Hello readers, Japan fan here with another topic about Japan!

So Japan doesn’t have Broadway or Shakespeare, what does it have? It has Kabuki!

Kabuki started in 1603 by a miko, or priestess, named Okuni. She began to perform dances and dramas in dry riverbeds in Kyoto. It became immensely popular and more females began to perform with Okuni. They were cast as both male and female characters. However, soon the women began to attract too much attention, the wrong kind of attention. (Go figure huh?) So women were banned from performing in 1629. (Because of course that was the only way to protect them. Yeah, right.)

Young men took over the roles of Kabuki actors, and they placed an emphasis on drama rather than dance. The young men played both male and female parts. Because their voices were higher pitched they were easily able to carry out both roles. But will wonders never cease!! Soon these handsome young men also began to attract the wrong kinds of attention, and sometimes brawls would break out. So in 1653 the Shogunate ruled that adult males only could act in Kabuki. (I bet that made for some REALLY ugly female leads.)

Because adult males were all of the characters, Kabuki took on more of a sophisticated, comedic style of drama. Eventually this kind of Kabuki died out, especially when onnagata danced onto the secene. Onnagata were men who covered themselves in so much makeup and clothes they could truly fool the audiences into thinking they were female. (That must have taken a lot of makeup.)

Behold, the astonishing transformation from middle aged man to a…beauty?

From 1673-1735 Kabuki thrived. During this period Kabuki was officially stylized and several great Kabuki writers lived, releasing many influential works. Around 1750 Kabuki fell out of favor.

However, just as it survived through husky voiced males pretending to be pretty girls, Kabuki was once again revived around 1868, the time of the Meiji restoration. This time the Kabuki Theaters targeted the upper class, and occasionally a Kabuki drama was performed for the Emperor Meiji.

Kabuki took a hit after World War II when times were tough for all of Japan. But Kabuki is considered to be moderately popular today. There are a handful of large theaters in the major cities, and women have once again been welcomed back into the theater. (After World War II an all female troupe was formed, they are still around today.)

Additionally Kabuki has spread West. Kabuki troupes tour through America and Europe, and in addition to performing Japanese drams they will perform adapted versions of Shakespeare as well! (Imagine Romeo the playboy in a kimono!)

That’s a basic history of the Kabuki Theater! Look forward to more information about Kabuki dramas in upcoming posts!