26th of April 2016
The appearance of Kabuki is attributed to Izumo Okuni a servant of the temple, which, according to the available documentary evidence, headed a predominantly female troupe that in 1603 staged presentation and light scenes (dance, comic sketches), choosing the parched bed of the Kamogawa River in Kyoto as their stage. Gradually, this company has gained national recognition and the plays by Okuni (and subsequently the entire genre) came to be defined by the term "Kabuki". Its basic meaning (literally – the technique of singing and dancing) was supplemented with a hint of "extraordinary" and "shocking" nature of the action. Kabuki is one of the three types of classical Japanese theater combining drama, dance and music performances and offers the viewer a show, in which the shape, color and sound form a unique combination to be associated with the world's great scenic traditions.
A major reason for the huge appeal of Onna (women's) Kabuki dance were the sensual and erotic scenes. Since the audience often had conflicts (even fights often happened) because of the artists, who in addition to the main profession, were engaged in prostitution, the Tokugawa shogunate banned women from participating in Kabuki performances in 1629 (Okamoto). The subsequent huge success of the Vacas (Youth) Kabuki again aroused the disapproval of the authorities, because the performances have continued to provoke social unrest due of the thoughtless behavior of the actors who have behaved, following the example of their predecessors, in an immoral way (Okamoto).
In 1652, Vacas Kabuki was banned, and the authorities demanded a radical reform of the theater as a condition for its continued existence. On the one hand, the young men began gradually to be replaced by mature men, who shaved off a lock of hair on the forehead as a sign of maturity and took heed of the overbearing authorities the obligation not to flaunt nudity and prostitution in performances. On the other hand, from the Yaro (men's) Kabuki repertoire the authorities required the use of kyogen farces, borrowed from the theater, but, based on the spoken language of the time and extremely formalized style of the actors play (Brandon and Takeda).
Through the introduction of dialogue, art dramatics and realism of the farces – kyogen, Kabuki evolved from a variety show with a focus on dance and music into a new form of drama (Brandon and Takeda). After a few decades the farce gave way to plays written specifically for performance on the stage of Kabuki. The design of ideas has undergone significant changes due to the emergence of the Hanamiti (the stage platform at the center of the auditorium, giving the actors the possibility of spectacular entry and exit), and the curtain increase. The duration of the performances could thus be controlled and a discreet change of scenery provided, as well as the ceiling that stood out against the scenery (Gunji and Yoshida).
Of paramount importance was the Onnagata (males who appeared as women) in Kabuki Theatre. Mastering the skill required many years of relentless training. By the middle of 17th century, the main cities (Kyoto, Osaka and Edo) were allowed to construct buildings for permanent Kabuki troupes, and already in 1673, the future great actor Dandzyuro Ichikawa (1660 - 1704) made his debut on the stage of the Nakamuradza Theater in Edo (Gunji and Yoshida). He created the Aragoto play ("cool"), glorifying the brave heroes who possess superhuman strength and use it to overcame the negative characters, enjoyed resounding success among the Edo population.
The performances of Kabuki usually embodied moral values, which prevailed in the Tokugawa era (Brandon and Takeda). They were the basis on which stories were constructed (Scott). For example, Inga - Ojo (the law of punitive justice) shows a Buddhist idea of an imminent failure of the villain or the prosperity and happiness of a suffering woman. The idea mudze (impermanence of everything that exists), is also of Buddhist origin, as it is illustrated by the fall of a powerful military leader or decline of an arrogant family (Scott). Quite common is then some direct conflict of ideological norms from the arsenal of Confucian traditions (duty, obligation, and filial piety), with personal desires and passions, which leads to various kinds of dramatic situations (Brandon and Takeda).
The strongest influence of ancient theatrical tradition in the performance of Kabuki actors of their roles is evident in the so-called forms (kata), i.e. their stylized gestures and movements. It belongs to the plot and they cannot be deleted from the kata at the whim of the actor, thus, they help to maintain the integrity of the Kabuki art. Examples are abound especially by in the kata genre jidai-mono, which featured members of the military class and the action going beyond realism. However, in the new plays the actors move, sit or speak, adhering to the requirements of the kata (Gunji and Yoshida). Costumes, wigs and make-up in Kabuki are trying as much as possible to adjust to the merits of a particular role. Therefore, costumes plays for the jidai-mono genre were particularly stylized and elegant as befits the aristocrats and members of the samurai class. In turn, in the plays EVA-mono genre accurately reflects the fashion of the Japanese society of the Tokugawa era (Gunji and Yoshida). Costumes used in the plays of the sёsagoto genre differ in the fine design, decoration and colors used. Wigs are classified depending on the age of the characters, their social status, occupation, and other characteristics. Make-up is closely linked with the contents of the role. The most famous of its kind is the godfather-dori - a complex of about a hundred styles of makeup of the mask, examples of which are found mainly in the plays of the genre of jidai-mono (Gunji and Yoshida).
In the middle of the 19th century, a decree forbidding women to perform in the theater, was canceled (Okamoto). However, by that time in some sense the unnatural art of the performed female roles by men evolved to such an extent that the actress could no longer perform female roles with the same feminine touch as the male Onnagata, who spend many years to achieve perfection in the art of transformation into a women (Okamoto). Therefore, the tradition of onnagata in the Kabuki theater has become essential, and has survived to the present day. A side effect of the expulsion of women and girls from the theater was also true in the transformation of Kabuki Theatre into drama (Okamoto).
Until 1652 Kabuki Theatre already played an important role in the history of Japanese theater, but it was still not associated with literature. The early plays were, without doubt, very primitive and served only one purpose - to show the talent of the performers (Scott). When only the beauty of actresses and young actors ceased to attract the audience the theater tuned the audiences interest to the plot of the play the audience could observe. Therefore, the action in the theater quickly became filled with true literary content. These plays are based on good-quality literary plot, and appeared on the scene a little later. It is known that since 1664, the four acts of the play in the Kabuki have been linked in meaning and formed one whole entity (Scott).
Special status Kabuki reached the end of 17th - beginning of 18th century during the rise of culture of the so-called Tenroku period (1688-1703) (Scott). While there are dramas, the texts of which were preserved carefully. Curiously enough, in spite of this fact the actors were allowed to improvise and to depart from the text in its sole discretion in the course of the play (Scott).
A distinctive feature of Japanese theater is a complex multi-colored make-up applied to the faces of actors. Wearing specific coloring depends on the role the actor is performing on stage. If the actor plays a young girl or boy, his face is painted white, but in order to show a different age, more colors are added, such as brown (Scott). As an indication of force the make-up artists use their fingers to apply multicolored stripes on the face of the actors. Kumadori is a unique law, according to which the lines of different shapes and colors are applied (Scott). They enhance the emotional color of the male character and shows his nature. Its main colors are blue, black and red. Red symbolizes courage, loyalty, honesty, black is magic, and divinity, blue is evil, angry and otherworldly forces.
We can speak on the literary aspect of Kabuki, since the Tenroku period. Since that time, Kabuki plays were characterized the separation into two categories depending on the plot and actors. The first consisted of historic drama (jidai mono) (Scott). These plays tell us about historical episodes or the exploits of warriors. Many of them are dark tragedies, with several, lively but brief comedy intrigues. Since Tokugava government is very strict in viewing the contents of each play, before giving permission to stage it historic personalities were seriously masked and there are many almost fantastic episodes (Okamoto). The second group consists of family Sevamono plays. They have quite the life story at its core. Permanent heroes of such plays were a courtesan, her opponent, and the hero, who is in a difficult position of choosing between the two (Okamoto).
The most common roles of the theatre are as follows:
Tatiyaku - the main character, a wise, powerful, agile, beautiful. There are several types: aragoto - a fighter who has an extraordinary force; vagato – a refined handsome, wonderful lover; dzitsugoto – a mudry, honest, stoic man (Scott).
Katakiyaku - a negative character, the enemy of tatiyaku. Its types: dzitsuaku - vile scoundrel, a villain; kugeaku - a noble man from a noble family, because of the situation forced to do bad things; iroaku - a negative character, which has a sophisticated handsome look(Scott).
Dokekata – a funny character. He is a joker, slacker and a fool (Scott).
Koyaku - the character played by children, usually by the sons of the actors (Scott).
Onnagata is a female character, played by a man. There are different types of onnagata. The main one is a young beautiful girl. Among the girls there are several types: musmekata – a young and shy girl, dressed in a kimono with long sleeves; akahime – a seductive beauty was born from a noble family dressed in a red dress; Keisei – a known courtesan; sevanёbo – a humble and gentle wife of the merchant; onna Budo - warrior; akuba or dokufu, - an evil and cunning woman, a vamp. In addition, there are roles of aged women kasyagata - old and feeble; fukeoyama - middle-aged woman. (Scott)
In Japan, there gradually appeared whole acting dynasties. Currently, there are families in which the representatives of 17 generations were engaged in the art of Kabuki (Scott). In the past, when the actor played only one role - the one in which he has reached perfection were rather frequent. This led to the fact that the hero studied the nature of the subject and actor is only one actor of the variety. Currently, such a narrow specialization of actors is now rarely encountered, as they usually perform different roles within the character roles (Scott).
During Kabuki performances on stage there appear people who are not actors of the theater. Most often, after the opening of the curtain the audience sees the appearance of strange figures in black robes and hoods that take place behind the actors (Mitchell). They are called Kuroko (men in black). They rearrange the objects in the scene when the curtain is opened and act as prompters. Kuroko are not operating within the performance; it is assumed that viewers cannot see them. The plays in the Kabuki theater are conducted in especially equipped for this places. The balustrade is raised above the ground surrounded by a scaffolding and closed high tiled roof with concave slopes. The roof rests on four pillars. Each of them has its own name and purpose (Mitchell). The stage is bordered by a broad white stripe coarse gravel, which means the river bank, which represents the old place, where performances were staged. In addition, this strip of sand is intended for illumination purposes. Reflection of sunlight on the white sand helps to create an unusual lighting effect (Mitchell).
Without exception, all Kabuki theaters (the building, the scene and accessories) are now constructed along the Western European model. However, they retain some characteristics of the traditional Kabuki Theater. In particular, these include the "Hanamichi" and "Mawari Bhutan" (Mitchell). Hanamichi, or flower road, is a platform that connects the left side of the stage to the rear of the auditorium and the passing at the level of the head. It is used for entry and exit of actors from the stage in addition to the outputs, which are available on both sides of the stage. Hanamichi is, however, not only for entries, but is part of the scene. It is on this platform that actors often play the most important episodes in the play (Mitchell).
Mawari Bhutan is a revolving stage. Curiously, it was first established in Japan more than 300 years ago (Mitchell). Only much later, this device that allows you to quickly change the scenery, without disturbing the action sequences, was introduced abroad. In Kabuki Theater, there are some typical features present only in the Japanese theatre. For example, the proscenium is lower and much wider than in the theaters of Europe. The stage itself is an elongated rectangle rather than a square almost as in other theaters (Mitchell). The curtain in the Kabuki theater is made of red-brown black and green strips of cotton cloth fabric. It is not raised as in the Western theaters, but more pushed aside.
Plots are well known to the general public, so in the theater is important not so much what, but how the way it is done. Acting here comes first. The interpretation and execution of the image - this is the success of the submission. For the uninitiated viewer Kabuki is an unusual spectacle. Colorful, beautiful scenery, stylized costumes, narration, musical, conditionality and sometimes schematic movements of slow rhythm - all of this is surprising to the non-Japanese audience, long accustomed to the rapid turn of events.
The contents of the plays, which have become a classic of the Kabuki Theater no longer reflects the life of modern Japan. In spite of this, Kabuki is loved by people and will for a long time make the Japanese be proud of their heritage. This indicates that the attained perfection of ancient drama is able to withstand the test of time.
Works Cited
Brandon, James R., and Izumo Takeda. Chūshingura: studies in Kabuki and the puppet theater. Honolulu: University Press of Hawaii, 1982. Print.
Gunji, Masakatsu, and Chiaki Yoshida. Kabuki. Tokyo New York: Kodansha International Distributed in the United States by Kodansha International/USA, through Harper & Row, 1985. Print.
Mitchell, John D., et al. Staging Japanese theatre: Noh & Kabuki: Ikkaku sennin (The holy hermit unicorn) and Narukami (The thunder god. Key West, Fla: Institute for Advanced Studies in the Theatre Arts Press in association with Florida Keys Educational Foundation, Florida Keys Community College, 1994. Print.
Okamoto, Shirō. The man who saved Kabuki: Faubion Bowers and theatre censorship in occupied Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 2001. Print.
Scott, A. C. The Kabuki Theatre of Japan. Mineola, N.Y. Fulham Palace: Dover Publications,London, 1999. Print.
