Hello and welcome to Madame Watanabe's Japanese Culture Class.

Today I'd like to talk about Kabuki.

Kabuki is recognized worldwide as a unique form of theatre, and with its brightly coloured costumes, stage sets, make-up and men playing the roles of women, it can seem mysterious to visitors from overseas.

In fact, even today, Kabuki remains mysterious to many Japanese people. Many people are afraid of whether they will be able to understand the story of the Kabuki performances or the old words and expressions that the performers use on stage.

Nevertheless, Kabuki is a fascinating form of theatre. Here we will explain the origins of Kabuki, why it became a male-only theatre, and how there are several different types of Kabuki.

You too may become captivated by the charm of Kabuki.

What is Kabuki?: The origins of Kabuki

Kabuki is said to have originated in Kyoto about 400 years ago, when Japan's long era of samurai warfare came to an end and various forms of popular entertainment were born.

An epoch-making event occurred in the early 17th century. A woman named Izumono Okuni (Izumo no Okuni) appeared in Kyoto, and her kabuki dance performances became extremely popular. She organized her own theater company and performed what would be called an operetta, a song and dance revue in the West. In other words, it was an all-female company.

It was a trivial piece of music and dance in which actresses and dancers dressed as men depicted the flirtation of customers with yujo (prostitutes) in a slightly erotic manner, but it was enthusiastically supported by the public and its popularity spread not only among the common people but also among aristocrats and samurai.

According to one theory, Okuni and his comrades were invited to the palace and recorded to perform in front of the Emperor. This shows how popular they were. Many theatre companies imitated Okuni's company.

What is Kabuki?: Why is it performed only by men?

However, there was a problem. Not only Okuni's company, but many of the actresses and dancers in the companies also served as yujo (prostitutes). The audience not only enjoyed the kabuki dance, but also chose their partner for the evening from among the women on stage.

The government at the time was concerned about the deterioration of public morals and banned women from performing on stage, which led to a shift in popularity to "Wakashu Kabuki (Young Men's Kabuki)."

"Wakashu" (young men) are young men and boys. Instead of actresses or female dancers, beautiful young men were made to play female roles. This was the birth of "Onnagata" (female actors), in which men play women.

However...the beautiful boys were also dansho (male prostitutes)! Of course, the government also banned "wakashu kabuki" (young men's kabuki).

The desires of the people are endless. If "wakashu" (young men) were banned, the next thing to come was "yarou kabuki." Yarou (male) refers to an adult man. This is where the form of kabuki that is now performed by adult men, not boys, began.

Furthermore, the content of the performances also began to change. They evolved from song and dance shows to include more theatrical elements. By now, I hope you understand the significance of Kabuki being made up of only men, and of men playing the roles of women.

What is Kabuki?: The Mystery of Makeup

You may be wondering about the unique makeup of Kabuki - the brightly colored costumes and completely white painted faces.

400 years ago, there was no lighting technology like we have today. Kabuki performances began early in the morning. Wooden doors were opened and closed skillfully to let light onto the stage. Sometimes candles were also shone close to the actors' faces to enhance the theatrical effect.

Basically, the stage was darker than it is today, and it is thought that Kabuki makeup was created to make the actors' faces stand out.

By the way, in the Edo period, Kabuki performances began early in the morning and finished before sunset.

What is Kabuki? 400 works remain. A wide range of works from absurd tragedies to dramas depicting the lives of ordinary people.

Many works were created over the course of 400 years, but it is said that there are around 300 to 400 Kabuki plays still being performed today (including those that are only performed in part today).

Kabuki works can be roughly divided into several types. We will introduce these types and some representative works.

Jidaimono (period items)

These stories, which mainly feature samurai or aristocrats as protagonists and are set in the distant past, are called Jidaimono (period plays), because the Edo government prohibited the staging of events that occurred in the same era.

Historical dramas depict the absurdity that arises from the ties of the lord-servant relationship among samurai, such as the conflict that ensues when loyalty to one's master forces one to choose the death of one's own family, such as spouses or children.

For example, a man kills his own child in place of his master's, then looks at the corpse and falsely testifies that the child is his master's...the absurd scenes that would be unthinkable in modern times are unfolding, bringing tears to the audience's eyes.

Many of his works depict absurdity, similar to Greek tragedies.

His representative works include "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami" (The Sugawara Transmission of Teachings) and "Ichinotani Futabagunki" (The Chronicles of the Battle of Ichinotani).

Sewamono (domestic drama)

Sewamono (domestic dramas) are dramas that depict the lives of common people in the Edo period, neither samurai nor aristocrats. The depictions of life are realistic and are considered to be modern dramas of the time. They often depict the hardships of common people's lives, focusing on ordinary people, gangsters, thieves, and yujo (prostitutes).

His representative works include "Aotozoushi Hanano Nishikie" (Blue Grass Draft Flowers in Red), also known as "Shiranami Gonin Otoko" (Five Men in White Waves), and "Yowanasake Ukinano Yokogushi" (The Tale of a Floating Tale).

Kabukibuyo (Kabuki dance)

The combination of theatre and dance is called Kabukibuyo (Kabuki dance).

In the film Memoirs of a Geisha (released in Japan under the title MAYURI), the geisha played by Zhang Ziyi danced the Sagimusume (Heron Girl) dance, a type of Kabuki Gnat. However, the choreography in that film was incredibly contemporary, which I found unsatisfying.

There is a story behind Sagimusume. A heron fairy who is longing for love takes the form of a human girl and expresses the joy and pain of love through dance. In the end, the girl dies as a result of her intense attachment to love.

Many stories involve people dying from passionate love. Of course, nowadays there are also male-only gnats and gnats where both men and women dance together.

His representative works include "Sagimusume" (The Heron Girl) and "Fujimusume" (The Wisteria Girl).

Shinkabuki (New Kabuki)

In recent years, screenwriters for film and television dramas have increasingly moved away from classic works and written entirely new works.

In addition, completely new works based on anime and games, such as Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and the online game Touken Ranbu -ONLINE-, have begun to be created and performed.

It has succeeded in attracting a younger audience who had never experienced kabuki before, and I think it has established itself as a genre.

What is Kabuki?Which one should I look at?

So far we have explained the origins and types of Kabuki. So, if you are seeing Kabuki for the first time, what kind should you choose?

This all depends on the play being performed at the time, but I would most recommend Kabukibuyo's plays. They are centered around dance, such as Sagimusume (The Heron Maiden), Fujimusume (The Wisteria Maiden), and Dojoji (Dojoji Temple), so if you understand the basic story, you'll be captivated by the beautiful actors, their costumes, and their dancing.

The most difficult plays are the Jidaimono (period plays). Of course, if you have the story in mind beforehand, you can understand them. At the Kabukiza (Kabuki Theatre), you can borrow an English audio guide, which helps with understanding. However, you may be left with a feeling of incompleteness and a vague sense of dissatisfaction.

Not only is the story far removed from modern morals, but it is not a full-length kyogen (a kyogen performance), which means watching the story from beginning to end.

Modern Kabuki theaters usually perform in a style known as Midori Kyogen (Mitori Kyogen). Midori Kyogen is a style in which only the best scenes from a particular work are performed. It is a highly varied composition that combines only parts of multiple works.

Therefore, works with profound themes such as ancient themes are difficult to understand at first glance.

However, as people watch it over and over, they may find themselves moved by the charm of Kabuki theatre - its beauty, originality, and the universal portrayal of humanity that transcends time and borders.

There is something about it that cannot be appreciated in just one viewing. I would encourage you to watch it several times to get a glimpse of its charm.

There's a lot more I want to say, but I'll stop here for now.

In the next part, Part 2, I will teach you how to enjoy yourself when you actually go to see Kabuki. Kabuki theaters are a little different from Western theaters. I will teach you tips and things you should know to enjoy Kabuki even more.

If you know how to enjoy it, it's sure to be a rich experience.

A guide to learning about Kabuki

Here are some books about Kabuki that you can read in English. They are beautiful and fun to read.

Book　

Photographic Kabuki Kaleidoscope: in Japanese and English 

This book introduces Kabuki costumes, wigs, hair accessories, props, stage props, and more in color photographs. It also contains plenty of stage photos, making it a fun book to just look at. You can enjoy the world of Kabuki, which is brimming with Japanese design, through beautiful visuals. Published by Shogakukan https://amzn.to/4o6lFFC

[About Madame Watanabe]
A mysterious Japanese woman with a deep knowledge of Japanese culture. By the way, she has no relation to Mrs. Watanabe, the group of small-scale investors from Japan who appear in Western stock markets.