Discover KABUKI 2023 | Japan Arts Council (2024)

FAQs

What does ki in Kabuki mean? ›

The definition of kabuki derives from the translation of the three Chinese kanji characters that make up the word. Ka means "sing." Bu means "dance." Ki means "skill." The direct translation is the skill of singing and dancing. The generally accepted definition of kabuki is the art of singing and dancing.

Kabuki plays are about historical events and moral conflict in relationships of the heart. The actors speak in a monotone voice and are accompanied by traditional instruments. The Kabuki stage is equipped with several gadgets, such as revolving stages and trapdoors through which the actors can appear and disappear.

Kabuki, traditional Japanese popular drama with singing and dancing performed in a highly stylized manner. A rich blend of music, dance, mime, and spectacular staging and costuming, it has been a major theatrical form in Japan for four centuries.

Kabuki, however, remains all-male even today. Oyama continue to appear in kabuki today, though the term onnagata has come to be used much more commonly.

Originally, both men and women acted in Kabuki plays, but eventually only male actors performed the plays: a tradition that has remained to the present day. Male actors specialized in women's roles are called onnagata.

Kabuki literally means “sing, dance, skill.” A shrine dancer named Okuni is credited with giving birth to Kabuki by performing a series of dances in a dry riverbed in Kyoto. Early Kabuki (Onna Kabuki) consisted mainly of dance performances done by women.

A paper fan, a popular Kabuki prop, can be used to represent a tray, a sunrise, the wind, rain, cutting with a knife, drinking, and much more.

Tachiyaku (立役, alt. tateyaku) is a term used in the Japanese theatrical form kabuki to refer to young adult male roles, and to the actors who play those roles. Though not all tachiyaku roles are heroes, the term does not encompass roles such as villains or comic figures, which form their own separate categories.

Kabuki is thought to have originated in the early Edo period, when the art's founder, Izumo no Okuni, formed a female dance troupe that performed dances and light sketches in Kyoto. The art form later developed into its present all-male theatrical form after women were banned from performing in kabuki theatre in 1629.

Aragoto is an extremely exaggerated performance style filled with wild vitality, which is achieved in various ways such as using the powerful performance techniques of the mie pose (dramatic movement sequence) and roppo (stylized exit on Hanamichi stage), and kumadori makeup that makes the actor look somewhat magical.

Who was banned from performing kabuki? ›

In 1629, the ruling shogunate flat-out banned all women from performing kabuki. The reason given was something about how kabuki was corrupting public morals. To be fair, a lot of early kabuki plays were provocative and erotic.

The word kabuki combines the Japanese words ka (“song”), bu (“dance”), and ki (“skill”).

So it goes for Ebizo Ichikawa, Kabuki's biggest star. He invited us backstage for a rare look at preparations before a show. No ritual here is more elaborate, more central, than the application of makeup, which the actors do themselves.

Ki (or chi in Chinese) is a Japanese word meaning spirit or energy. It is a complex and somewhat elusive concept that will vary greatly depending on one's person belief system or faith. Christians can interpret this as the Holy Spirit, others regard it as life energy, George Lucas calls it “The Force”.

き, in hiragana, キ in katakana, is one of the Japanese kana, which each represent one mora. Both represent [ki] and are derived from a simplification of the 幾 kanji. The hiragana character き, like さ, is drawn with the lower line either connected or disconnected.

As it's commonly derived, the word kabuki combines the Japanese words ka (“song”), bu (“dance”), and ki (“skill”).

Kabuki: Japanese classic drama/dance characterized by elaborate and stylized costumes, make-up, acting, dance, and theatrics; performed by an all male cast. Kai: Means “association” or “organization.” Katsura: Wig used for dance (and Kabuki); wig style is determined by age of character, class, role, and gender.