Last year, the film called Kokuhō (国宝 National Treasure) took not only Japan but the international film scene by storm. It was a film about Kabuki (歌舞伎) and it proved that Kabuki can also attract those who are not familiar with it.
Kabuki is one of the most well-known traditional Japanese performing arts. It is often explained that Ka (歌) meaning “song”, Bu (舞) meaning “dance” and Ki (伎) meaning “skill” make up the current word known as Kabuki. However, the origin or etymology of this word is believed to derive from the verb kabuku (傾く) which means “to be out of the ordinary”, “to behave in a gaudy manner” or “to lean”. This verb was created to describe extraordinary clothes or behaviour during the Sengoku (戦国) period and the early days of the Edo (江戸) period. The word Kabuki could also be associated with “avant-garde” or “bizarre” theatre which Kabuki theatre was at that time to most ordinary citizens. Those who were dressed in thitherto unimaginable costume were called Kabukimono (傾き者→歌舞伎者).
A brief history of Kabuki (歌舞伎)
Origin
It is widely believed that a former miko (巫女shrine maiden) from Izumo-taisha (出雲大社 a major Shintō shrine in Shimane (島根)Prefecture), called Izumo-no-Okuni (出雲の阿国 Okuni from Izumo) began performing with a troupe of young female dancers an innovative simple style of dance drama. They did this in pantomime, on a makeshift stage in the dry bed of the Kamo-gawa (鴨川 Kamo River) in Kyōto (京都) in 1603. This is considered to be the origin of the current Kabuki.
Change of actors
In its early days of Kabuki, female performers played both women and men in comical skits depicting people’s daily lives. It did not take long for the style to become popular and Okuni was even asked to perform in the Imperial Court. Other groups started to follow suit and Kabuki was gradually becoming an ensemble dance, music and play performed by women.
However, female performers were often demanded as prostitutes by young merchants whose social status was low but economically wealthy, and the Shogunate authorities banned female performers and replaced them with young male performers. But, soon, those young male performers were eliminated by the authorities, too, because of the pervasive pederasty among samurai.
In the end, during the middle of the 17th century, the modern version of all-male kabuki actors, known as yarō-kabuki (野郎歌舞伎 adult male kabuki), was established. It accelerated the importance of on’nagata or oyama (女形 female role) to establish and perfect a specialised role.
Emergence of playwrights
In the 18th century, Kabuki became more popular with the emergence of specialised playwrights such as Chikamatsu Monzaemon (近松門左衛門) who created both fiction and non-fiction stories based on incidents that actually happened.
Post-Meiji period
When the Meiji Restoration took place and all sorts of Western things came to Japan, Kabuki faced difficulties in maintaining its identity. But thanks to the efforts by actors, playwrights and supportive citizens, Kabuki has been maintained as a cultural asset of Japan, except for a couple of years after the World War II when GHQ banned Kabuki as spiritual support for Japan’s war efforts.
Exchanges with other entertainment
Contrary to popular belief, theatres specialised for Kabuki performance are mainly limited to large cities throughout Japan. Therefore, opportunities for people who don’t live in large cities are somewhat restricted to actually view Kabuki. However, with the development of various audio-visual equipment and appliances, everyone can now enjoy Kabuki through films, television, computers, mobile phones, etc. In other words, Kabuki became more popular amongst Japanese people than ever before.
Super Kabuki
With more advanced technology, new stage sets, extraordinary costumes (going back to the original meaning of Kabuki mentioned above), innovative lighting techniques, etc. have been introduced in so-called Super Kabuki and has gained interest from younger audiences. In addition to traditional stories, Super Kabuki experimented with introducing popular manga and anime stories such as Naruto and Wan Piisu (One Piece) into Kabuki. As expected, those who value traditional style Kabuki voice criticism that it has lost its 400-year history, while others welcome such attractions as new challenges to stay relevant in contemporary times.
Stage design for Kabuki theatres
One of the peculiar features in Kabuki theatres is the so-called hanamichi (花道 flower path), a walkway or runway connecting the stage and the backstage dressing room with an agemaku (揚げ幕 striped curtain). The hanamachi runs along the left side of the theatre (from the audience’s perspective), roughly about one-quarter of the way in from the side.
Some actions take place on hanamichi, especially in the area closer to the stage when some actors are just about to step on to the stage or some actors demonstrate their glory or triumph before they disappear into the dressing room area. Therefore, the seats close to the hanamachi are extremely popular, because the audience in these seats can see the actors very closely and may even hear the actual breaths the actors take.
In addition, Kabuki has been using a lot of stage tricks since the 18th century. For example, revolving stages were invented during the Edo period to enhance a swift scene change which surprised audiences. There are a number of stage tricks especially for actors’ rapid appearance on to the stage and disappearance from the stage which rely on sophisticated technical innovations. Seri (迫 stage lift) is a lift built into the stage floor that raises or lowers actors and set pieces during scenes. Chūnori (宙乗り stage flight; riding in mid-air) is another invention with which actors fly over the audience using wires. Those spectacular stage effects or stage gimmicks used in Kabuki to surprise and entertain the audience are called keren (外連 playing to the gallery).
Musical Instruments in Kabuki
Kabuki is accompanied by an actual Kabuki ensemble. Depending on the Kabuki play, some musicians and singers in traditional attire, kamishimo (裃ceremonial upper garment), hakama (袴 pleated trousers) and tabi (足袋 split-toe socks) appear and line up on stage or play music behind the scenes. The musical instruments they use are basically shamisen (三味線 three stringed instrument), ōtsuzumi (大鼓 large hand drum), kotsuzumi (小鼓 small hand drum) and yokobue (横笛 transverse flute; fife). As you might guess, all musicians, including singers, are male.
Costume, Wig and Make-up
Kabuki actors’ costumes, both male and female characters, are either extremely colourful and extravagant or extremely dark and plain, making things lively and spectacular. Sometimes, actors change their costumes in the middle of play on the stage which further entertains the audience. In addition, various props that actors use, hold or carry during the play could attract the audience’s curiosity.
In addition to the traditional costume, katsura (鬘 wig) is another important feature to resurrect the way people lived in the past. Each actor has his own hand-made katsura for male and female characters. Human hair is usually hand-sewn onto a katsura base, but some spectacularly long wigs require yak hair or horse hair.
For makeup in Kabuki, special techniques are required to make kumadori (隈取stylised kabuki makeup) to exaggerate facial lines and express a character’s nature such as strength, evil, or supernatural power.
The audience can tell what kind of character each actor is by the colour of the actor’s kumadori. For example, if the main character’s kumadori is red, it signifies heroism, virtue or superhuman strength. If the actor puts on blue kumadori, it symbolises villainy, evil, coldness or ghosts. Brown kumadori conveys power, dignity or non-human traits and purple kumadori reveals nobility and refinement.
Kabuki performance
Kabuki is often divided into three categories. The first is jidaimono (時代物 historical or pre-Sengoku (戦国)period stories). The Shogunate authorities in the Edo period prohibited Kabuki productions which dramatised actual events to criticise the Tokugawa (徳川) regime. Hence all stories had to be based on pre-Sengoku incidents, but of course the audience knew that each story is modeled on what happened or what is happening in the Edo period. There is one exception, notably “Kanadehon Chūshingura (仮名手本忠臣蔵 The Treasury of Loyal Retainers) which was based on an actual incident and which became so famous and well-known amongst people of all social classes, the regime was unable to contain this incident. So they allowed the production to go ahead with names altered. This story is still by far the most popular Kabuki play even now. The second category is sewamono (世話物 domestic plays or domestic drama). They mainly depict incidents happening amongst ordinary townsfolks to evoke empathy from the audience. Some are comedies and others are tragedies. The third category is shosagoto (所作事 dance pieces or dance drama). They are dance dramas in which stylised movement and musical accompaniment take precedence over spoken dialogue. They showcase the actor’s physical control and expressive gestures, creating atmosphere and emotional nuance through choreography. They are relatively short and usually programmed with a long jidaimono or sewamono piece.
Peculiar features in Kabuki
There are two peculiar features in Kabuki. One is the role of Kuroko (黒子 stagehand) during the play. They are always dressed entirely in black, even with a black hood and are considered invisible. They come onto the stage, whenever necessary, to hand out props to actors or to remove props and backdrops, to assist in a variety of quick costume changes known as hayagawari (早替わり changing quickly) . For example, when a character’s true nature is suddenly revealed, Kuroko helps with the device of hikinuki (引き抜き pulling away) to pull away the outer layer to instantly reveal a new costume. Another technique is bukkaeri (ぶっかえり costume flip reveal) in which part of the costume is flipped or turned inside out to reveal a contrasting design, often used for dramatic transformation.
The other feature is kakegoe (掛け声 audience shout) which are the traditional audience calls of encouragement in which spectators shout actors’ yagō (屋号 house name) or words of praise at key moments, mostly during actor’s mie (見得 dramatic pose). Mie is a stylised dramatic pose struck by a Kabuki actor at a climactic moment in which the actor freezes to heighten emotional intensity and visual impact. Timely kakegoe add excitement and an interactive element between the actors and the audience.
House name yagō (屋号)
This topic takes you back to the beginning of this snippet, the theme of the film “Kokuhō”. Most Kabuki actors belong to a traditional house and each house has yagō, a traditional house name to identify an actor’s theatrical lineage. The actors who usually play a protagonist role are the ones born in the direct lineage of a traditional house. Any male person who wants to be a Kabuki actor can become one, but it would be almost impossible to be given the traditional stage name unless you were born in the traditional Kabuki house.
Kabuki in Australia
If you are interested in Kabuki, you’re welcome to come and enjoy the “Za Kabuki” troupe’s performance at The Australian National University from Friday 9 October to Sunday 11 October (Canberra REP Theatre) this year. The ANU Kabuki Club is allegedly the longest-performing Kabuki troupe outside of Japan, performing since the 1980s. It has performed in Nara and Kōbe in 1999 and in Akita, Ishinomaki and Kesen’numa in 2016.
Any enquires, please contact: ZA KABUKI anukabuki@gmail.com
Author
Shunichi Ikeda
BAS Hons (ANU)
MEd (SUNY at Buffalo)
Visiting Fellow, ANU College of Asia and the Pacific
