Introduction
and Scope
Kabuki is a
traditional form of Japanese theater that emerged at the
beginning of the Tokugawa
era (1600-1868). It was founded in 1603 by Okuni, a Shinto
priestess in Kyoto, and was performed initially by ensemble of
women.
As seen at
the right, the Chinese characters used to write the word
"kabuki" mean "song," "dance," and "craft," but the word "kabuki" is
derived from the Japanese verb "kabuku," which means "to tilt" or "to
set off kilter." The storylines of kabuki were considered quite
racy, with wild dancing and stories set in bathhouses and red-light
districts, differing from the staid movements and more classical
storylines of its predecessor, Noh, a theatrical style that used
distinctive masks. Kabuki grew in popularity found audiences at all
levels of Japanese
society.
The
Tokugawa government found these productions to
be dangerous to public morals and banned women from the stage in 1629,
in hopes
of quashing kabuki altogether. Kabuki
troupes replaced the women with young men – this drew fire from the
government
again, with a ban on young men from the stage in 1652.
Kabuki then developed
into a sophisticated, highly stylized and all-male form. The men who
play the
roles of women are referred to as onnagata. The other two major
styles
are oregata (masculine)
and wagata (comical). Important
characteristics of kabuki include the mie,
in which the actor holds a
picturesque pose to establish his character, and the hanamichi, an entry path for the
actors. Kabuki
continues to be a major force in modern
Japanese theater, with many contemporary actors tracing their lineage
back to
the Tokugawa era.
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Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Kabuki
- Kabuki -- Costume.
- Kabuki -- Dictionaries.
- Kabuki -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
- Kabuki -- History.
- Kabuki -- History -- 18th century.
- Kabuki -- History -- 19th century.
- Kabuki -- History -- 20th century.
- Kabuki in art.
- Kabuki in art -- Catalogs.
- Kabuki in art -- Exhibitions.
- Kabuki -- Japan.
- Kabuki -- Japan -- Fiction.
- Kabuki kyogen.
- Kabuki kyogen plays.
- Kabuki music.
- Kabuki -- Periodicals.
Library Browsing Areas
PN 2824.5.K3 Go here for general works and those that deal solely with the presentation of Kabuki plays on the stage.
PL737; PL767 Here, you'll find the texts of kabuki plays and works treating them from a literary point of view.
DS821; DS 871; DS881 This is the section on Japanese history in the Tokugawa era (an era also known as the Edo era); you will find books that deal with the context of kabuki in Japan.
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Encyclopedic and Bibliographic Guides
Brandon, James R., Elizabeth Wichmann, ed. Asian Theatre: A Study Guide and Annotated Bibliography. Washington, D.C.: University and College Theatre Association, 1980.
This annotated bibliography provides an exhaustive list of important resources on various traditions of Asian theater. The section on Japan has a brief overview of theater traditions. The accompanying bibliography is divided up into sections "History, Theory, and Practice," "Plays," "Audio-Visual Materials," and "Reference Works." Within some of those sections you'll find sub-categories on kabuki; each entry is annotated. This is a good source for students who have already done a little research on the topic -- it will help them advance their research.
Brandon, James R., ed. The Cambridge Guide to Asian Theatre. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1993. Davis Reference, non-circulating PN2860.C35 1993.
This is the perfect starting place for anyone who wants to get a handle on what kabuki is. Written by a prolific scholar of Japanese theater, the entry on Japan is thorough and places kabuki and other types of Japanese theater in historical context. The list of biographical entries and the photos enhance this resource. Although the bibliography is not annotated, it is more up to date than Brandon's Asian Theatre.
Although this source may seem intimidating to novices, as all the entries are in romanized Japanese, there is cross-indexing for English words (e.g., the entry "stage" directs readers to go to the Japanese equivalent, "butai"). Also, the subject guide to main entries gives Japanese alternatives for English words (e.g., the Japanese word "keshô" is given for "makeup" and additional Japanese words related to "keshô" are given).
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Monographs
Brandon,
James R. William P. Malm, Donald H. Shively. Studies in Kabuki: Its Acting, Music, and
Historical Context. Honolulu: University Press of
Hawai'i, 1977. Davis
Gunji,
Masakatsu. The Kabuki Guide. (Translated by
Christopher Holmes) (Tokyo, New
York: Kodansha International, 1987). Davis Library,
PN2924.5.K3 G785 1987
Keene, Donald. World Within Walls: Japanese Literature of the Pre-Modern Era, 1600-1867. (NY: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1976). Davis Library, PL726.35 .K4
Keene, a renowned critic and translator of Japanese literature, discusses the roles that the plays and playwrights of kabuki had in the Edo era.
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Articles
Dunn, C. J. "Episodes in the Career of the Kabuki Actor Nakamura Utaemon III, Including His Rivalry with Arashi Rikan I," Modern Asian Studies, Vol. 18, No. 4, Special Issue: Edo Culture and Its Modern Legacy. (1984), pp. 711-723.
This fascinating account takes the reader deep into the world of kabuki actors of the late Tokugawa era. Explores not just the craft of kabuki acting, but the social setting in which kabuki actors lived.
Gunji, Masakatsu. "Kabuki and Its Social Background," in Tokugawa Japan: The Social and Economic Antecedents of Modern Japan. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press, 1990. Davis Library, DS871.T658 1990.
Provides an excellent introduction to the place of kabuki in Tokugawa-era Japan. While the emphasis here, as in most articles on kabuki, is on urban Japan, Gunji touches on the role kabuki played in provincial Japan.
Mishima, Yukio. "The Flower of Evil: Kabuki," in My Friend Hitler and Other Plays. New York: Columbia University Press, 2002. Davis Library PL833.I7A6 2002.
In this poetic and wide-ranging essay written soon before he committed suicide publicly in 1970, Mishima, the renowned 20th-century novelist describes the allure kabuki had for him.
Nishiyama, Matsunosuke. "Theater and Music: From the Bakufu to the Beggar," in Edo Culture: Daily Life and Diversions in Urban Japan, 1600-1868. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, 1997. Davis Library, DS822.2.N558 1997.
This chapter in Edo Culture describes the diffusion of theater in urban Tokugawa Japan, from the bakufu (the Tokugawa government, headed by the shogun) to the poor.
Shively, Donald H. "Bakufu versus Kabuki," Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, 18 (Dec. 1955), 326-55.
Discusses the effects of kabuki on the samurai and how the Tokugawa government attempted to restrict kabuki.
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Web Resources
The Kabuki Story 2001Award-winning site that aims to help students explore Edo Japan through kabuki. Includes detailed sections on the "Anatomy of Kabuki" and "A Visit to the Kabuki Theatre." Please note that there are some mistakes in this website's bibliography.
A fun site with recent updates on contemporary stagings of kabuki plays in Japan. Features synopses, pictures, and a photo essay showing the transformation of a male actor into his onnagata (female) stage persona.
Kabuki-Za Theater
Visual Resources
The
Art of Kabuki [video recording, NHK, Japan Broadcasting
Corp]. Princeton, NJ: Films for the Humanities and
Sciences, 2003. Call # 65- DVD1257 c.1
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Sources for Important Kabuki Plays
Brandon, James R. and Samuel L. Leiter, eds. Kabuki Plays on Stage. Vols. 1-4. Honolulu: University Press of Hawai'i, 2002. Davis Library PL 782.E5.K36 2002.This is one of the most accessible resources for students of kabuki. Brandon and Leiter include modern and historical illustrations of the plays selected, as well as full translation of stage notes. The essays at the beginning of each volume are particularly instructive on the historical development of kabuki themes from 1600 to the early twentieth century.
Go here for a chart of key kabuki plays based on the themes that Brandon and Leiter have identified.
Halford, Aubrey S. and Giovanna M. The Kabuki Handbook: A Guide to
Understanding and Appreciation, with Summaries of Favorite Plays,
Explanatory Notes, and Illustrations. Rutland, VT:
Tuttle, 1956. Davis Library
PN2921 .H3
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