Japanese Kabuki Theatre Overview

Kabuki Makeup and Costumes

• Rice powder is used to create the white oshiroi base for the characteristic stage makeup.
• Kumadori enhances or exaggerates facial lines to produce dramatic animal or supernatural character.
• Costumes are often symbolic, such as fans representing wind, a sword, a tobacco pipe, waves, or food.
• Female characters generally wear an elaborate kimono and obi.
• Pleated hakuma trousers are worn by characters of exes.
• Actors playing both sexes often have a supported midriff because a straight and curveless figure are regarded as the essence of beauty.

Kabuki Play Structure

• The play occupies five acts: jo, ha, the third act, the fourth act, and kyu.
• Jo is an auspicious and slow opening that introduces the audience to the characters and the plot.
• Ha speeds up events, culminating in a great moment of drama or tragedy in the third act.
• Kyu is a short and satisfying conclusion.

Kabuki Stage and Props

• The stage features include a revolving stage (mawaro butal), a platform that rises from below the stage (suppon), and a walkway that cuts through the audience seating area (hanamichi).
• Props are often symbolic, such as flowing water represented by fluttering rolls of linen.
• Props can also include creatures like insects and foxes.

Kabuki Categories and Elements

• The three main categories of Kabuki play are Jidaimono (historical or pre-Sengoku period stories), Sewamono (domestic or post-Sengoku stories), and Shosagoto (dance pieces).
• Elements of Kabuki include mie (actor holding a picturesque pose to establish his character and his house name) and yago (the name of the actor's house).
• Actors are separated into two main categories: Onna-gata (female roles) and Aragoto (male roles).

Kabuki Performance and Tradition

• Kabuki is a traditional Japanese drama with highly stylized song, mime, and dance, performed only by male actors.
• The performers immediately move to the center north upon entering the stage.
• All characters enter from the east and exit from the west.
• The audience is always seated south of the stage, making north the most important direction.