Kabuki

Kabuki, which means, “to lean” emerged from the 17th century and derives from the Kabuki dance. It commenced as a stage show or sometimes called “kabuki odori”, which mimicked the speech and dress code of the youths of that time period.

Kabuki is a farce that accompanied Noh drama performances and featured male and female roles, in addition to clowns and villains. There was much concern that the Kabuki act, which was often sensuous, would pose a threat to the conservative Japanese audience.

Prostitutes copied some of the Okuni dances, so it didn’t come as a surprise when women were prohibited from performing on stage. Today only adult men can be found in all roles of the Kabuki performances.

The melodic aspect of Kabuki is called Nagauta and it is a significant lyrical style which often serves as the background music for dance. Kabuki’s first musical style incorporated the medieval Kouta, Shamisen with flute and percussion accompaniment. These songs were short, like the haiku of music, and also provided theme music for dance. By the turn of the 18th century, the songs became longer with more emphasis placed on composition. Lyrically speaking, Nagauta rests on more fantasy of a certain theme that flows like a story to music.