Hello, this is Mog.
こんにちは、Mogです。
In January, I watched kabuki at the Kabukiza Theatre in Tokyo. It was my very first kabuki experience! In this blog, I would like to introduce kabuki in two parts.
1月に東京の歌舞伎座で歌舞伎を観ました。初めての体験です！このブログでは2回に分けて、歌舞伎をご紹介したいと思います。
Part 1: Basic Knowledge of Kabuki
前編: 歌舞伎の基礎知識
Part 2: My Kabuki Experience
後編: 私の歌舞伎体験
What Sparked My Interest in Kabuki
I had always thought of kabuki as something with “expensive tickets (around 5,000–20,000 yen)” and “hard to understand unless you know Japanese history,” so it felt a bit intimidating.
歌舞伎は「チケットが高い（5000円〜20000円くらい）」「日本の歴史を知らないと理解できなさそう」というイメージがあり、少し敷居が高いと感じていました。
However, after watching the movie *Kokuhō*, which is themed around kabuki, I started to want to see real kabuki on stage.
しかし、歌舞伎をテーマとした映画「国宝」を観たことがきっかけで、本物の歌舞伎を観てみたいと思うようになりました。
Movie “Kokuhō” Synopsis
Kikuo, born as the son of a yakuza, loses his father to a rival gang. At the age of fifteen, he is adopted by a kabuki actor and enters the world of kabuki alongside Shunsuke, the actor’s biological son.
ヤクザの息子として生まれた喜久雄は、父が敵対組織に殺害された後、15歳で歌舞伎俳優の養子となり、実子である俊介と共に芸の道に進みます。
In the kabuki world, where bloodlines are highly valued, the two boys—coming from very different backgrounds—sometimes clash and sometimes support each other as they dedicate their youth and lives to reaching the pinnacle of their art.
血統が重んじられる歌舞伎の世界において、境遇の違う二人が時にぶつかり、時に支え合いながら、芸の頂点を目指して命を削る壮絶な物語です。
Not only was the story compelling, but the performances—polished through a year and a half of training—and the stage artistry were breathtaking.
ストーリーも面白いのですが、1年半に渡る稽古で仕上げた演技、舞台芸術が素晴らしかったのです。
Kabuki is traditionally hereditary. Actors begin strict training from childhood and devote their entire lives to the art. I wanted to see performances and stage art created by actors who dedicate their lives to kabuki.
歌舞伎は本来世襲制です。子どもの頃から厳しい稽古を続け、歌舞伎役者は一生を芸に捧げます。人生をかけた役者の演技と舞台芸術を観てみたいと思いました。
What Is Kabuki
History of Kabuki
Kabuki is a traditional Japanese theater art that began about 400 years ago during the Edo period.
歌舞伎は約400年前、江戸時代に始まった日本の伝統演劇です。
It developed as popular entertainment for ordinary people of the time and has been passed down to the present day.
当時の人々の娯楽として発展し、現在まで受け継がれてきました。
Kabuki plays include stories of samurai, tragic love stories, ghost tales, and depictions of everyday life among common people.
演目には、武士の物語、恋愛悲劇、怪談、庶民の生活を描いた作品などがあります。
Key Features of Kabuki
Here are five key features of kabuki.
歌舞伎の特徴を5つ紹介しますね。
1. Men Play All Roles: All roles, including female characters, are performed by male actors.
1.男性が女性も演じる: 女性の役も含め、すべての役を男性が演じます。
2. Distinctive Makeup: Facial makeup exaggerates veins and muscles. Red represents justice and bravery, while blue represents evil.
2.特徴的な化粧: 顔の血管や筋肉を誇張して描くメイクで、赤は正義・勇気、青は悪などを表現します。
3. Dramatic Poses: At climactic moments, actors strike a powerful pose to express peak emotion. It’s a very cool and iconic kabuki style.
3.役者のボーズ: クライマックスで役者がポーズを決め、感情の最大値を表現する独特な演出がカッコいいのです。
4. Special Walkway for Entrances and Exits: A passageway extends from the stage through the audience. It is used for entrances, exits, and dramatic moments.
4.登場、退場の通路: 舞台から客席を貫いて伸びる通路。役者の登場や退場、見せ場で使われ、これも注目すべきポイントです。
5. Stage Mechanisms and Total Art: Kabuki features rotating stages, trapdoors that lift actors, shamisen music, and dance—all combined into one grand art form.
5.舞台装置と総合芸術: 廻り舞台やセリ（舞台を昇降する装置）などの派手な仕掛けや、三味線音楽、舞踊が一体となった舞台となっています。
How to Buy Tickets
You can reserve tickets from this website (English version available):
チケットの予約はこちらからできます。（英語版）
KABUKI official website
The site also provides plenty of information for first-time kabuki viewers. I studied kabuki using this page before attending the performance 👍
初めて歌舞伎を観る人向けに色んな情報も書いてあります。私もこのページで歌舞伎の事を予習してから行きました👍
https://share.google/KUTxCd6U8jMT56dbZ
About Kabuki | Guide to Kabuki | KABUKI WEB
Next time, I will share my actual experience and impressions of watching kabuki at the Kabukiza Theatre in detail.
次回は実際に歌舞伎座で観た体験・感想を詳しく紹介しますね。
Have a wonderful day 🤗
では、よい一日を🤗
