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1. [Name]

2. Kabuki of Japan
Is a form of traditional Japanese drama with
highly stylized song, mine, and dance, now
performed only male actors. Japanese
originally used this as a verb meaning “act
dissolutely” later interpreting the word as
“ka” for song, “bu” for dance, and “ki” for
art/skill.

3. Kabuki theater is known for the
stylization of its drama and for the
elaborate makeup worn by some of its
performers. Kabuki is therefore
sometimes translated as “the art of
singing and dancing.” Since the word
kabuki is believed to derive from the verb
kabuku, meaning “to learn” or “to be out
of the ordinary,” kabuki can be “bizarre”
theater. The expression kabukimono
referred originally to those who were

4. The Kabuki Stage Features
• Hanamichi - a flower path, a walkway
which extends into the audience via which
dramatic entrances and exits are made;
Okuni also performs on a hanamichi stage
with her entourage.
• Kogakudo - Kabuki theaters that have
stages both in front of the audience and
along the sides help create a bond between
the actors and viewers.

5. • Mawaro butal - the interior of the theater
contains a revolving stage.
• Suppon - a platform that rises from below
the stage.
• Hanamicho - a walkway that cuts through
the audience seating area to connect the
stage with the back of the theater. Magicians
and supernatural beings often make their
entrances from trap doors in the hanamichi.
Some stages have 17 trapdoors.

6. The Three Main Categories of the
Kabuki Play
• Jidaimono – historical or pre-Sengoku
period stories.
• Sewamono – domestic or post-Sengoku
stories.
• Shosagoto – dance pieces.

7. Jidaimono
Or history plays, were set within the context of
major events in Japanese history. Strict
censorship laws during the Edo period
prohibited the representation of contemporary
events and particularly prohibited criticizing
the shogunate or casting it in a bad light,
although enforcement varied greatly over the
years.

8. Sewamono
Focused primarily upon commoners
(townspeople and peasants). It is
generally related to themes of family
drama and romance.

9. Elements of Kabuki
Mie in which the actor holds a picturesque
pose to establish his character and his house
name Yagō, is sometimes heard in a loud
shout (kekegoe) from an expert audience
member, serving both to express and enhance
the audience’s appreciation of the actor’s
achievement. An even greater actor’s father
Keshō.

10. Actors are seperated into two main
categories:
Onna-gata refer to the female roles
and Aragato refer to the male roles.
Most main characters in kabuki plays
are aragoto, because of its
superstylized masculine, heroic style.

11. Makeup is also one of the most iconic parts of
kabuki. Actors apply their own makeup by
painting their faces and necks white, then adding
stylized lines red, black, or blue. The colors and
lines that are used tells what kind of character is
being performed. Red and blue are usually
aragoto roles, onn-gata playing young women
have very little paint.
These are examples of famous kabuki characters.
A character’s makeup, like everything else, is
decided by tradition.

12. Kabuki make up provides element of style
easily recognizable even by those
unfamiliar with the art form. Rice powder is
used to create the white oshiroi base for the
characteristic stage make-up, and
kumadori enhances or exaggerates facial
lines to produce dramatic animal or
supernatural character. The color of the
kumadori is an expression of the character’s
nature:

13. • Red lines are used to indicate passion, heroism,
righteousness, and other positive traits;
• Pink for youthful joy;
• Light blue for an even temper;
• Pale green for peacefulness;
• Blue or black for villainy, jealousy, and other
negative traits;
• Green for the supernatural; and
• Purple for nobility.

14. Kabuki is performed in full-day
programs. Audiences escape from
the day-to-day world, developing a
full day to entertainment. Through
some individual plays, particularly
the historical jidaimono, might last
an entire day, most were shorter and
sequenced with other plays in order
to produce a full-day program.

15. The play occupies five acts. The first
corresponds to Jo, an auspicious and
slow opening which introduces the
audience to the characters and the plot.
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
fourths acts. Kyu, is almost always
short, providing a quick and satisfying

16. Are often quite interesting. Flowing
water is usually represented by
fluttering rolls of linen; or creatures
like insects and foxes. Props often
have symbolic meanings. Fans are
used to represent wind, a sword, a
tobacco pipe, waves or food.
Kabuki props

17. Are swung from sticks or manipulated by
helpers who come on stage dressed in black
hooded robesso; they are invisible to the
audience.
The female characters generally wear an
elaborate kimono and obi. Pleated hakuma
trousers are worn by characters of sexes.
Actors playing both sexes often have a
supported midriff because a straight and
curveless figure are regarded the essence of
Costumes

18. Is considered as an art. There are
special teams that take care of
complete and partial costume changes
and are done as part of the
performance.
Costume Changing

19. Are important accessories, with each
costumes having it’s own type.
Specialized craftsmen shape the wigs
to the head. Wigs are made of human
hair, horse hair, bear fur or yak- tail
hair imported from Tibet.
Wigs

20. Prepared by:
Borreta, Suzzette G.
&
De Belen, Luisa Marie E.
Group 4