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Kabuki Theatre in Japan

Three characters referring to dance, music, and skill represent kabuki in the Japanese language. Kabuki is the traditional Japanese form of theatre. Tradition has it that kabuki was founded in 1603, in the Edo period, by a Shinto priestess named Okuni. Dressed like man, she and her troupe of mainly women performed dances and sketches on a stage set up in the riverbed of the Kamogawa River in Kyoto. Kabuki theatre, in contrast with older Japanese art forms such as Noh, was cultured for the townspeople and not of the upper class. It remains widely popular among the people, and is drawing large audiences even now. Though highly stylized, Kabuki is much like traditional theatrical art. Essential qualities of theatre include the audience, environment, performers, what is being performed, and performance.

One of the most important differences between theatre and other performance arts such as film and television is the audience factor. The first kabuki......

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Approximate Word Count: 1152
Approximate Pages: 5 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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