Performing transgression : crowds and bodies in Heian Japan / Ashton Lazarus.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Lazarus, Ashton, 1983- Author.

Series:

Harvard East Asian monographs ; http://id.loc.gov/resources/hubs/7ab51126-5348-38cb-d8fb-2385125aef2f 482.

Harvard East Asian monograph series ; 482

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dengaku--Japan--History.

Dengaku.

Crowds--Political aspects--Japan--History.

Crowds.

Human body--Social aspects--Japan--History.

Human body.

Kagura--Japan--History.

Kagura.

Dance--Social aspects--Japan--History.

Dance.

Music--Social aspects--Japan--History.

Music.

Rites and ceremonies--Japan--History.

Rites and ceremonies.

Japan--Social life and customs--794-1185.

Japan.

Dance--Social aspects--History.

Dengaku--History.

Human body--Social aspects.

Music--Social aspects.

Rites and ceremonies--History.

Physical Description:

xviii, 299 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Distribution:

Cambridge, Massachusetts : Distributed by Harvard University Press

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Asia Center, [2026]

Summary:

"What happens when performance defies social and political boundaries? Performing Transgression offers a new cultural history of non-elite spectacle in Heian Japan (794-1185), uncovering how performances on the margins-boisterous dengaku music and dance, daring sangaku acrobatics, and the infectious lyrics of imayō songs-challenged and fascinated the aristocracy. Ashton Lazarus reveals how these unruly arts were documented by the very elites they unsettled, appearing in historical chronicles, diaries, prose, poetry, and illustrated scrolls. More than mere precursors to later forms like noh and kyōgen, these performances formed a dynamic cultural force with real political impact. By tracing their influence through literary studies, performance studies, and historiography, Lazarus rethinks the interplay between politics, class, and culture in Heian Japan. More than a historical study, Performing Transgression illuminates how acts of defiance and creative expression resonate across time, offering fresh insights into the ways performance bridges the vanished past and the present" -- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction. Performance, Order, and Transgression in Heian Japan

Part 1. Crowds. Transgressive Spaces: Open Festivals in the Heian Capital

Working the Land: Dengaku, Agriculture, and Rural Practices

Audience as Crowd: Shin sarugaku ki,Social Typology, and Urban Life

Part 2. Bodies. Transgressive Bodies: Sangaku, Sarugaku, and Zōge

Bracketed Bodies, Vanished Voices: Imayō, Abstraction, and the Archive

Between Bodies: Performance, Identification, Illness, and Contagion

Conclusion. The Performance in the Document.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version Lazarus, Ashton, 1983- Performing transgression

ebook version :

ISBN:

9780674303430

0674303431

OCLC:

1523020474

Publisher Number:

CIPO000338954