Overview of Japanese Kabuki Theater Research Paper

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Japanese Kabuki Theater

Japan's classical theater comprises four major forms i.e. noh, kyogen, bunraku puppet theater, and Kabuki. Japanese Kabuki Theater emerged during the Edo period, which was a period of more than 250 years of peace i.e. between 1600 and 1868. The theater is a reflection of the merchant culture that characterized the Edo period as reflected in its magnificent costumes and scenery. Moreover, the influence of this era on Kabuki is reflected in its plays that comprise larger-than-life heroes and common people attempting to reconcile their individual desires with social obligations. As compared to the other forms of Japanese classical theaters, Kabuki continues to be very popular in the modern Japanese society. Consequently, Kabuki regularly plays to enthusiastic audiences in different theaters such as Osaka's Shochikuza, Kyoto's Minamiza, and Tokyo's Kabukiza. Therefore, this form of Japanese classical theater is regarded as a vibrant and exciting traditional theater in the nation's drama or art industry.

Elements of Kabuki Theater

As one of the four forms of Japanese classical theater, Kabuki is a renowned traditional form of theater whose roots can be traced back to the Edo period. Given its historical and modern significance in Japan's art industry, this conventional form of Japanese classical theater was named in UNESCO Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005 (Japan Fact Sheet, p.1). Kabuki is generally an art form that is loaded in showmanship, which has played a major role in its increased popularity in the traditional and modern Japanese societies. There are several elements of the Kabuki Theater that significantly influences its performance.

The first element of Kabuki Theater is plays, which are classified into three major categories i.e. historical plays (jidai-mono), domestic plays (sewa-mono), and dance pieces (shosagoto). These categories emerge from the fact that the name "Kabuki" signifies song, dance, and skill. Moreover, the categories emerge from the fact that most of Kabuki's plots are usually based on moral conflicts, historical events, renowned stories, warm hearted dramas, tales of tragedy of conspiracy, and love stories (Japan Guide par, 4). However, approximately half of Kabuki plays that are performed in the modern Japanese society were initially written for the puppet theater. Even though Kabuki historical plays are usually about modern incidents involving the samurai class, they were originally disguised to help avoid conflict with Tokugawa government censors. In contrast, Kabuki domestic plays were more realistic in relation to their costumes and dialogue. Domestic plays were more realistic since they depicted the lower fringes of society, leaned toward sensationalism, incorporated violence and shocking subjects, and entailed detailed stage tricks to attract a more jaded audience. On the other hand, Kabuki dance pieces helped in showcasing the top talents of onnagata.

The second element of Kabuki Theater is costumes and makeup given that this rich form of showmanship entailed comprehensively designed costumes, outlandish wigs, and attractive makeup. Costumes used in the theater's domestic plays are usually actual representations of clothing in Edo period whereas historical plays involved splendid brocade robes and large wigs. The beauty of the costume is the major issue that was given considerable attention in Kabuki dance pieces. The renowned trademark of Kabuki Theater is the excessive makeup style that was commonly known as kumadori, which is characterized by mask-like styles and extraordinary designs and colors that symbolize attributes of the character.

Thirdly, Kabuki is an actor's theater since plays and dance pieces are utilized to primarily highlight the talents of the characters or stars. Despite fans having preferences in relation to plays and dance pieces, most of them visit the theater to see their favorite actors regardless of their specific role or the specific play. However, every actor in Kabuki Theater is part of an acting family that has a unique style and approach to each role in a play. The family line that is presently led by Ichikawa Danjuro XII is the most famous Kabuki's family line (Department of Sinhala, p.12). The other family lines include those lead by Sakata Tojuro VI and Onoe Kikugoro VII. Kabuki Theater is renowned for its use of onnagata, which is one of its most popular aspects that involved male actors in female roles. Since the ideal for this acting is not to imitate women, it focuses on symbolically expressing the essence of femininity. The display of stylized gestures and forms that are known as kata is an important aspect of Kabuki. These gestures and forms include dance-like stylized fighting moves (tate), special entrance movements (tanzen), and exits (roppo) through the hanamichi.

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The two main acting styles in Kabuki Theater are aragoto and wagoto, which involve a bombastic rough style that emerged in the Edo period and a gentle style that emerged in the kamigata area respectively.

Kabuki Performance

One of the unique characteristics of a Kabuki performance is that what's displayed is usually a small part of the whole story i.e. the best part of the story. Since what's on show is only a part of the entire story, an individual should probably read a bit of the story prior to attending the show in order to improve the enjoyment obtained from it. In addition, the characters not only utilize extraordinary costumes and makeup but also perform exaggerated actions when playing their role. The use of highly-stylized movements in Kabuki performance is meant to help convey meaning to the audience. Performance of exaggerated actions is an important part in Kabuki performance because the plays typically use an old-fashioned form of Japanese that may be relatively difficult for Japanese people to fully comprehend.

The other characteristic of Kabuki performance is dynamic stage sets that include unique features such as revolving platforms and trapdoors to enable the punctual change of scene as well as an actor's appearance or disappearance. The Kabuki stage also comprises a footbridge (hanamichi) that leads through the audience. This footbridge enables the dramatic entrance or exit of an actor, which is a crucial aspect in Kabuki performance.

Kabuki music is a crucial characteristic of its performance given that live music performance using traditional instruments is used to enhance ambience. The use of live music helps in generating a visually captivating and dramatic performance. The most important musical instrument in Kabuki performance is the three-stringed shamisen. Some of the musical genres performed on stage during a play include lyrical music (nagauta) and various kinds of narrative music in which a singer has at least one shamisen and other instruments. Apart from onstage music, ambience in Kabuki performance is aided by singers playing several percussion instruments, flute, and shamisen while offstage. This helps in providing background music or sound effects (which are usually dramatic cracks of two wooden blogs that are struck together or against a wooden board).

Cultural, Historical and Traditional Background of Kabuki Theater

As previously mentioned, one of the major historical influences on Japanese Kabuki Theater is the Edo period, which was a more than 250-year period between 1600 and 1868 that was characterized by peace (Japan Fact Sheet, p.1). Even though the first Kabuki performance was conducted in 1956 in Kyoto, it developed its distinctive form during the Edo or Tokugawa period. Kabuki's evolution and distinctive form cannot be understood outside its historical context or traditional background. During the Tokugawa regime, the Japanese society was organized based on Confucian principles, which emphasized on morality, especially filial loyalty and piety as well as the society's hierarchical arrangement. As the Japanese society continued to grow, Kabuki became financially patronized by rich merchants at the end of the 17th Century. This contributed in its immense popularity as a form of entertainment through which town people could enjoy themselves. In addition, Kabuki actors were frequently invited to the homes of samurai and daimyo and would sometimes stay overnight. Since they catered for townsmen's interests, Kabuki was closely associated with prostitution. After the Tokugawa Shogunate brought peace through centralized military dictatorship, Kabuki actors and prostitutes were classified as underclass as samurai went up the top (Department of Sinhala, p.3).

Currently, Kabuki is performed by men who play men's and women's roles after the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate banned women from the stage in 1629. This decision was influenced by the desire to protect public morals given the violent and raucous atmosphere that characterized Kabuki performances. Historians have argued that the decision to prohibit women's involvement in Kabuki's performances was also influenced by the government's concerns regarding the popularity of the plays. During this period, Kabuki performances dramatized ordinary life instead of the heroic past and highlighted the then scandals that involved some government officials (Delchev, p.6). Through this, the government was attempting to control Kabuki performances by even forbidding young male actors from engaging in the plays. The government's decision to ban women has influenced Kabuki performances till date since male and female roles are performed by men.

In conclusion, Kabuki is one of the four forms of Japanese classical theater that developed during the Edo period, which was a period of over 250 years of peace. Unlike the other.....

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