Onnagata

(also ) are male actors who play female roles in kabuki theatre.

History

The modern all-male kabuki was originally known as ("male kabuki") to distinguish it from earlier forms. In the early 17th century, shortly after the emergence of the genre, many kabuki theaters had an all-female cast (), with women playing men's roles as necessary. ("adolescent-boy kabuki"), with a cast composed entirely of attractive young men playing both male and female roles, and frequently dealing in erotic themes, originated circa 1612.

Both and (or ), actors specializing in adolescent female roles (and usually adolescents themselves), were the subject of much appreciation by both male and female patrons, and were often prostitutes. All-male casts became the norm after 1629, when women were banned from appearing in kabuki due to the prevalent prostitution of actresses and violent quarrels among patrons for the actresses' favors. This ban failed to stop the problems, since the young male () actors were also fervently pursued by patrons.

In 1642, roles were forbidden, resulting in plays that featured only male characters. These plays continued to have erotic content and generally featured many roles, often dealing in themes of (male homosexuality); officials responded by banning roles as well. The ban on was lifted in 1644, and on in 1652, on the condition that all actors, regardless of role, adopted the adult male hairstyle with shaved pate. and actors soon began wearing a small purple headscarf () to cover the shaved portion, which became iconic signifiers of their roles and eventually became invested with erotic significance as a result. After authorities rescinded a ban on wig-wearing by and actors, the was replaced by a wig and now survives in a few older plays and as a ceremonial accessory.

After film was introduced in Japan at the end of the 19th century, the continued to portray females in movies until the early 1920s. At that time, however, using real female actresses was coming into fashion with the introduction of realist films. The staged a protest at Nikkatsu in 1922 in backlash against the lack of work because of this. Kabuki, however, remains all-male even today.

continue to appear in kabuki today, though the term has come to be used much more commonly. Every kabuki actor is expected to have facility with techniques. These include learning makeup, which is vastly different from that of a male character's, and adopting traditional feminine mannerisms. Some of the techniques that actors have to master with years of training and research include being able to move gracefully across the stage when wearing geta, adopting a more feminine posture and physical mannerisms, and speaking at a higher pitch throughout the entire performance. Many actors specialise in roles, such as Bandō Tamasaburō V.

File:Hishikawa Morofusa Two Actors Combing Hair c1700.jpg, alt=Handpainted scroll attributed to Hishikawa Morofusa, titled "Two Actors Combing Hair", circa 1700; showing an (female-role actor) combing the hair of a (actor specializing in adolescent male roles)., "Two Actors Combing Hair"; handpainted ukiyo-e scroll attributed to Hishikawa Morofusa, circa 1700. An wearing a purple headscarf combs the hair of a (identifiable by his forelocks and partially shaved head).
File:Actors in 1860.jpg, Nakamura Shikan IV and Sawamura Tanosuke III in courtesan roles. Print by Toyokuni in 1860, the year of Sawamura's debut under that name on the kabuki stage.
File:Utaemon Nakamura V as Yodo-gimi in Hototogisu Kojō no Rakugetsu.jpg, Nakamura Utaemon V (1866–1940) as Yodo-gimi in the kabuki play
File:Utaemon Nakamura VI 1951.jpg, Nakamura Utaemon VI in costume for a female kabuki role in , 1951.
File:TachibanaDaigoro-Miyoshibashi.JPG, Popular Daigoro Tachibana dancing in a performance at the Miyoshibashi Theatre in Yokohama, November 2007. His crest can be seen on the red curtain behind him.
File:BandoTamasaburoV Nihonbashi Dec2012.jpg, Bandō Tamasaburō V (center) in kabuki play (December 2012)

Notable

* Bandō Tamasaburō V
* Daigoro Tachibana
* Kataoka Nizaemon XII
* Nakamura Jakuemon IV
* Nakamura Shichinosuke II
* Nakamura Utaemon VI
* Onoe Kikugorō V
* Sawamura Tanosuke III (1845–78; ; only occasionally Sawamura written as ).
* Sakata Tōjūrō IV
* Taichi Saotome
* Yoshizawa Ayame I

See also

* Japanese theatre
*
* for male prostitutes generally
*Cross-gender acting
*Drag show
*
*Pantomime dame
*Travesti (theatre)
* Womanless wedding

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oyama (Japanese Theatre)
Cross-dressing
Japanese culture
Kabuki
Theatre in Japan
Japanese words and phrases