The Kabuki Theater

1528 Words4 Pages

Although it started out as just another type of dance, Kabuki eventually emerged into an important and fascinating theatre where elaborate makeup and costumes combined to put on entertaining performances for audiences throughout the centuries.
Kabuki started out as a style of dance in the early sixteenth century, also known as the Edo period. Kabuki is an exclusive type of theater in which only males can act on stage. For over 400 years, women have only been allowed in the audience and not on stage. But ironically, a woman named Izumo Okuni along with her female troupe originally created the theatre. Okuni, who may have come from the shrine of Izumo, set up a temporary stage in Kyoto around 1603 where she and her troupe acted out slightly suggestive dances and skits (www.artelino.com).
The Tokugawa Shogunate, Japan’s military dictatorship from 1603 to 1868, disliked this position of women and in 1629 they banned all women from acting on stage. However, Kabuki had become so popular that teenage boys started to act on stage to replace women, taking over all of their roles. In 1652, Kabuki featuring teenage boy, or Waskashu Kabuki, was banned. After that, only adult men could act on stage and this type of Kabuki, known as Yaro Kabuki, continues to be practiced today (www.artelino.com). In the 1750’s, the mawari-butai (revolving stage) was invented, and soon after that came the seri (stage trap) (Reischauer and Jansen 77). The mawari-butai is a machine cut out into the shape of a circle, which turns the part of the floor that is center stage. It is often used for scene changes to make them quicker, smoother and more appealing to the audience. The seri stage trap is used to raise and lower the actors and sets to the stage. It is also...

... middle of paper ...

... an important role in Japan’s culture. It has entertained millions of people and will continue to do so for many more years to come.

Bibliography
Heinrichs, Ann. Japan: Enchantment of the World. Children’s Press, 2006.
Reischuer, Edwin, and Marius Jansen. Japanese Today: Change and Continuity. Balknap Press, 1995.

Nipponia No.22 September 15, 2002. The Kabuki Actor Training Center. http://web-japan.org/nipponia/nipponia22/en/feature/feature02.html Corts, Alicia. Costumes in Kabuki. https://asiantheatre.wikispaces.com/Costumes+in+Kabuki+by+Alicia+Corts Agostino, Christopher. Kumadori- The Painted Faces of Japanese Kabuki Theatre. http://thestorybehindthefaces.com/2012/01/20/kumadori-japanese-kabuki-theatre-makeup/ Artelino. Kabuki Theatre. http://www.artelino.com/articles/kabuki_theater.asp

Benson, John. DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Japan. DK Travel, 2013.

Open Document