tour 2 of 24
Kabuki theatre of Japan
History of Kabuki
The beginnings of Kabuki are usually dated to
the spring of 1603, when a troupe led by a woman called Izumo no
Okuni first performed on a dry riverbed in Kyoto. They performed
exotic dances and risqué skits which had their roots in a variety
of new and popular dances that began to appear around the
mid-sixteenth century. Women entertainers were relatively unusual,
and Okuni's outlandish, cross-dressing performances caused
a sensation.
A contemporary
spectator recorded his impressions of early
Kabuki:
'Of late
there is a dance called Kabuki. A woman called Okuni, a
shrine-attendant from Izumo, has come up to the capital. She
imitates the town dandies, and her sword, dagger, and costume are
all most outlandish. The scenes where a man jests with a teahouse
girl are popular, and all the classes of the capital flock to view
them. She has even danced several times at Fushimi
Castle.'
During the
first decades of Kabuki, many of its performers, both male and
female, also worked as prostitutes offstage. In this scroll
painting, young Kabuki actors can be seen entertaining male clients
at a
teahouse.
Illustration:
Hishikawa Moronobu, Scenes in a theatre
tea-house, a handscroll painting (Edo period,
AD 1685)