Arts
Kabuki
歌舞伎かぶきkabukiSong, dance and spectacle from the Edo townspeople's stage
Kabuki is a form of Japanese theatre combining drama, dance and music, known for its stylised acting, elaborate costumes and make-up, and all-male casts. Born in Kyoto in the early seventeenth century, it became the popular theatre of Edo-period townspeople and was inscribed by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in 2008.
The word kabuki derives from the verb kabuku, 'to lean' or 'to be unconventional', and was applied to the flamboyant, rule-breaking fashion of the early seventeenth century. The characters now used to write it mean song, dance and skill. Kabuki is commonly dated to 1603, when a woman called Izumo no Okuni, presented as a shrine maiden from Izumo, performed daring dances on the dry riverbed of the Kamo River in Kyoto.
Women's troupes became so popular, and so associated with prostitution, that the shogunate banned women from the stage in 1629, and later young male performers too. Mature men took over all roles, which led to the art of the onnagata, male actors who specialise in female roles. In the city culture of Edo, Osaka and Kyoto, kabuki became the great entertainment of merchants and artisans, and its stars were the celebrities of their day.
Genres and plays
The repertoire falls into three main groups. Many of the greatest plays were first written for the bunraku puppet theatre in the eighteenth century and adapted for actors, including Kanadehon Chūshingura, the tale of the forty-seven loyal retainers.
Jidaimono
時代物jidaimonoHistorical plays about samurai, aristocrats and famous conflicts, often set in earlier centuries to avoid censorship.
Sewamono
世話物sewamonoContemporary domestic plays about townspeople, merchants and lovers, often ending in tragedy.
Shosagoto
所作事shosagotoDance plays, such as Musume Dōjōji, performed to nagauta or other music.
Kanadehon Chushingura
仮名手本忠臣蔵Kanadehon ChūshinguraThe revenge of the forty-seven rōnin, first staged in 1748 and one of the most performed plays in Japan.
- 勧進帳Kanjinchō
Adapted from the Noh play Ataka, part of the Ichikawa family's collection of eighteen favourite plays (Kabuki jūhachiban).
Tokaido Yotsuya Kaidan
東海道四谷怪談Tōkaidō Yotsuya KaidanTsuruya Nanboku IV's ghost story of 1825, the source of the vengeful ghost Oiwa.
Acting and appearance
Kabuki acting is highly stylised. In the Edo tradition of aragoto, 'rough style', created by Ichikawa Danjūrō I, heroes perform with exaggerated movements, bold red and black make-up lines (kumadori) and a booming voice. The Kamigata tradition of Kyoto and Osaka, founded by Sakata Tōjūrō I, cultivated wagoto, a soft, realistic style for romantic young men.
At climactic moments an actor freezes in a powerful pose, the mie, often crossing his eyes, while wooden clappers strike. Members of the audience shout the actor's house name (yagō), such as Naritaya for the Ichikawa Danjūrō line, at the right moment. Acting names are hereditary: actors from established families take on a succession of stage names in grand ceremonies (shūmei), so that the same name may be held by a dozen generations.
Onnagata
女方onnagataMale actor specialising in female roles, portraying an idealised femininity.
Kumadori
隈取kumadoriStylised make-up: red lines for heroic virtue, blue for villains and spirits.
Mie
見得mieA frozen dramatic pose at a climax.
Kakegoe
掛け声kakegoeShouts from connoisseurs in the audience, usually the actor's house name.
Shumei
襲名shūmeiSuccession to a hereditary stage name, marked by special performances.
Stage and music
Kabuki theatres developed ingenious stage machinery. The hanamichi, a raised walkway through the audience to the stage, is used for dramatic entrances and exits. Revolving stages and trapdoors were developed in the eighteenth century, well before similar devices in Europe. Stagehands dressed in black (kuroko) are, by convention, invisible.
Music is played on stage and in a screened room at the side (geza). The shamisen, flutes and drums accompany dance and action, narrative chanting (gidayū) accompanies plays adapted from bunraku, and the sharp clack of wooden clappers (tsuke) punctuates movement.
Hanamichi
花道hanamichiWalkway through the auditorium used for entrances, exits and key moments.
Mawari-butai
回り舞台mawari-butaiRevolving stage for rapid scene changes.
Seri
迫りseriStage lifts and trapdoors, including one on the hanamichi for ghosts and magicians.
Kuroko
黒衣kurokoBlack-clad stage assistants treated as invisible.
Hikinuki
引き抜きhikinukiAn on-stage costume change in seconds, as loose threads are pulled out.
Where to see kabuki
Kabuki is produced mainly by the Shochiku company, with programmes in most months at the Kabukiza in Tokyo's Ginza district and regular seasons in Kyoto, Osaka, Nagoya and Fukuoka. Programmes are often divided into afternoon and evening parts, each with several plays or acts; English audio or subtitle guides are usually available at the Kabukiza.
Several historic wooden playhouses survive in the regions and still stage performances, some as annual events.
- 歌舞伎座Kabukiza
Tokyo's main kabuki theatre in Ginza, first opened in 1889 and rebuilt several times; the present building dates from 2013.
- 南座Minamiza
Kyoto's historic theatre by the Kamo River at Shijō, famous for its December kaomise performance.
- 旧金毘羅大芝居Kyū Konpira Ōshibai (Kanamaru-za)
Japan's oldest surviving kabuki playhouse, built in 1835 in Kotohira, Kagawa Prefecture.
- 内子座Uchiko-za
Wooden theatre of 1916 in the old merchant town of Uchiko, Ehime Prefecture.
Timeline
1603
Izumo no Okuni performs kabuki dances in Kyoto.
1629
The shogunate bans women from the kabuki stage.
1652
Performances by young male actors (wakashu) are banned; adult men take all roles.
1688–1704
Genroku era: Ichikawa Danjūrō I in Edo and Sakata Tōjūrō I in Kamigata establish aragoto and wagoto.
1740s
Bunraku masterpieces such as Kanadehon Chūshingura (1748) are adapted for kabuki.
1889
The Kabukiza opens in Tokyo.
2008
Kabuki is inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Frequently asked questions
Why are there no women in kabuki?
Women were banned from the kabuki stage by the shogunate in 1629. Male actors took over all roles, and the art of the onnagata developed. Professional grand kabuki has remained all-male, though women perform in other theatre forms and some local kabuki.
Do I need to understand Japanese to enjoy kabuki?
No. The costumes, music and acting are expressive in themselves, and English audio guides or subtitles explain the plot at major theatres.
How long is a kabuki performance?
A full programme can last four to five hours with intervals, but it is usually divided into separate afternoon and evening parts, and some theatres sell tickets for single acts.
What is the difference between kabuki and Noh?
Noh is older, slower and more austere, performed with masks on a bare stage and rooted in the culture of the warrior elite. Kabuki is colourful, dramatic and spectacular, born as popular theatre of the townspeople.
What does the audience shout during kabuki?
Experienced spectators, often seated in the upper gallery, call out the actor's house name (yagō) at key moments. It is part of the tradition, but best left to regulars.
Related
Sources
- 1.Kabuki theatre (opens in a new tab) — UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
- 2.歌舞伎美人 (Kabuki Bito) (opens in a new tab) — Shochiku
- 3.文化デジタルライブラリー (opens in a new tab) — Japan Arts Council