors without missing a detail. It is this very "unbelievability" that has allowed many ancient art forms to be preserved in their original essence. In our country, many folk art forms have gradually disappeared or deviated from their original style due to abandoning this seemingly "old-fashioned" method, which is truly regrettable. Reading I, one might say it is less about depicting the learning process of a folk artist and more about the author's reflections on life and art gained from the exceptionally arduous training. The tone of the book seems to evoke the spirit of another masterpiece, such as Farewell to My Concubine or The Peony Pavilion, filled with obsession and dedication to "art for art's sake." Perhaps the protection of ancient folk arts requires such a spirit.