Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes, and for the elaborate kumadori make-up worn by some of its performers.
The term kabuki originates from a verb that was used to describe young samurai patrons, meaning "being weird" or "offbeat. Kabuki is thought to have originated in the early Edo period , when the art's founder, Izumo no Okuni , formed a female dance troupe that performed dances and light sketches in Kyoto. The art form later developed into its present all-male theatrical form after women were banned from performing in kabuki theatre in Kabuki developed throughout the late 17th century and reached its zenith in the midth century.
Kabuki is therefore sometimes translated as 'the art of singing and dancing'. These are, however, ateji characters which do not reflect actual etymology. The kanji of 'skill' generally refers to a performer in kabuki theatre.
Since the word kabuki is believed to derive from the verb kabuku , meaning 'to lean' or 'to be out of the ordinary', the word kabuki can also be interpreted as 'avant-garde' or 'bizarre' theatre. It is often translated into English as 'strange things' or 'the crazy ones', and referred to the style of dress worn by gangs of samurai. The history of kabuki began in during the Edo period when former shrine maiden Izumo no Okuni , possibly a miko of Izumo-taisha , began performing with a troupe of young female dancers a new, simple style of dance drama in pantomime , on a makeshift stage in the dry bed of the Kamo River in Kyoto [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ].
In the earliest forms of kabuki, female performers played both men and women in comic playlets about ordinary life. It did not take long for the style to become popular, and Okuni was asked to perform before the Imperial Court. In the wake of such success, rival troupes quickly formed, and kabuki was born as ensemble dance and drama performed by women.
