Research On The Image Of Guan Yu In Japanese Opera

Up to now,the complicated historical figures in the turbulent Three Kingdoms era are still an enduring topic for the Chinese and Japanese people.As one of the representative figures,Guan Yu’s image of loyalty and bravery is not only popular in China,but also admired in Japan.For Japan,Guan Yu is not only reflected in the constantly emerging literatures of The Three Kingdoms,but also can be found in the traditional Japanese operas.The difference is that,compared with the "Guan Yu Opera" in Chinese opera,there are obvious differences between the story telling of Guan Yu and the image shaping of Guan Yu in Japanese "Guan Yu Opera",which is of great comparative value and research significance.With regard to this,this paper focuses on the story plays of Guan Yu in Japanese traditional dramas,attempts to take the image shaping of Guan Yu in Japanese dramas as the research object,and seeks the change of Guan Yu’s image from China to Japan,from literary works to drama and other literary fields by using the close reading method advocated by literary research institutes,and finally explore the deep cultural reasons behind the change.The classical repertory of any kind of drama always needs to be supported by classical literature,whether it is absolutely original by the author or based on official history,historical fiction or folklore.Therefore,to explore the image evolution of Guan Yu in Japanese drama,we need to seek this answer from the literature texts of The Three Kingdoms in China and Japan.In Chinese literature,from the history book"History of The Three Kingdoms" to the novel "Romance of The Three Kingdoms",Guan Yu’s image has been basically shaped and finalized.At the same time,due to the interlocking influence of The Three Kingdoms literature,Guan Gong drama and Guan Gong belief,the image of Guan Yu is deeply rooted in the minds of most Chinese people.It can be said that one thousand Chinese people have the same image of Guan Yu.On the other hand,the Japanese accepted Guan Yu’s image in a single way,mostly from the literature of The Three Kingdoms.With the eastern transmission of The Three Kingdoms and the "Romance of The Three Kingdoms",especially the"Romance of The Three Kingdoms",which was introduced into Japan in the early 17th century,the first Japanese translation,"Popular Three Kingdoms",was immediately favored by the Japanese people,and the image of Guan Yu was accepted and known by the Japanese people unprecedentedly.In the first half of the 20th century,Eiji Yoshikawa’s re-creation of literature "Chronicles of The Three Kingdoms" opened the curtain of Japanese literature of The Three Kingdoms.Therefore,from the perspective of comparative literature,the author combs the similarities and differences of Guan Yu’s writing in Chinese and Japanese literary texts,and investigates the evolution of Guan Yu’s image from Chinese historical novels to Japanese translated novels and re-created literatures.The image of Guan Yu in Japanese drama originates from and higher than literature.Among the Japanese operas represented by Noh,marionette and Kabuki,there are many Guan Yu plays,although the number is limited.Through detailed interpretation of these "Guan Yu play" scripts,we can find the literary sources of the scripts from the original works of The Three Kingdoms literature,the Japanese translation and the re-created literary texts.At the same time,it is undeniable that these plays do not completely absorb the stories of Guan Yu in literature.The authors adapted the stories of Guan Yu by combining the performance characteristics of Neng,puppet Jingliuli and Kabuki with the composition of the script,thus creating a new image of Guan Yu which is different from that in literatures.In addition,in the process of interpretation,it is found that the image of Guan Yu created in Neng,puppet Jingliushi and Kabuki can be divided into three types:"ghost play","hero play" and "manifestation play",which is exactly the same type as the image of Guan Yu created in China’s "Guan Gong Play".For this purpose,the authors selected the corresponding Guan Gong Operas from the Chinese operas and compared,so as to explore the similarities and differences of the image of Guan Yu in the Chinese and Japanese operas.To explore the reasons for the image evolution of Guan Yu in Japanese literature and drama,we can start from the perspective of cross-cultural communication.Firstly,we will discuss the transmission path of Guan Yu’s belief from China to Japan,and analyze the acceptance and change of Guan Yu’s belief in Japan from the two aspects of active communication and acceptance communication.Secondly,it will return to Japanese drama to discuss the customs and taboos in Japanese drama culture,and compare the influence of belief culture in Chinese and Japanese drama on drama by combining with the forbidden history,performance customs and taboos in Chinese Guan Gong drama.With the development of The Times and the diversification of media,the dissemination of Guan Yu’s image in Japan has already broken through traditional literature,and has been continuously leapfrog in the fields of drama,animation and folk customs.Moreover,Guan Yu’s image also changes according to the needs of the recipient and the different times.By exploring this process of change,it can be found that when Japanese people accept the image of Guan Yu,they will filter and screen him according to Japanese cultural thoughts and national aesthetic characteristics.On this basis,they will apply the image that fits their national cultural aesthetic characteristics to Guan Yu,thus completing the evolution of "this Guan Yu"to "that Guan Yu".Studying the image of Guan Yu in Japanese drama can not only expand the spread and acceptance of Chinese Guan Yu opera,Guan Gong culture and even The Three Kingdoms culture in Japan,but also the use and reconstruction of Guan Yu’s image in Japanese drama has certain enlightenment significance for us to re-understand,evaluate and inherit Guan Yu opera and Guan Gong culture.The exploration of the artistic value of The Three Kingdoms culture and the attention to the history and culture of The Three Kingdoms inspired us to think about the value of traditional Chinese culture.The overseas dissemination and acceptance of The Three Kingdoms opera by Japanese drama is worthy of affirmation and reference.