 Kabuki (歌舞伎, kabuki) - A form of
traditional Japanese theatre. Kabuki theatre is known for
the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up
worn by some of its performers. The individual kanji
characters, from left to right, mean sing (歌), dance (舞),
and skill (伎). Kabuki is therefore sometimes translated as
"the art of singing and dancing." These are, however, ateji,
characters that do not reflect actual etymology. The word
kabuki is believed to derive from the verb kabuku, meaning
"to lean" or "to be out of the ordinary", so kabuki can be
interpreted to mean "avant-garde" or "bizarre" theatre. The
expression kabukimono (歌舞伎者) referred originally to wild
urban gangs of young eccentrics who dressed outrageously and
had strange hairstyles.
The immediate post-World War II era was a difficult time for
kabuki. Besides the devastation caused to major Japanese
cities as a result of the war, the popular trend was to
reject the styles and thoughts of the past, kabuki among
them. Director Tetsuji Takechi's popular and innovative
productions of the kabuki classics at this time are credited
with bringing about a rebirth of interest in the kabuki in
the Kansai region. Of the many popular young stars who
performed with the Takechi Kabuki, Nakamura Ganjiro III
(b.1931) was the leading figure. He was first known as
Nakamura Senjaku, and this period in Osaka kabuki became
known as the "Age of Senjaku" in his honor.
Today, kabuki remains relatively popular—it is the most
popular of the traditional styles of Japanese drama—and its
star actors often appear in television or film roles. For
example, the well-known onnagata Bandō Tamasaburō V has
appeared in several (non-kabuki) plays and movies—often in a
female role. Kabuki is also referenced in works of Japanese
popular culture such as anime.
Though there are only a handful of major theatres in Tokyo,
Kyoto, and Osaka, there are many smaller theatres in Osaka,
and throughout the countryside. The Ōshika Kabuki troupe,
based in Ōshika"大鹿", Nagano Prefecture"長野県", is one example.
Some kabuki troupes now use female actors in the onnagata
roles, and the Ichikawa Kabuki-za (an all-female troupe) was
formed after World War II. In 2003, a statue of Okuni was
erected near Kyoto's Pontochō district.
Interest in kabuki has also spread in the West. Kabuki
troupes regularly tour Europe and America, and there have
been several kabuki-themed productions of canonical Western
plays such as those of Shakespeare. Western playwrights and
novelists have also experimented with kabuki themes, an
example of which is Gerald Vizenor's Hiroshima Bugi (2004).
Writer Yukio Mishima pioneered and popularized the use of
kabuki in modern settings, and revived other traditional
arts, such as Noh, adapting them to modern contexts.
In Australia, the Za Kabuki troupe at the Australian
National University has been performing a Kabuki drama each
year since 1976; the single longest regular Kabuki
performance outside of Japan.
Kabuki was enlisted on the UNESCO's 'Third Proclamation of
Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of
Humanity' on 24 November 2005.
Information source: “Kabuki.” wikipedia.org. Article date: 4
Feb. 2008. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 4 Feb. 2008 <Kabuki>.
Video - The following is a short video
showing Kabuki. The second video is much longer,
approximately ten minutes but an excellent narrated
production. |
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