The Minamiza Kabuki theatre in Kyoto

The Kabukiza in Ginza is one of Tokyo's leading kabuki theaters. is the oldest Kabuki theatre in Japan. It was founded in 1610 as Shijo Minami-za. (IPA /kʲoːto / is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. ( in Ginza is the principal theater in Tokyo for the traditional Kabuki drama form

Kabuki (歌舞伎, kabuki^?) is a form of traditional Japanese theatre. Traditional Japanese Theatre includes Kabuki, Noh and Bunraku. 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). are the Chinese characters that are used in the modern Japanese logographic writing system along with Hiragana (ひらがな 平仮名 Katakana An ideogram or ideograph (from Greek idea "idea" + grafo "to write" is a Graphic symbol that represents an Idea Kabuki is therefore sometimes translated as "the art of singing and dancing. " These are, however, ateji, characters that do not reflect actual etymology. In modern Japanese, are Kanji used phonetically to represent native or borrowed words Etymology is the study of the History of Words &mdash when they entered a language from what source and how their form and meaning have changed over time The kanji of 'skill', is however generally referred to as a performer in kabuki theatre. 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. ^[1] The expression kabukimono (歌舞伎者) referred originally to those who were bizarrely dressed and swaggered on a street.

Kabuki founder Izumo no Okuni, wearing a Katana and a Christian cross

1603–1629: Female Kabuki

The history of Kabuki began in 1603 when Okuni, a miko (young woman in the service of a Shinto shrine) of Izumo Taisha, began performing a new style of dance drama in the dry riverbeds of Kyoto. (1572?-? was the main founder of Kabuki theater She was believed to be a Miko at the Grand Shrine of Izumo who began a new style of dance in the dry A is a type of Japanese sword ( nihontō) and often is called a "samurai sword A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth (1572?-? was the main founder of Kabuki theater She was believed to be a Miko at the Grand Shrine of Izumo who began a new style of dance in the dry Female performers played both men and women in comic playlets about ordinary life. The style was instantly popular; Okuni was even asked to perform before the Imperial Court. In the wake of such success, rival troupes quickly formed, and kabuki was born as ensemble dance and drama was performed by women—a form very different from its modern incarnation. Much of its appeal in this era was due to the ribald, suggestive performances put on by many troupes; this appeal was further augmented by the fact that the performers were often also available for prostitution. ^[1] For this reason, kabuki was also written "歌舞妓" (singing and dancing prostitute) during the Edo Period.

In kabuki's nascent period , women were the only performers in the plays. Soon women began attracting the wrong types of audiences and gaining too much attention from men. This type of attention raised some eyebrows and officials felt as if women were degrading the art of kabuki. In 1629, women were banned from appearing in kabuki performances.

A tryst between a man and a youth, probably a kabuki actor. Young kabuki actors were often sought-after by townsmen who followed shudo. is the Japanese tradition of age-structured Homosexuality prevalent in Samurai society from the Medieval period until the end of the 19th century

Since kabuki was already so popular, young male actors, known as wakashu (or sometimes oyama), took over after women were banned from performing. These young men could take the role of women due to their less masculine appearance and higher pitched voices in comparison to adult men. Along with the change in the performers' gender came a change in the emphasis of the performance: increased stress was placed on drama rather than dance. Their performances were equally ribald, however, and they too were available for prostitution (also to male customers). Audiences frequently became rowdy, and brawls occasionally broke out, sometimes over the favors of a particularly handsome young actor, leading the shogunate to ban young male actors in 1652. is a military rank and historical title in Japan. The Japanese word for "general" it is made up of two Kanji words sho, meaning "commander"

1673–1735: The Genroku period

During the Genroku era, kabuki thrived. was a after Jōkyō and before Hōei. This period spanned the years from 1688 through 1704 The structure of a kabuki play was formalized during this period, as were many elements of stylization. Conventional character types were determined. Kabuki theater and ningyō jōruri, the elaborate form of puppet theater that later came to be known as bunraku, became closely associated with each other during this period, and each has since influenced the development of the other. also known as Ningyō jōruri (ja 人形浄瑠璃 is a form of traditional Japanese Puppet theater founded in Osaka in 1684 The famous playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon, one of the first professional playwrights of kabuki, produced several influential works, though the piece usually acknowledged as his most significant, Sonezaki Shinju (The Love Suicides at Sonezaki), was originally written for bunraku. Chikamatsu Monzaemon ( Japanese: 近松門左衛門 real name Sugimori Nobumori, 杉森信盛 1653 – 6 January 1725) was a Japanese The Love Suicides at Sonezaki ( Sonezaki Shinjū) is a love-suicide play by Chikamatsu. Like many bunraku plays, however, it was adapted for kabuki, and it spawned many imitators—in fact, it and similar plays reportedly caused so many real-life "copycat" suicides that the government banned shinju mono (plays about lovers' double suicides) in 1723. Ichikawa Danjūrō I also lived during this time; he is credited with the development of mie^[2] poses and mask-like kumadori make-up^[3]. Ichikawa Danjūrō I (初代市川段十郎 shodai Ichikawa Danjūrō) (1660-1704 was an early Kabuki actor in Japan. The mie pose (見え　or 見得 mie, pronounced 'mee-eh' a powerful and emotional pose struck by an actor who then freezes for a moment is a distinctive element of Kumadori (隈取 is stage makeup worn by Kabuki actors particularly when performing in the bold and bombastic Aragoto style

In the mid-18th century, kabuki fell out of favor for a time, with bunraku taking its place as the premier form of stage entertainment among the lower social classes. This occurred partly because of the emergence of several skilled bunraku playwrights in that time. Little of note would occur in the development of kabuki until the end of the century, when it began to re-emerge.

Kabuki after the Meiji Restoration

Kabuki performance around 1860

The tremendous cultural changes begun in 1868 by the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate, the elimination of the samurai class, and the opening of Japan to the west helped to spark the re-emergence of kabuki. The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the, and the, was a feudal regime of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the Shoguns of is the term for the military nobility of Pre-industrial Japan. As the culture struggled to adapt to its new lack of isolation, actors strove to increase the reputation of kabuki among the upper classes and to adapt the traditional styles to modern tastes. They ultimately proved successful in this regard—on one occasion (21 April 1887), a performance was given for the Meiji Emperor. Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date) Year 1887 ( MDCCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The (3 November 1852 — 30 July 1912 or Meiji the Great was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession reigning from 3 February ^[4]

Many kabuki houses were destroyed by bombing during World War II, and the occupying forces briefly banned kabuki performances after the war. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including However, by 1947 the ban had been rescinded, and performances began once more. ^[5]

Kabuki today

Kabuki postal stamp released by India Post

The immediate post-World War II era was a difficult time for kabuki. Department of Posts functioning under the Brand name India Post, is a government operated Postal system in India; it is generally 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. ^[6] 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. was a Japanese theatrical and film director critic and author The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan 's main island Honshū. ^[7] 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. ^[7]

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. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic ^[8] 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. (anime in Japanese,

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. is a village located in Shimoina District, Nagano, Japan. As of 2003 the village has an estimated Population of 1432 and a density WikipediaWikiProject Japanese prefectures for guidelines --> is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū ^[9]

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. A statue is a Sculpture in the round representing a person or persons an animal or an event normally full-length as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size Pontochō (先斗町 is a district in Kyoto, Japan, known for Geisha and home to many geisha houses and traditional tea houses

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. This article is not about Literary canons of influential works of fiction but about the concept of a canon which defines the world of a particular fictional series William Shakespeare ( baptised Western playwrights and novelists have also experimented with kabuki themes, an example of which is Gerald Vizenor's Hiroshima Bugi (2004). Gerald Robert Vizenor (born 1934) is a Native American ( Anishinaabe) writer and an enrolled member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe 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. was the pseudonym of, a Japanese author poet and or is a major form of classic Japanese musical Drama that has been performed since the 14th century

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. Za Kabuki (ザ歌舞伎 founded in 1976 at the Australian National University, is the longest running Kabuki troupe outside of Japan The Australian National University, commonly abbreviated to ANU, is a public Research university situated in Canberra, Australia.

Kabuki was enlisted on the UNESCO's 'Third Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity' on 24 November 2005. United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established on November 16 The Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity is a list maintained by UNESCO with pieces of Intangible culture considered relevant by that Events 380 - Theodosius I makes his adventus, or formal Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Elements of kabuki

Stage design

The kabuki stage features a projection called a hanamichi (花道; literally, flower path), a walkway which extends into the audience and via which dramatic entrances and exits are made. The is an extra stage section used in Japanese Kabuki Theater. A flower, also known as a bloom or Blossom, is the reproductive structure found in Flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also Okuni also performed on a hanamichi stage with her entourage. This type of stage is very important in kabuki theatre. The stage is used not only as a walkway or path to get to and from the main stage, but also important scenes are also played on the stage. Kabuki stages and theaters have steadily become more technologically sophisticated, and innovations including revolving stages and trap doors, introduced during the 18th century, added greatly to the staging of kabuki plays. A driving force has been the desire to make manifest one frequent theme of kabuki theater, that of the sudden, dramatic revelation or transformation. ^[10] A number of stage tricks, including rapid appearances and disappearances of actors, have evolved using these innovations. The term keren (外連), often translated playing to the gallery, is sometimes used as a catch-all term for these tricks. Hanamichi and several innovations including revolving stage, seri and chunori have all contributed to sophisticating kabuki play, by which hanamichi creates the second dimensionality (depth) and both seri and chunori gains three dimensionality (height).

Mawari-butai (revolving stage) developed in the Kyōhō era (1716–1735). Originally accomplished by the on-stage pushing of a round, wheeled platform this technique evolved into a circle being cut into the stage floor with wheels beneath it facilitating movement. When the stage lights are lowered during this transition it is known as kuraten (“darkened revolve”). More commonly the lights are left on for akaten (“lighted revolve”), sometimes with the transitioning scenes being performed simultaneously for dramatic effect. About 300 years ago, this stage was first built in Japan, and was designed for quick changes in the scenes. This stage is very useful because it helps the transition without any distractions.

Seri refers to the stage traps that have been commonly employed in kabuki since the middle of the eighteenth century. These traps raise and lower actors or sets to the stage. Seridashi or seriage refers to the traps moving upward and serisage or serioroshi when they are being lowered. This technique is often used for dramatic effect of having an entire scene rise up to appear onstage.

Chūnori (riding in mid-air) is a technique, which appeared toward the middle of the nineteenth century, by which an actor’s costume is attached to wires and he is made to “fly” over the stage and/or certain parts of the auditorium. This is similar to "wire fu"of modern cinema. Wire fu is an element of Hong Kong action cinema, exemplified by the work of Tsui Hark, Yuen Woo-ping, and Jet Li, that has been appropriated As these “trick” (keren) devices have fallen out of favor many stages are no longer equipped to handle them.

In kabuki, as in some other Japanese performing arts, scenery changes are sometimes made mid-scene, while the actors remain on stage and the curtain stays open. This is sometimes accomplished by using a Hiki Dōgu, or small wagon stage. This technique originated at the beginning of the 18th century, where scenery or actors are moved on or off stage by means of a wheeled platform. Also common are stage hands rushing onto the stage adding and removing props, backdrops and other scenery; these stage hands, known as kuroko (黒子), are always dressed entirely in black and are traditionally considered invisible. Kuroko or kurogo (黒子/黒衣 "black person"/"black clothe" are Stagehands in traditional Japanese theatre, These stage hands also assist in a variety of quick costume changes known as hayagawari (quick change technique). In plays, when a character's true nature is suddenly revealed, the devices of hikinuki or bukkaeri are often used. Hikinuki or bukkaeri is accomplished by having costumes layered one over another and having a stage assistant pull the outer one off in front of the audience.

Performance

There are three main categories of kabuki play: jidai-mono (時代物, historical, or pre-Sengoku period stories), sewa-mono (世話物, domestic, or post-Sengoku stories), and shosagoto (所作事, dance pieces). History is the study of the past particularly the written record Those who study history as a Profession are called Historians Etymology

Jidaimono, or history plays, were often set within the context of major events in Japanese history. Strict censorship laws were in place almost throughout the entire Edo period, prohibiting the representation of contemporary events and particularly prohibiting criticism of the shogunate or casting the shogunate in a bad light. Strict as the word of the law may have been, however, the strictness of enforcement varied greatly over the years. Most jidaimono, set in the context of the Genpei War of the 1180s, the Nanboku-chō Wars of the 1330s, or other historical events, actually used these historical settings, and the events and historical figures within them, as thinly veiled metaphors for contemporary events. The ( 1180 &ndash 1185) were a Conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans and in late- Heian period Japan. The, spanning from 1336 to 1392, was a period that occurred during the early years of the Muromachi period of Japan 's history Kanadehon Chūshingura, one of the most famous plays in the kabuki repertoire, serves as an excellent example; it is ostensibly set in the 1330s, though it actually depicts the contemporary (18th century) affair of the revenge of the 47 Ronin. is the fictional account of the revenge by the Forty-seven Ronin of the death of their master Asano Naganori. The revenge of the, also known as the Forty-seven Samurai, the Akō vendetta, or the took place in Japan at the start of the eighteenth century

Unlike jidaimono which generally focused upon the samurai class, sewamono focused primarily upon commoners, namely townspeople and peasants. was a social class that emerged in Japan during the early years of the Tokugawa period Often referred to as "domestic plays" in English, sewamono generally related to themes of family drama and romances. Some of the most famous sewamono are likely the love suicide plays, adapted from works by the bunraku playwright Chikamatsu; these center on romantic couples who cannot be together in life due to various circumstances and who therefore decide to be together in death instead. Shinjū (心中 means "double suicide" in Japanese as in Shinjū ten no Amijima (Double Suicide at Amijima written by the seventeenth-century tragedist Many if not most sewamono contain significant elements of this theme of societal pressures and limitations.

Important characteristics of Kabuki theater include the mie (見得), in which the actor holds a picturesque pose to establish his character. ^[10] At this point his house name (yagō, 屋号) is sometimes heard in loud shout (kakegoe,掛け声) from an expert audience member, serving both to express and enhance the audience's appreciation of the actor's achievement. Yagō (屋号 literally meaning "house name" is a term applied in traditional Japanese culture to names passed down within a guild studio or other circumstance other than Kakegoe (掛け声 can be literally translated as "hung voice" or "a voice you hang An even greater complement can be paid by shouting the name of the actor's father. Keshō, kabuki makeup, provides an element of style easily recognizable even by those unfamiliar with the art form. Rice powder is used to create the white oshiroi base, and kumadori enhances or exaggerates facial lines to produce dramatic animal or supernatural masks for the actors. Rice flour (also called Mochiko, in Japanese and Prinic Un in Turkish is a form of Flour made from finely milled Rice. The term supernatural or supranatural ( Latin: super, supra "above" + natura "nature" pertains to entities events A mask is an artefact normally worn on the face typically for protection concealment performance or amusement The color of the kumadori is an expression of the character's nature: red lines are used to indicate passion, heroism, righteousness, and other positive traits; blue or black, villainy, jealousy, and other negative traits; green, the supernatural; and purple, nobility. ^[3]

Play structure

Kabuki, like other traditional forms of drama in Japan as well as in other cultures around the world, was (and sometimes still is) performed in full-day programs. Rather than attending a single play for 2–5 hours, as one might do in a modern Western-style theater, one would "escape" from the day-to-day world, devoting a full day to entertainment in the theater district. Though some plays, particularly the historical jidaimono, might go on for an entire day, most plays were shorter and would be arranged, in full or in part, alongside other plays in order to produce a full-day program. Jidaimono (時代物 are Japanese Kabuki or jōruri plays which feature historical plots and characters often famous samurai battles This was because it was required in kabuki play to get the audience showing different preference, that is in either the history plays or domestic plays like a drama, to enjoy during the full-day program.

The structure of the full-day program, like the structure of the plays themselves, was derived largely from the conventions of bunraku and Noh, conventions which also appear in countless other traditional Japanese arts. also known as Ningyō jōruri (ja 人形浄瑠璃 is a form of traditional Japanese Puppet theater founded in Osaka in 1684 or is a major form of classic Japanese musical Drama that has been performed since the 14th century Chief among these is the concept of jo-ha-kyū (序破急), which states that all things should be done at a certain pace, one which starts out slow, speeds up, and ends quickly. Jo-ha-kyū (序破急 is a concept of modulation and movement applied in a wide variety of traditional Japanese arts The concept, elaborated on at length by master Noh playwright Zeami, governs not only the actions of the actors, but also the structure of the play as well as the structure of scenes and plays within a day-long program. Zeami Motokiyo (世阿弥 元清 c 1363 &ndash c 1443 also called Kanze Motokiyo (観世

Nearly every full-length play would be performed in five acts, the first one corresponding to jo, an auspicious and slow opening which introduces the audience to the characters and the plot. The next three acts would correspond to ha, speeding events up, culminating almost always in a great moment of drama or tragedy in the third act and possibly a battle in the second and/or fourth acts. The final act, corresponding to kyu, is almost always very short, providing a quick and satisfying conclusion. ^[11]

While many plays were written for kabuki, many others were taken from jōruri plays, Noh plays, folklore, or other performing traditions such as the oral tradition of the Tale of the Heike. The Tale of the Heike ( Heike monogatari, 平家物語 is an epic account of the struggle between the Taira and Minamoto Clans While plays taken from jōruri tend to have serious, emotionally dramatic, and organized plots, those plays written specifically for kabuki generally have far looser, sillier plots. ^[12] One of the crucial differences in the philosophy of the two forms is that jōruri focuses primarily on the story and on the chanter who recites it, while kabuki focuses more on the actors. Thus, it is not unknown in a jōruri play to sacrifice the details of sets, puppets, or onstage action in favor of directing attention to the chanter, while by contrast kabuki is known to sacrifice drama and even the plot itself in favor of showing off an actor's talents. It was not uncommon in kabuki to insert or remove individual scenes from a day's schedule in order to cater to the talents or desires of an individual actor—scenes he was famed for, or better at showing off in, would be inserted into a day's program where it made no sense in terms of plot continuity. ^[12]

Another crucial stylistic element of kabuki is the difference between traditions in Edo and in Kamigata (the Kyoto-Osaka region). literally bay - Door, " Estuary " edo once also spelled Yedo or Yeddo, is the This article focuses on the Edo period urban culture of the Kamigata region in contrast to that of the Edo region for more general information on the region see Kansai Through most of the Edo period, kabuki in Edo was defined by extravagance and bombast, as exemplified by stark makeup patterns, flashy costumes, fancy keren (stage tricks), and bold mie (poses). Kamigata kabuki, meanwhile, was much calmer in tone and focused on naturalism and realism in acting. Only towards the end of the Edo period in the 19th century did the two regions begin to adopt one another's styles to any significant degree. ^[13] For a long time, actors from one region often failed to adjust to the styles of the other region and were unsuccessful in their performance tours of that region.

Famous plays

While there are many famous plays known today, the three most famous ones were written in three successive years in the middle of the 18th century. Like most of kabuki's longer, more serious, more dramatic plays, these were originally written for jōruri (bunraku) and were adopted by kabuki soon afterwards. All three were written by Takeda Izumo II, Miyoshi Shōraku, and Namiki Senryū I, between 1746 and 1748. Namiki Sōsuke (並木宗輔( 1695 -c 1751) also known as Namiki Senryū, was a prominent Japanese playwright who wrote for both Kabuki

• Kanadehon Chūshingura (Treasury of Loyal Retainers) is the famous story of the Forty-seven Ronin who track down their lord's killer, and exact revenge upon him before committing seppuku as required by their code of honor upon the death of their lord. is the fictional account of the revenge by the Forty-seven Ronin of the death of their master Asano Naganori. The revenge of the, also known as the Forty-seven Samurai, the Akō vendetta, or the took place in Japan at the start of the eighteenth century is a form of Japanese ritual suicide by Disembowelment. Seppuku was originally reserved only for Samurai. ^[14]

• Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura (Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees) follows Minamoto no Yoshitsune as he flees from agents of his brother Yoritomo. Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura (義経千本桜 or Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees, is a Japanese play one of the three most popular and famous in the Kabuki Yoshitsune_with_benkeijpg|thumb|"Yoshitsune and Benkei Viewing Cherry Blossoms" by Yoshitoshi Tsukioka]] Minamoto no Yoshitsune (ja 源 義経 (1159 &ndash was the founder and the first Shogun of the Kamakura Shogunate of Japan. Three Taira clan generals supposed killed in the Genpei War figure prominently, as their deaths ensure a complete end to the war and the arrival of peace, as does a kitsune named Genkurō. For other uses of the word Taira see Taira (disambiguation The was a major Japanese clan in historical Japan The ( 1180 &ndash 1185) were a Conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans and in late- Heian period Japan. Genkurō (源九郎 is a shapechanging Kitsune (fox-spirit character who features prominently in the famous jōruri and Kabuki ^[15]

• Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami (Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy) is based on the life of famed scholar Sugawara no Michizane (845–903), who is exiled from Kyoto, and upon his death causes a number of calamities in the capital. Sugawara no Michizane (菅原道真 845 - March 26, 903) also known as Kan Shōjō (菅丞相 a grandson of Sugawara no Kiyotomo He is then deified, as Tenjin, kami (divine spirit) of scholarship, and worshipped in order to propitiate his angry spirit. is the Shinto Kami of scholarship the deified Sugawara no Michizane. ^[14]

Major theatres in operation

• Fukuoka
  • Hakata-za
• Kotohiru, Kagawa
  • Kanamaru-za
• Kyoto
  • Minami-za
• Nagoya
  • Misono-za
• Osaka
  • Shochiku-za
• Tokyo
  • Kabuki-za
  • National Theater

References

Ronald Cavaye (1993) Kabuki - A Pocket Guide. Ronald Cavaye (born August 1951 is a British Pianist, born in England and a resident of the United Kingdom. USA and Japan: Charles E. Tuttle,

Ronald Cavaye, Paul Griffith and Akihiko Senda (2004). Ronald Cavaye (born August 1951 is a British Pianist, born in England and a resident of the United Kingdom. A Guide to the Japanese Stage. Japan: Kodansha International.

Scott, A. C. (1955). The Kabuki Theatre of Japan. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd.

Ernst, E. (1956). The Kabuki Theatre. New York: Oxford University Press.

Senelick, L. (2000). The Changing Room: Sex, Drag, and Theatre. London: Routledge.

Facts JPN-kabuki. 25 November 2007 <http://inic.utexas.edu/asnic/countries/japan/kabuki.html>. Events 1034 - Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, King of Scots dies Donnchad, the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Japanese Culture. 25 November 2007 <http://japan-zone.com/culture/kabuki.shtml>. Events 1034 - Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, King of Scots dies Donnchad, the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.

Kabuki. 25 November 2007 <http://japan-guide.com/e/e2090.html>

KABUKI. Events 1034 - Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, King of Scots dies Donnchad, the Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Ed. Shoriya Aragoro. 9 September 1999. Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) 25 November 2007 <http://www.kabuki21.com/>

See also

• Kanteiryū, a lettering style invented to advertise kabuki and other theatrical performances
• Rakugo, a Japanese entertainment form based on comic monologues
• Kyogen, a traditional form of Japanese comic theatre that influenced the development of kabuki
• Noh, a traditional form of Japanese theatre
• Bunraku, a traditional Japanese puppet theatre from whose scripts many kabuki plays were adapted
• Butoh, an avant-garde dance form
• Takarazuka Revue, an all-female theatrical troupe based upon the original form of kabuki
• Benshi, a tradition of narrating silent films, based on the narration style of kabuki

External links

• Kabuki 21
• Listen to music sample of KOKAJI and MUSUME DOJOJI (After clicking on this link, scroll down page)
• National Diet Library: photograph of Kabuki-za in Kyobashi-ku, Kobiki-cho, Tokyo (1900); Kakuki-za (1901); Kakuki-za (1909); Kakuki-za (1911); Kakuki-za (1912); Kakuki-za (1915)
• Japan Mint: Kabuki Coin Set