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KABUKI

With flamboyant costumes and exaggerated gestures, colourful make-up, acrobatics and
lively music kabuki is designed to appeal to the common person by enlisting any device that
will arouse the emotions. Since the 17th century this unique form of theatre has called-forth
the laughter and tears of its audiences.
The passageway which runs through the audience fulfils a vital psychological function by
drawing the audience into the drama and is a standard convention of Kabuki. The scarlet
make-up tells us that that particular actor is the hero. The indigo make-up identifies the
villain.
People shouting from the gallery help create a dramatic climax to the story. Kabuki actors
strike dramatic poses at climactic moments during the development of the story. These
poses are accentuated by the furious beating of wooden clappers being against a wooden
board on the floor and enthusiastic shouts from the gallery.
Another distinctive feature of Kabuki is that of male actors specialising in playing female
roles. A government prohibition at the time of Kabukis origin kept female from performing
on stage. This forced men to develop and perfect the skills necessary to convincingly depict
female characters to the point where, today, only a man can perfectly portray a woman.
YOSHITUNE SENBON-ZAKURA is the piece we will look at for Kabuki. In a particular scene a man
mysteriously appears out of nowhere and is captivated by the drum-playing of a beautiful
woman. This man is actually a fox which magically changed himself into human form. He
mesmerised by the drum-playing because the skins of his mother and father were used to
create said drum. The woman doubts this mysterious figure her suspicion grows until at
last his true figure is revealed. The fox then states that he has been listening to the drum for
a year hoping to find his parents as he got closer.
This story which expresses the bonds between parent and children arouses our sympathies
as well as those of the woman and the master of the house who consented to give the drum
to the fox. Unable to contain his joy, he clutches the drum and flies off.
Lunch can be enjoyed in ones seat during intermission.
At a time when theatre in Japan was subject to heavy government censorship Kabuki made
political statements through absurd fairy-tales. It was at this time that Kabuki reached the
height of decadence.
The dynamic Kabuki stage is equipped with an impressive variety of mechanical devices.
These are even more impressive considering that it was developed in an age without the
assistance of electricity. Originally, it was all operated manually whereas today electronic
assistance helps raise sets, actors & props.
The integration of all of the preceding elements makes Kabuki a particularly rich reflection of
Japan and the character of the Japanese people. Some Kabuki plays, today, there seems to
be a growing contemporary flare that audiences enjoy.
Because Japan is an island country on the edge of Asia, it has been the beneficiary of other
advanced cultures. Although Noh, Bunraku and Kabuki are often thought to be unique to
Japan, the historical facts demonstrate that they have been influenced by imports from other
countries not only in the types of theatre but also in the types of instruments, fine-arts,
food, Buddhism. Amongst other things, the Japanese have immersed their culture within so
many others, making a mass of culture that they have lived in and undertaken as their own
for years, fusing other counties elements with their own native roots.

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