Kabuki
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The origin of kabuki lies in a popular entertainment of the 16th century
devised by a shrine maiden named Okuni. This lady, who was formerly in the
service of the Grand Shrine of Izumo in Shimane Prefecture, gathered
together a troupe of male and female dancers and performed on the dry river
beds of Kyoto. Due to the frivolous nature of the entertainment - and
suggestions of immorality - the kabuki dances of Okuni and her followers
were banned, but they were followed soon after by all-boy wakashu kabuki
and then all-men yaro kabuki. To this day, kabuki dance drama is performed
only by men, the female parts being taken by actors called onnagata or
oyama.
Most of the theatrical developments in kabuki took place in the 17th
century and early 18th century when dramas were added to the repertory by
Chikamatsu Monzaemon (noted for romantic tragedies) and Takeda Izumo,
Namiki Senryu and Miyoshi Shoraku, the creators of the most famous of
kabuki dramas, Chushingura, in 1748. A Contemporary performance is made up
of drama based on historical events, pure dance pieces and genre dramas of
the Edo period.
The presentation of kabuki is vividly colourful and animated. The
historical dramas and dance pieces in particular are characterized by
brilliant costumes, dramatic make-up and stage devices of the most
elaborate kind. The stage itself is very wide and shallow compared to the
stage of a Western theatre and it is connected to the rear of the
auditorium by a ramp, the hanamichi the setting for many of the most
dramatic setpieces in kabuhi drama. Kabuhi is performed in large theatres
(principally Kabukiea) in large cities and it is very popular among people
of all classes. It has also been staged in the United States of America,
Canada and Europe.
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