Kabuki (歌舞伎) is a form of Japanese theatre with bold makeup, stylised movement and stories played at full volume. Its plays deal with revenge, love, loyalty and betrayal. At key moments, actors freeze in dramatic poses. Fans in the audience shout out at just the right beat. A whole scene can turn on one sharp turn of the head.
From a riverbed to the stage
According to tradition, kabuki began around 1603. A woman named Okuni started to perform unusual, playful dances on a dry riverbed in Kyoto. Crowds loved them, and other troupes copied the style. For a while, women and men both performed kabuki. Then, in 1629, the shogun's government banned women from the stage. The officials disliked the rowdy behaviour that the shows attracted. From then on, kabuki was an all-male art. Some actors played only female roles for their entire careers.
Reading a kabuki actor's face
Kabuki tells much of its story through the body and the face, not only through words. Bold, colourful face paint shows a character's nature at a glance. Red stands for courage or passion, and blue or black marks a villain or a ghost. At a dramatic peak, an actor holds a pose, and the audience takes in a single striking image. It looks almost like a woodblock print come to life. In fact, many famous ukiyo-e prints show kabuki actors in exactly such poses. Kabuki still fills its theatres today. Some of the great acting families have passed their roles from parent to child for many generations.
Words & idioms to take away
Idioms & proverbs to carry away
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見得 (mie): the dramatic frozen pose an actor strikes at an emotional peak, often with crossed eyes for extra intensity.
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隈取 (kumadori): the bold, colourful face paint that shows a character's nature and role at a glance.