Kabuki (dance-drama)
Kabuki is a traditional form of Japanese theater that uniquely blends dance, drama, and elaborate visual aesthetics, including intricate costumes and striking makeup. Originating in the early seventeenth century, it was founded by Izumo no Okuni, who started performing in Kyoto, captivating audiences with her distinctive dance style and theatrical storytelling. The term "Kabuki" is derived from the Japanese word meaning to slant or sway, reflecting its origins among defiant samurai known for their flamboyant lifestyles.
Over time, Kabuki evolved from an all-female performance art to an exclusively male tradition following a government ban on women performing in 1629. This led to the establishment of Yaro-Kabuki, where male actors took on both male and female roles, and specialized performers known as Onnagata portrayed female characters. Kabuki plays are typically categorized into historical dramas (Jidaimono) and domestic stories (Sewamono), often presented with exaggerated movements and a unique vocal style.
The art form has been recognized by UNESCO as part of the world's Intangible Cultural Heritage, and it continues to be celebrated for its rich cultural significance and elaborate performance techniques, including the use of a hanamichi—a walkway that extends into the audience. Kabuki remains a beloved and vital aspect of Japan's cultural landscape, attracting both local and international audiences.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Kabuki (dance-drama)
Kabuki (pronounced kuh-boo-kee) is a form of traditional Japanese theater that involves dance, drama, elaborate costumes, and intricate stage makeup. The name is derived from the Japanese word kabuku, meaning to slant, sway, or incline in a certain way. It referenced a class of people who defied the mores of traditional Japan. In particular, it described the extravagant dress styles of a group of largely itinerant seventeenth-century samurais known as the Kabuki-mono (or strange ones) who used a highly exaggerated way of talking and were known to gather in violent street gangs. The three individual characters of the Japanese kanji (the Japanese form of writing) for Kabuki respectively mean singing, dancing, and skill.
Kabuki is one of the principal forms of traditional theater in Japan, alongside Noh and Bunraku. Noh is a type of musical theater in which performers don elaborate masks and costumes, while Bunraku is a Japanese style of puppet theater. Together, these three art forms were designated as part of the world's Intangible Cultural Heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2005. Some of the best-known Kabuki troupes include the Shochiku Grand Kabuki and Shimbashi Enbujo companies in Tokyo, and the Minamiza in Kyoto.
Brief History
Kabuki originated as a distinct form of theater in the early seventeenth century. The founder of Kabuki was Izumo no Okuni—or just simply Okuni. She was born in approximately 1571 in the southwestern city of Izumo to a blacksmith who worked at the city's Shinto shrine. Okuni was employed at the Izumo shrine as a miko, which was a type of female priestess and dancer. In this role, she was trained to perform ritual Shinto dances. Like many other miko dancers, Okuni was sent away to a larger city to perform to raise funds for her home temple. Okuni went to Kyoto, the heart of Japan's social culture and its most liberal city during the early days of the Edo period (1603–1868). In Kyoto, Okuni became known as a skilled dancer of great beauty. By 1603, she had originated a new, distinctive form of dance she called Kabuki after the distinctive and violent samurai rōnin (a samurai warrior who lacked a master) who were known for their defiance of societal customs.
In this earliest phase of Kabuki, Okuni played both male and female roles in thick makeup. Unlike any other theater of the day, Kabuki was known for its loud, gaudy approach to an otherwise highly traditional and sedate art. Okuni's Kabuki style of dance proved to be very popular among the middle classes of Kyoto. Although she received a summons to return home to Izumo, she declined, choosing instead to open her own theater called the Okuni Ichiza.
Okuni owed part of her success to that of her partner, Sanzaburo Ujisato of Nagoya, who had been trained in Noh theater. Sanzaburo provided financial help and composed Okuni's plays. With his assistance, Kabuki evolved into a more dramatic art form. Sanzaburo found Okuni's dancing to be entrancing but too refined for the masses. Together, the pair mixed dramatic theater with dance. This resulted in a distinctive new form of entertainment in which characters were used to create a dramatic platform for the traditional songs and dances that Okuni had been trained to perform. Her original style of performing is often called Okuni-Kabuki.
As Okuni and her all-female troupe often acted in male roles and presented bawdy stories, their performances were considered by some to be highly scandalous. They were also very popular, and her theater became a gathering place for people from all segments of society. Her suggestive and coarse style was copied by many imitators, including brothels, which only highlighted the perception of eroticism and immorality that the government associated with Kabuki. In 1629, the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate passed a decree that banned Kabuki performances by women.
Although it had been founded by a woman, the nature of Kabuki shifted dramatically under the Tokugawa Shogunate to an exclusively male-oriented art. The resulting tradition that barred women from performing Kabuki continues into the twenty-first century, and men perform both male and female roles. The new style of male-only Kabuki was called Yaro-Kabuki; male actors who specialize in female roles are called Onnagata. In the modern era, some smaller troupes in Japan have sought to promote the inclusion of female Kabuki performers, to varying success.
The Genroki period of Edo Japan (1688–1704) is generally regarded as the height of Kabuki. During this era, the structure, mannerisms, and tenor of modern Kabuki evolved beyond the bawdy theater of Okuni's day. The particular movements, makeup, hairstyles, and costumes associated with each specific type of role largely originated during this period. Kabuki quickly grew in popularity thanks to these changes, expanding beyond its base in Kyoto to other urban centers of Japan. In contemporary Japan, Kabuki remains among the most popular forms of Japanese theater, with many of its best performers regarded as national icons.
Overview
Kabuki is characterized by detailed costumes, ornate makeup, and its frequent use of an idiosyncratic flat vocal delivery. All performances rely upon highly trained and exaggerated physical movements unique to this art form. Typically, Kabuki actors are trained to perform in highly specialized role types (Yakugara). Actors who principally impersonate young women are called Waka-onngata, while Dokegatu actors are known for their portrayals of humorous figures. Tachiyaku and Aragoto actors are traditionally placed into the roles of villains and heroes, respectively.
The story structures of modern Kabuki are often divided into two primary forms: Jidaimono, which are based upon historical events, and Sewamono, in which the focus is upon more domestic storylines about the lives of Edo-era workers. Other story types include Aragoto plays that emphasize action, and Shosagoto, which are best described as traditional pantomime dance-plays performed by Onnagata. The Jidaimono type of story was derived from the Tokugawa Shogunate's ban on performances of contemporary issues. Instead, Yaro-Kabuki troupes relied upon recitations of famous events that occurred between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries of Japanese history to entertain audiences. Performances of this type are often slow-paced and highly detailed. As a result, these Kabuki shows can last several hours.
Kabuki stages have trapdoors and rotating platforms that allow performers to make quick exits and costume changes. One of the trademarks of a Kabuki stage is the hanamichi (flower walk), which is a walkway that projects out into the audience. Okuni, the creator of Kabuki, is credited with the development of the hanamichi.
Bibliography
Bond, Kevin. "Wild Actors and Wrathful Deities: Buddhist Faith, Entertainment, and the Kabuki Theatre of Early Modern Japan." Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses, vol. 44, no. 1, 2015, pp. 16–32.
Cress, Mitchell J. "Onnagata: The Stars of Japanese Kabuki Theater: Maki Isaka Highlights a Centuries-Old Cultural Phenomenon." University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts, 15 Dec. 2015, cla.umn.edu/news-events/story/onnagata-stars-japanese-kabuki-theater. Accessed 21 Apr. 2017.
"Expression in Kabuki." Japan Arts Council, www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/kabuki/en/4/index.html. Accessed 21 Apr. 2017.
Gerstle, C. Andrew. "Representing Theater: Text and Performance in Kabuki and Bunraku." The Cambridge History of Japanese Literature. Edited by Haruo Shirane and Tomi Suzuki, Cambridge UP, 2016, pp. 415–23.
"Kabuki Theatre." United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/RL/kabuki-theatre-00163. Accessed 21 Apr. 2017.
Leiter, Samuel L., editor. A Kabuki Reader: History and Performance: History and Performance. Routledge, 2015.
Lombard, Frank Alanson. "Kabuki: A History." Theatre History, www.theatrehistory.com/asian/kabuki001.html. Accessed 21 Apr. 2017.
Martin, Alex. "Kabuki Going Strong, 400 Years On." Japan Times, 28 Dec. 2010, www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2010/12/28/reference/kabuki-going-strong-400-years-on/#.WPuv3mw2xun. Accessed 21 Apr. 2017.
Prusmack, Florence. "Izumo no Okuni." Distinguished Women of Past and Present, www.distinguishedwomen.com/biographies/okuni.html. Accessed 21 Apr. 2017.
"The Roots of Kabuki." Japanese Mythology, Shimane Prefecture, www.japanesemythology.jp/kabuki/. Accessed 21 Apr. 2017.