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Introduction

Edo Theater

The Drama of Kabuki
January 18 - May 18, 2008

Kabuki theater thrived in Edo-period (1603-1867) Japan. It had all of the necessary elements for successful and popular stage performance: dramatic narrative, music, vocals, and dance. Its subject matter often consisted of historical narratives, revenge plays, and plots borrowed from the repertory of Nō and the puppet theater.

According to tradition, the form originated in early 17th-century Kyoto with performances by a female dancer associated with the Izumo Shrine. The first government edicts regulating kabuki were issued in 1629, when female performers, many of whom had resorted to prostitution, were banned for moral reasons. The same injunction was issued against young male performers in 1652, and from 1653 on, all kabuki troupes consisted only of male performers. Female roles came to be played by female impersonators (onnagata), and by the early 18th century, kabuki had become an intimate part of the world of entertainment and pleasure so closely identified with "the floating world" (ukiyo). Patrons included members of all levels of society, and despite periodic government censure, this theatrical form retained its enormous popularity.

Focusing on the acting conventions of kabuki theater - elaborate costumes and facial make-up, dramatic acting, and exaggerated body language - these prints convey some of the excitement and pleasure that kabuki theatergoers experience to this day. Such works served as advertisements and as records of performances, as well as providing insight into the hidden world of the theater. Many of the prints in this exhibition are portraits of specific actors, while others depict the theater and the theater district. One group focuses on the Ichikawa lineage of Danjūrō actors, who were famed for their bravura roles. This reputation derived from the classic shibaraku role, in which the protagonist yells "Wait a moment!" ("Shibaraku!") and proceeds to resolve the action of the play by killing the evildoers. First written by Danjūrō I (1660-1704) in about 1697, versions of this performance became an integral part of the Danjūrō-lineage repertory. Idolization of actors and patronage by fans, as well as the cultivation of the audience through modified repetition of familiar narratives, all point to the strength and enduring popularity of this highly entertaining theatrical tradition. Savor these prints as an introduction to the enjoyment of kabuki theater.

Exhibition Type: in-house

Selected Objects

Katsukawa Shunshō

Nakamura Nakazo I as "The luminary and leading Rokujurokubu Pilgrim in Japan" (Nakamura Nakazo: Nihon ichi Rokujuroku bu kokin meijin), 1780.11

Katsukawa Shunzan

The actors Osagawa Tsuneyo II as a woman and Matsumoto Koshiro IV as a samurai (nidai Osagawa Tsuneyo; yondai Matsumoto Koshiro), ca. 1789

Ishikawa Toyonobu

Ishikawa Danjuro III (Sandaime Ishikawa Danjuro), 1740's

Ippitsusai Bunchō

Ichikawa Yaozo II, ca. 1770

Utagawa Kunisada (Toyokuni III)

Ichikawa Danjuro VII in the Shibaraku Role and Another Actor as Namazu Bozu, 1820s

Nishimura Shigenaga

The actors Ichimura Takenojo as Kudo Suketsune and Sanjo Kantaro as the princess Tatsuhime in the play Hinazuru unagasu Soga performed at the Ichimura Theatre 1722.11, late 1730's

Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川 国芳

A Parody of the Sixteen Arhats (Mitate jūroku rakan), 1843-1847

Jukōdō Yoshikumi

Actors passing Mount Fuji between the Yoshiwara and Hara stations on the Tokaido (Yakusha dochu yoshiwara hara fuji enbo), 1820s

Utagawa Kuniteru II

Flowers of Tokyo: Bustling opening of the three kabuki theaters in Saruwaka-cho (Tokyo hana saruwaka sanro hanei kaikan zu), 1871.11

Torii Kiyomitsu I

Segawa Kikunojo II as the princess Usuyukihime (Nidai Segawa Kikunojo Usuyukihime), ca. 1760

Torii Kiyoshige

Otani Hiroji II (Nidai Otani Hiroji), 1750s-1760s

Torii Kiyotomo

Actor as a street vendor selling hand towels and scent pouches in the shapes of kimono sleeves (Sanogawa Ichimatsu?), mid-1720s

Utagawa Toyokuni

Sawamura Tanosuke II as the lady-in-waiting? Takigawa (Koshimoto? Takigawa Sawamura Tanosuke), 1811

Shun'yōsai Shunshi

Scrapbook album of Onoe Tamizô II of Osaka (nidai Onoe Tamizô) (1799-1886), mid 1820's

Kitao Masanobu

The actor Ichikawa Danjuro V as Enya Hangan in Chushingura (Enya Hangan Ichikawa Danjuro godai), late 1770's-early 1780's

Tōshūsai Sharaku

Actor Segawa Kikunojō III as Oshizu, wife of Tanabe Bunzō, 1794

Katsukawa Shunshō

The actor Ichikawa Danjuro V in a straw raincoat (godai Ichikawa Danjuro), 1770s

Utagawa Toyokuni

Sawamura Sojuro III (1753-1801) as Ume no Yoshibei (sandai (III) Sawamura Sojuro Ume no Yoshibei), ca. 1796

Okumura Masanobu

Scene from the jōruri play Momochidori musume Dōjōji at Nakamura-za theater, ca. 1744

Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川 国芳

Scribblings on the Storehouse Wall (Nitakaragura kabe no mudagaki), 1843-1847

More objects +

Exhibition Checklist

Edo Theater : The Drama of Kabuki

January 18 - May 18, 2008
View Checklist PDF

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