This paper will be concerned with the Kabuki theater of Japan. It will discuss the virtuosity and techniques of the Kabuki actor, as well as the use of body language as it pertains to Japanese concepts of space. The origins of the Kabuki in Japan can be traced to the city of Kyoto in the early 17th century, A.D. Although the Kabuki is performed exclusively by men today, it was originally founded by a woman named Izumo no Okuni. Okuni led a group of women, most of whom were prostitutes, in the performance of narrative dances for the public. In this way, dance was used not just for its own sake but for the purpose of telling a story to the audience. Specifically, the gestures and body language of the dancers were used to tell the story while at the same time expressing the emotions of the characters. This was an important innovation in the development of both dance and drama in Japan. Nevertheless, the erotic nature of these dances, combined with the fact that they were performed by women (who are traditionally subservient in Japanese society), led the government officials of the time to institute a ban against them in the year 1629. This ban further stipulated that women were forbidden to perform on the Japanese stage altogether (Gunji 19). Women performers were never restored to the Japanese theater, even in later years. In modern times, as a result, both male and female roles in the Kabuki theater are performed strictly by male actors.
For a brief period in the middle of the 17th century, there was a form of Kabuki dance which was performed exclusively by young boys. However, this type of entertainment was also banned by the Japanese government. It was decided that the all-boy Kabuki was dangerous to society on the grounds that it encouraged the practice of homosexuality (Arnott 205). Despite the persecution of the Japanese authorities, however, yet another form of the Kabuki theater was established in the 1650s. In...