The Art of Kabuki Make-up

This video is a reflection

On my first ever Kabuki make-up lesson,

Which took place four months ago

During my December visit to Tokyo.

Kabuki make-up is called Kumadori,

A tradition with a rich and radical story.

Kumadori refers to the bold painted lines

That carve the lips, nose, cheeks, and eyes.

As Kabuki is a highly stylised art,

Make-up plays a pivotal part

In expressing the emotions of the actors on stage—

From ecstatic joy to seething rage.

Blue lines symbolise characters who are evil,

Or sometimes supernatural people.

Red lines extending from the corner of the eyes

Symbolise a heroic warrior type.

Purple lines are a symbol of true nobility,

Reflecting the character’s sense of dignity.

What do you think black lines show?

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

Behind these intricate coloured lines

Lies a base of striking white.

Before the actor paints his face,

He lathers himself in a bright white paste

Called Oshiroi, or "white powder."

That’s a lovely word—can you say it louder?

OSHIROI... OSHIROI...

So what is the reason for all this white?

Well, Kabuki was originally performed outside.

It would start in the morning

And finish at night

On a stage lit only by candlelight.

White make-up helped the audience see

The actors’ expressions more easily.

Did you know that Oshiroi once contained white lead?

Which poisoned actors and even caused deaths.

This toxic ingredient was eventually outlawed

In Japan in 1934.

Another fascinating Kabuki fact

Is that this art form faced countless bans—

On what actors could do or say,

And who was allowed to perform on stage.

For example,

Women were banned from performing in 1629,

So young men performed in female guise.

Then young men were banned from the stage in 1652...

What on earth did these poor men and women do?

The spectacle of Kabuki attracted large crowds,

And people came flocking from way out of town.

Performers danced in outlandish dress.

Kabuki theatre entwined with pleasure and sex.

The shogunate watched with a wary eye,

As revelry swelled and morals ran wry.

Fearing disorder, they tightened their grip,

And banished female actors, cracking the whip.

But desire still lingered—refusing to fade,

So young men stepped in and took to the stage.

Another law was imposed upon handsome young men—

They were forced to shave the middle of their heads.

A ruthless attempt to dull their shine,

And strip Kabuki of its sensuous style.

You see, Kabuki theatre gave the common people a voice,

But the Tokugawa government did not like this noise.

They saw Kabuki’s growing popularity as a dangerous threat—

Some performers used the theatre for soliciting sex.

Kabuki championed the spirit of being wild and free,

Audiences revelled in this ecstasy.

After a century of restless civil war,

The weary masses longed for more—

Not just their daily toil and strife,

But something to ignite their life.

Kabuki was a world where rules did not bind—

Samurai, farmers, and merchants combined.

They yearned for a spectacle, vibrant and bold,

A story of passion, in colours untold.

A moment to shatter the sombre and grey,

To dance with the demons of yesterday.

To find in the drama a fleeting release,

Kabuki provided a theatrical feast.

The government tried harder to stamp it all out,

With bans and laws to quell the shouts.

Yet passion burned—resistance grew,

And artists fought to see it through.

The bans on young men and women meant

That mature men had to take the stage instead.

All this led to the cultivated art

Of actors who specialise in playing female parts.

I saw an actor in his seventies play a girl of seventeen,

In a play called Tenshu Monogatari.

His graceful, willowy figure made smooth, gliding steps.

He wore a silk brocade kimono in a deep crimson red.

He had a soft, falsetto voice

And a penetrating gaze,

I watched him transfixed,

As if in a daze.

His name is Tamasaburo Bando the Fifth,

One of the greatest Kabuki actors who still lives.

Tamasaburo’s art of playing a woman as a man

Only exists because women were banned.

If women weren’t banned in 1629,

There would have been no need for the onnagata style.

So you see, Kabuki's present is shaped by its past.

Its history is printed on these painted masks.

Kumadori is much more than just pretty lines,

It holds the soul of ancient times.

Now look closely at my make-up

And tell me what do you see?

Here are two different types of Kumadori.

One side is male, with thick red and black lines 

Portaying a youthful heroic type

The other side features subtle tones of pink.

What kind of character is this do you think?

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You are On the Hanamichi—until next time,

With painted lips, I say goodbye.