Effects of Japanese Kabuki Theater to European Arts
On Kabuki
The Kabuki theatre is one of the three major classical theatres of Japan, together with Noh and Bunraku theatre. It was founded in 1603 by a Shinto priestess named Okuni of Kyoto during the Edo or Tokugawa period—the period of Japan’s isolation from the rest of the world. It started when Okuni started to perform short plays in the dry river-bed of the Kamogawa River in Kyoto. The word “Kabuki” is usually written with three Chinese characters: Ka (song), Bu (dance), and Ki (acting and skills)—thus, called the art of song and dance (Matsuda, 1998). In the Japanese context, different authors have different definitions for “kabuku,” the Japanese verb where the term “Kabuki” came from. According to Matsuda, “kabuku,” meant “to incline”; for Lombard (1928), the verb “kabuku” meant “catching people’s attention or surprise people by extraordinary appearances and behavior”; for Kurpiel, it meant “to be out of the ordinary.” Summarizing these definitions, one can understand “kabuku” as getting people’s attention through extraordinary behavior.
Kabuki is a traditional Japanese theatrical art form that uses song and dance to tell stories of either famous historical events or the daily lives of the Japanese people during the Edo period (Yamasa Institute, 1919). It is characterized by certain styles or pattern of acting and it combines form, color, and sound in its performances (Kurpiel, n.d.). Considered as one of the most important modes of entertainment during the Tokugawa Shogunate in Edo, it rose to its peak of popularity in the late 17th century, known as the Genroku Period (Flynn, 2012). Because of its themes and depiction of the daily lives of the people, Kabuki performances are said to be “a play of the people for the people” (Theatre History, 2002).
Kabuki theatre is especially designed to entertain an audience using dramatic and spectacular effects (Virtual Museum of Japanese Arts, 2012) and is made for the entertainment of the masses (Japan Zone,
The Kabuki theatre is one of the three major classical theatres of Japan, together with Noh and Bunraku theatre. It was founded in 1603 by a Shinto priestess named Okuni of Kyoto during the Edo or Tokugawa period—the period of Japan’s isolation from the rest of the world. It started when Okuni started to perform short plays in the dry river-bed of the Kamogawa River in Kyoto. The word “Kabuki” is usually written with three Chinese characters: Ka (song), Bu (dance), and Ki (acting and skills)—thus, called the art of song and dance (Matsuda, 1998). In the Japanese context, different authors have different definitions for “kabuku,” the Japanese verb where the term “Kabuki” came from. According to Matsuda, “kabuku,” meant “to incline”; for Lombard (1928), the verb “kabuku” meant “catching people’s attention or surprise people by extraordinary appearances and behavior”; for Kurpiel, it meant “to be out of the ordinary.” Summarizing these definitions, one can understand “kabuku” as getting people’s attention through extraordinary behavior.
Kabuki is a traditional Japanese theatrical art form that uses song and dance to tell stories of either famous historical events or the daily lives of the Japanese people during the Edo period (Yamasa Institute, 1919). It is characterized by certain styles or pattern of acting and it combines form, color, and sound in its performances (Kurpiel, n.d.). Considered as one of the most important modes of entertainment during the Tokugawa Shogunate in Edo, it rose to its peak of popularity in the late 17th century, known as the Genroku Period (Flynn, 2012). Because of its themes and depiction of the daily lives of the people, Kabuki performances are said to be “a play of the people for the people” (Theatre History, 2002).
Kabuki theatre is especially designed to entertain an audience using dramatic and spectacular effects (Virtual Museum of Japanese Arts, 2012) and is made for the entertainment of the masses (Japan Zone,