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<div>Hey Markus,</div><div><br></div><div>I think this is a reference to the Kabuki play "Kanjincho" (The Subscription List). Benkei and Yoshitsune get through a checkpoint disguised as Buddhist priests, but since they're only in disguise, the "subscription list" Benkei reads from is actually blank. After they're let through the checkpoint, the chorus sings</div><div><br></div><div> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><div><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times; color:black"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Times" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Times"><i>Having trod the tiger's tail</i></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Times" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Times"><i>and escaped the viper's venom,</i></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Times" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Times"><i>they go on their way, </i></font></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-size: 12px; "><i><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Times; color:black"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; display: inline !important; "><font face="Times" size="3" style="font: 12.0px Times"><i>on to the province of Mutsu.</i></font></div></span></i></span> </span><!--EndFragment--> </i></div><div><br class="khtml-block-placeholder"></div>John</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-align: auto; -khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: none; text-indent: 0px; -apple-text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; orphans: 2; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; "><br></span></span></div><br><div><div>On Jan 27, 2011, at 12:22 AM, Nornes, Markus wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite">In Kurosawa's Men Who Tread, there is a scene where Okochi Denjiro takes out a scroll, unravels it and reads it. However, Enoken is thrown for a loop when he sees that the paper is completely blank, which the camera dramatically emphasizes with a wonderful truck up and around the scroll. <div><br></div><div>Is this a convention of Noh or Kabuki performance, writing not being necessary because of the formalist nature of the dramaturgy? Or is it a reference to a specific play (or plays?)?</div><div><br></div><div>I have heard of Chinese opera films with the same phenomenon. Can anyone think of other examples?</div><div><br></div><div>Markus<br><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div><br><div> <div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Consolas; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Calibri, sans-serif" size="6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-weight: normal; font-size: medium; "><b><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'American Typewriter'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">A. M. Nornes</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'American Typewriter'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Chair, Dept. of Screen Arts & Cultures</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'American Typewriter'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Professor of Asian Film, Dept. of Asian Languages & Cultures</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'American Typewriter'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Professor, School of Art & Design</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'American Typewriter'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">===============================</span></font></div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'American Typewriter'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Department of Screen Arts & Cultures<br>University of Michigan<br>6330 North Quad<br>105 South State Street<br>Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285</span></font></b></span></b></span></font></div></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Consolas; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Calibri, sans-serif" size="6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-weight: normal; font-size: medium; "><b><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'American Typewriter'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">----------------------------------------------</span></font></b></span></b></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Consolas; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Calibri, sans-serif" size="6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-weight: normal; font-size: medium; "><b><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'American Typewriter'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">Office: 734-764-0147</span></font></b></span></b></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Consolas; "><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Calibri, sans-serif" size="6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-weight: normal; font-size: medium; "><b><font class="Apple-style-span" face="'American Typewriter'"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px; ">FAX</span>: 734-936-1846</span></font></b></span></b></span></font></div></div></span></div> </div> <br></div></div></blockquote></div><br></body></html>