Kabuki and the Onnagata

What is Kabuki?

Kabuki is a traditional Japanese art form that originated during the Edo Period (under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate), specifically in 1603. A woman named Okuni, a self-proclaimed miko (or Shinto priestess), led a troupe of performing female prostitutes. They stylized this new genre of entertainment with cross-dressing (as women played both gender roles), flashy costumes, song, and dance. Kabuki became immensely popular, and Okuni-san and her troupe were even asked to perform for the Imperial Court.

Kabuki’s dynamism and popularity hugely stems from the conventions associated with a performance. The audience members have always supported their favorite actors by yelling, applauding, chanting the actors’ family name, or even by giving gifts of money. The hanamichi, the distinct catwalk extending through the audience that allows the actors to make dramatic entrances and exits, brings the audience and their idols closer together.  Trap doors on the stage (seri), as well as a revolving portion of the stage (mawari butai), make for dramatic (and gaudy) entrances and exits, and exciting action. Some kabuki performances even called for actors to appear as if they were flying, happening with that aid of wires to lift the actors off the ground.

Two kabuki actors performing a mie

The kabuki plays please many audiences with all sorts of flashy devices and acting nuances. Costumes and makeup tends to exaggerate the character and the expressions of an actor’s role. Character traits and high points in the plays’ action are shown through the traditional poses called mie. When performing a mie, a kabuki actor will strike a pose, make and exaggerated facial expression, and cross their eyes. The mie are usually held for a brief amount of time.

The problem with the popularity of kabuki (during the Edo period) came from the social background of many of the performers. Not only were most, if not all, of the performances risqué, but many of the performers themselves were available for prostitution. In 1629, women’s kabuki (onna-kabuki) was banned by the shogunate for being too erotic, and this led to the rise of yaro-kabuki, or “young man’s kabuki.” Here is when we see the beginning of the onnagata role in kabuki.

 

Here we see an excerpt from Fuji Musume in which an onnagata performs a dance.

The Evolution of Onnagata

Onnagata, also called oyama, is the title given to men who specialize in performing women’s roles in kabuki theater. Young men were often chosen for these roles due to their less-masculine appearance and higher voice than older males. Unfortunately for kabuki, the driving eroticism behind kabuki and the availability of onnagata for prostitution resulted in a ban on all onnagata roles, but the ban was rescinded by 1644.

Modern onnagata wearing the traditional murasaki boshi

The removal of the ban on onnagata roles, however, was based upon condition. All actors were required to adopt an adult male hairstyle with a shaved pate (the top of the head). This requirement led to one of the most iconic aspects of the onnagata: the headscarf. The murasaki boshi is a purple headscarf that was worn by onnagata to signify their role in kabuki (as well as society) and solidify their erotic significance. Once a ban on the wearing of wigs by onnagata was lifted, the headscarf began to disappear. However, murasaki boshi survives to this day as a ceremonial accessory.

A modern onnagata

Onnagata must possess special qualities. An onnagata must be virtuous and gentle, and they must be feminine and alluring. The high-pitched voices of the onnagata, along with graceful movements and an idealized image, make these actors paradigms of the female persona. The skill of onnagata is a blend of psychology and stylized form. These actors are skilled in the art of onnarashisa, on “woman-likeness,” and, in the past, they carried it with them on as well as off the stage. Early onnagata were even required to maintain their female persona outside of the theater! These actors were often skilled at performing as keisei, literally “castle-topplers.” Keisei refers to prostitutes of the highest magnitude, but the term was not used to discern a “good” prostitute from a “bad” one. 

In today’s kabuki performances, men still dominate the onnagata roles; however, some smaller kabuki troupes use women actors. Men who are onnagata are no longer required to carry themselves as females in society, and prostitution is no longer a driving force behind the performances. 

Image/Video Sources: 

"Fuji Musume (part 2)." YouTube.com. Web. 27 Feb 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqtgJ8I5yb0>.

Kabuki. Web. 27 Feb 2011. <http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/indepth/history/experience/x.html>. 

ODFW Extends Wolf Kill Permit Two More Months.... Web. 27 Feb 2011. <http://howlingforjustice.wordpress.com/2010/06/25/odfw-extends-wolf-kill-permit-two-more-months/>.

pon uno, toma dos, todos ponen TOMA TODO. Web. 27 Feb 2011. <http://tiralapirinola.blogsome.com/2009/07/28/156/>. 

"Riho Makise and Fukusuke Nakamura in 'Musume Dojoji -- Jaen no Koi'." Director follows kabuki offstage to find the essence of onnagata. Web. 27 Feb 2011. <http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ff20040908a3.html>.

Information Sources:

Felner, Mira, and Claudia Orenstein. The World of Theatre: Tradition and Innovation. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon, 2006. 129-32. Print.

Fiorillo, John. "FAQ: Onnagata." Viewing Japanese Prints. John Fiorillo, 2001. Web. 27 Feb 2011. <http://www.viewingjapaneseprints.net/texts/topictexts/faq/faq_onnagata.html>. 

"Kabuki." Japan Zone. Japan Zone, 2010. Web. 27 Feb 2011. <http://www.japan-zone.com/culture/kabuki.shtml>.

"Kabuki." Wikipedia.org. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 17 Feb 2011. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabuki>.

"Onnagata." Wikipedia.org. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 4 Jan 2011. Web. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onnagata>.

Selenick, Laurence. The Changing Room: Sex, Drag, and Theater. Google eBook. Psychology Press, 2000. 70-2. eBook.