Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Outer robes
(Broad-sleeved):noshi;
kariginu; happi;
sobatsugi; choken; maiginu; mizu-goromo;
hitatare; suo;etc.
(Small-sleeved):karaori;
atsuita;etc. (These are
also used as inner
robes.)
Kanadahon
Chushingura is
one of the mostbeloved Kabuki
plays. It tells a
story of fortyseven ronin
(samurai without a
leader) avenging
their lord's death.
Mawaributai(revolving stage)
Serirefers to the stage
"traps
Chnori(riding in midair)
Hiki Dgu, orsmall
wagon stage.
Make up
In the kabuki theatre,
a character's makeup
is a direct indication
of his or her position
in society.
Thekumadori, literally
"shadow painting,"
which is associated
witharagoto, or the
rough style of acting. It
deliberately enhances
the facial muscles and
thus the expressiveness
of the face.
Costume
Like makeup, kabuki costume is also
a strong indicator of a character's
societal role. Throughout the long
history of kabuki, costumes have
become standardized for specific
roles.
Costumes,
especially for heroic
characters, are
extremely heavy
(sometimes up to
sixty pounds!),
extraordinarily
complicated and
highly exaggerated.
Conventions of Theater
Bunrakupuppets are not operated the strings.
With his left arm and hand
theomozukai(principal operator) supports the
puppet and manipulates the mechanisms that
contra the movable eyelids, eyeballs, eyebrows,
and mouth; with his right hand he operates the
puppet's right arm. Thehidarizakai(first
assistant) functions solely to operate the
puppet's left arm, and theashizakai(second
assistant) operates the puppet's legs.