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Kabuki of Japan
Is a form of traditional Japanese drama with highly stylized song, mine, and dance, now performed
only male actors. Japanese originally used this as a verb meaning “act dissolutely” later interpreting the word as “ka” for song, “bu” for
dance, and “ki” for art/skill.
Kabuki theater is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate makeup worn
by some of its performers. Kabuki is therefore sometimes
translated as “the art of singing and dancing.” Since the word
kabuki is believed to derive from the verb kabuku, meaning “to
learn” or “to be out of the ordinary,” kabuki can be
“bizarre” theater. The expression kabukimono referred originally
to those who were bizarrely dressed and paraded on a street.
The Kabuki Stage Features
• Hanamichi - a flower path, a walkway which extends into the
audience via which dramatic entrances and exits are made;
Okuni also performs on a hanamichi stage with her
entourage.
• Kogakudo - Kabuki theaters that have stages both in front of the
audience and along the sides help create a bond between the actors
and viewers.
• Mawaro butal - the interior of the theater contains a revolving stage.
• Suppon - a platform that rises from below the stage.
• Hanamicho - a walkway that cuts through the audience seating area to connect the stage with the back
of the theater. Magicians and supernatural beings often make
their entrances from trap doors in the hanamichi. Some stages have
17 trapdoors.
The Three Main Categories of the
Kabuki Play
• Jidaimono – historical or pre-Sengoku period stories.
• Sewamono – domestic or post-Sengoku stories.
• Shosagoto – dance pieces.
Jidaimono
Or history plays, were set within the context of major events in Japanese history. Strict censorship laws during
the Edo period prohibited the representation of contemporary
events and particularly prohibited criticizing the shogunate or casting
it in a bad light, although enforcement varied greatly over the
years.
Sewamono
Focused primarily upon commoners (townspeople
and peasants). It is generally related to themes of family
drama and romance.
Elements of Kabuki
Mie in which the actor holds a picturesque pose to establish his
character and his house name Yagō, is sometimes heard in a loud shout (kekegoe) from an expert audience
member, serving both to express and enhance the audience’s appreciation of the actor’s
achievement. An even greater actor’s father Keshō.
Actors are seperated into two main categories:
Onna-gata refer to the female roles and Aragato refer to the
male roles. Most main characters in kabuki plays are
aragoto, because of its superstylized masculine, heroic
style.
Makeup is also one of the most iconic parts of kabuki. Actors apply their own
makeup by painting their faces and necks white, then adding stylized lines red, black, or blue. The colors and lines
that are used tells what kind of character is being performed. Red and
blue are usually aragoto roles, onn-gata playing young women have very
little paint.
These are examples of famous kabuki characters. A character’s makeup, like everything else, is decided by tradition.
Kabuki make up provides element of style easily recognizable even by those unfamiliar with the art
form. Rice powder is used to create the white oshiroi base for the characteristic stage make-up,
and kumadori enhances or exaggerates facial lines to produce
dramatic animal or supernatural character. The color of the
kumadori is an expression of the character’s nature:
• Red lines are used to indicate passion, heroism, righteousness, and other positive traits;
• Pink for youthful joy;
• Light blue for an even temper;
• Pale green for peacefulness;
• Blue or black for villainy, jealousy, and other negative traits;
• Green for the supernatural; and
• Purple for nobility.
Kabuki is performed in full-day programs. Audiences
escape from the day-to-day world, developing a full day to entertainment. Through
some individual plays, particularly the historical jidaimono, might last an entire day, most were
shorter and sequenced with other plays in order to
produce a full-day program.
The play occupies five acts. The first corresponds to Jo, an auspicious and slow opening
which introduces the audience to the characters and the plot.
Ha, speeding events up, culminating almost always in a
great moment of drama or tragedy in the third act and
possibly a battle in the second and / or fourths acts. Kyu, is
almost always short, providing a quick and satisfying
conclusion.
Are often quite interesting. Flowing water is usually
represented by fluttering rolls of linen; or creatures like
insects and foxes. Props often have symbolic meanings. Fans are used to represent wind, a sword, a tobacco pipe, waves
or food.
Kabuki props
Are swung from sticks or manipulated by helpers who come on stage dressed in black hooded robesso; they are invisible to the
audience. The female characters generally
wear an elaborate kimono and obi. Pleated hakuma trousers are worn
by characters of sexes. Actors playing both sexes often have a
supported midriff because a straight and curveless figure are regarded the essence of beauty.
Costumes
Is considered as an art. There are special teams that take care of complete and partial costume changes and are
done as part of the performance.
Costume Changing
Are important accessories, with each costumes having it’s own type. Specialized
craftsmen shape the wigs to the head. Wigs are made of human hair, horse hair, bear fur or yak- tail hair imported
from Tibet.
Wigs