Exploring Kabuki

Kabuki, a traditional form of Japanese theater which originated in the early 17th century, is known for its elaborate costumes, stylized performances, and rich storytelling. Its influence can be seen in various works, including the intriguing debut novel Drama Queen: A Muir Beach Mystery.

A quick Kabuki primer from Drama Queen: A Muir Beach Mystery, Chapter 20 (adapted for this post)

Kabuki originated when Japan was under the rule of a Shogun who kicked out all foreigners and closed the borders so no one could go in or out: a fascist’s dream. On top of that, the Shogun outlawed any movement between the four fixed social classes: you were either a samurai warrior, a peasant farmer, a craftsman, or a merchant. And you had no hope of ever switching. On the one hand the rules created a period of peace that lasted 250 years, but on the other, it also created tensions and led to some push-back.

The farmers were in the countryside and the samurai were kept near the castles. But the artisans - and courtesans were considered artisans - and the merchants were pretty much left on their own. They didn’t have to work all day in the fields to produce food for the country, and they didn’t have to follow the strict code of the samurai. Kabuki came from this combination of merchants with money and time to be amused, and artists who had a license to be creative. 

The word Kabuki is written with three kanji - sing, dance, and skill. But, there’s also a verb in Japanese, kabuku, that means to be off center, so the name also conveyed how radical Kabuki was at the time. It was extremely provocative and the performers got themselves into a lot of trouble with the authorities.

Kabuki was first created by a courtesan and was danced by her and the other women in her troupe. They put on comedic performances about everyday life which became extremely popular. Part of the reason for their success was that their little dance stories were incredibly suggestive. Because almost all of the female performers at the time were also prostitutes, Kabuki was banned for being too X-rated after about 20 years.

They tried to get around the ban by having young boys perform all of the roles instead of women, but that didn’t last long either, because the boys were also prostitutes. All Kabuki got banned for a while, but audiences protested and after a year they allowed it to come back but with lots of tight rules. The tightest of which, and a rule that has lasted until today, is that all roles must be played by adult men.

Kabuki is so different from western theater in more ways than a short post could mention, but one thing to mention is that: all actors specialize in a particular type of role. So, if you’re one of the men who plays women’s roles, that’s all you do - women’s roles - and you are considered an expert at being perceived as a woman. In the books which describe these performers, the actor playing women’s roles is often complimented by saying that he seemed more feminine than a real woman. But how a man’s fake version of a woman be more feminine than an actual real-life woman?

These men who play women’s roles are also sex symbols - even today - because there’s nothing more attractive to a young woman than a feminine boy: Justin Bieber, Shawn Cassidy, Zac Efron, Timothee Chalamet - feminine boys aren’t as scary to a young girl as a super masculine man. You’ve got to work your way up to that; so most girls start out with crushes on pretty boys or other girls - or horses. But, with Kabuki, it’s supposed to be sexy. That’s one of the reasons it was popular. The men who play women’s roles are also supposed to titillate the audience with a feminine sexuality.