Kabuki theater began in Japan’s Edo era and is a popular form of drama in Japan. Kabuki theater, which dates back to the 17th century, uses makeup to portray different character types and create symbolism in the performance. This portrait is from Ota Masamitsu’s album of woodblock prints to show the different types of makeup used in Kabuki.
The make up symbolizes different roles and character types. In a typical kabuki play, you might see these colors:
- Red: A hero’s color, stands for virtue, power, strength, and honor
- Black: Often used for dark eyebrows and goatees that represent the villain
- Blue: Can accompany black to show the villain or represent a character from the spirit world
- Green: Used to show ghosts and other spirits
- Purple: Represents nobility in the play
This Kabuki portrait is Arajishi Otokonosuke (荒獅子男之助), one of the most popular and iconic figures of the kabuki stage. He is one of the most memorable characters from the play Meiboku Sendai Hagi or ‘The Disputed Succession’. Arajishi’ (荒獅子) means ‘wild lion’.
