Ki struck at the end of “Otonikiku Tenjiku Tokubei”. Bando Hikosaburo 8th (Bando Rakuzen 1st) as Hosokawa Shurinosuke, Onoe Kikugoro 7th as Dainichimaru, and Sawamura Tanosuke 6th as Umezu Kamon. October, 1999 at the National Theatre.
It is commonly called Hyoshigi (clappers). The sound is produced by striking two wooden sticks shaved into square. In Kabuki, it is used for the opening and closing of the curtain, as well as for “Shirase (informing)”, “Kikkake (cue)” and “Tsunagi (intermission)”.
For “Shirase”, the clappers are struck when all actors arrive at Gakuya, when the stage is all set to start, and when the curtain is opened. For “Kikkake”, the sound is made when the stage elevator goes up and down, when the bamboo curtain in front of the narrator’s Yuka is rolled up, and when the stage is rotated. For “Tsunagi”, the clappers are struck once the curtain is closed to maintain the tension until the following act starts.
In this way, the Ki (clappers) has the role to inform the audience, the actors, and other theatre participants of how the things go on.
Unlike Tsuke, the Ki is struck by Kyogen authors hidden from the audience. They have their own clappers, and regularly does the maintenance so that they can produce a fine sound out of the clappers.
In the video, the clappers are struck once right before a Mie posture at the end of the play, and intermittently at regular intervals after the posture.
