Kabuki dramas sometimes include educational elements or attempt to provoke thought, but the main focus is on the cumulative sensory experience of witnessing the full visual spectacle come to life. Reality and consistency take a backseat to facets elaborate costumes and supernatural transformations.
Exiled from Kyoto, a number of calamities befell his enemies upon his death , leading them to deify the scholar in order to appease his vengeful spirit. Sonezaki Shinju The Love Suicide at Sonezaki - A sewamono about a forbidden love between an orphaned merchant named Tokubei and his lover Ohatsu, a courtesan. The pair commit suicide at a shrine dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane.
Bancho Sarayashiki , and its now infamous well, served as direct inspiration for the novel Ringu The Ring , subsequently developed into critically acclaimed horror films in Japanese and English. The story has all the forbidden romance, conniving and betrayal of a Greek tragedy with some haunting and mental deterioration thrown in for good measure. Picture that being told through the sensual maelstrom of live kabuki. In addition to Izumo no Okuni, the founding performer priestess, many key players shaped modern Japanese kabuki.
He wrote The Love Suicide at Sonezaki as well as countless other scripts, many also about tragic suicides. Sakata Tojuro I was an actor who collaborated with Chikamatsu Monzaemon. He became favored for his realistic and gentle acting style. Around the same time, Ichikawa Danjuro I rose to prominence as a bombastic and ostentatious performer. These styles became favored and are emulated to this day. Other names taken from famous players have applied to several generations of performers, including Ichikawa Ebizo, Matsumoto Koshiro, and Nakamura Kanzaburo.
Each new generation adds a number to the end of their name—contemporaries include Ichikawa Danjuro XII and Sakata Tojuro IV whose lineage was broken for over years before recently undergoing a revival. Bando Tamasaburo V is possibly the most revered onnagata female-character actor still exceling at his craft. The year-old, known for his feminine features and elegant gait, has been on the stage for over sixty years, following in the footsteps of his adopted father Bando Tamasaburo IV.
By now you know kabuki plays combine many cohesive elements, most notably song and dance. Here is a more detailed look at the major components of a kabuki play and how they work together. Music, created by both singers and instruments, helps set the narrative tone and pacing of a scene.
Songs may be performed by one or many singers utakata at a time, and are usually accompanied by a shamisen , a type of Japanese lute. Other instruments can be used to create sound effects or act as cues for the actors.
Depending on the performance, the musicians may be offstage entirely, positioned in the back or off to the side of the stage, or even directly incorporated into the action of the play.
Dance numbers are inserted into performances at almost any opportunity. Actors are trained to move and gesticulate using dance-like motions, meaning dance is an integral part of all kabuki plays. The movements differ based on the character: onnagata female characters flow daintily while doki comedic characters bounce jauntily.
Many performances end with a lively dance finale ogiri shosagoto featuring the whole cast. Actors employ many choreographed movements resembling dance, including:. Tachimawari : a stage combat technique. Choreographed fighting can be hand-to-hand or use swords. Roppo : movement that simulates walking or running. Usually paired with upbeat drums. This technique was inspired by bunraku, Japanese puppet theater.
Since kabuki dramas tend to be set in the past, performers usually wear kimono, Japanese traditional clothing. Styles range from practical and subdued to cumbersome and extravagant. One of the most important skills of the actors is simply manipulating and moving in their heavy costumes; no easy feat.
The costumes and accompanying wigs are made by hand by skilled artisans and are sometimes ornately woven with fine silver and gold threads. Then, colored lines are added to enhance their features as well as describe their character. Red represents qualities like passion and anger; blue symbolizes evil or sadness. Supernatural beings like ghosts and demons wear the most dramatic makeup. Actors apply their own makeup so they can better understand their character.
Alternatively, sometimes decorated kabuki masks are used, though these are more common in noh theater. English information devices are usually available for rental. A couple of runs per year, each lasting between three to four weeks, are usually performed at the Minamiza Theater.
English information devices may or may not be available, depending on the performance. In the Dotombori District near Namba Station. A few runs per year, each lasting between three to four weeks, are usually performed at the Shochikuza Theater.
English information devices are not usually available. Next to Nakasu Kawabata Subway Station. A couple of runs per year, each lasting between three to four weeks, are usually performed at the Hakataza Theater. This wonderful, historic theater is open to tourists to explore on their own. Kabuki performances are held only for a couple of weeks in April. The Kanamaruza stands just a few steps away from the main approach towards Kompira Shrine.
Also located on Shikoku , the Uchikoza Theater used to stage both kabuki and bunraku performances, but these days only bunraku performances are held infrequently. For most of the year, the theater is open for tourists to explore. English Kabuki Web Offical website by the Shochiku Corporation, the leading producer of kabuki performances. Originally, both men and women acted in Kabuki plays, but eventually only male actors performed the plays: a tradition that has remained to the present day.
Two other major role types are aragoto rough style and wagoto soft style. Kabuki plays are about historical events and moral conflict in relationships of the heart.
The jo is a slow opening which introduces the characters and plot. In the ha, the events speed up, usually with a dramatic or tragic moment in the third act, and a battle in the second or fourth.
The kyu is a quick, satisfying conclusion. Sources Cited: Wikipedia. Osome Hisamatsu Othello , , dir.
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