
are
stagehands in traditional
Japanese theatre, who dress all in black.
Lexical background
黒衣 is primarily read 'kurogo,' differentiating from the other readings kokui/kokue/kuroginu "black clothes" – the go/gi suffix underlining the 'wearing' intent. Another synonym for the stagehands was also 黒具 'kurogo' "black instrument" as they were meant to serve the performance.
Over time, the unvoiced mispronounciation 'kuroko' also started to be used, and needed its own spelling that took the simple 子 ko character as an 'ateji' (sound only), making the 黒子 kuroko word. (Originally though 黒子 was read 'hokuro' and meant "beauty spot.") Hirofumi The two readings kuroko/kurogo are both available for the two spellings 黒衣/黒子.
Description
In
kabuki
is a classical form of Theatre of Japan, Japanese theatre, mixing dramatic performance with Japanese traditional dance, traditional dance. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily stylised performances, its glamorous, highly decorated costumes ...
, the ''kuroko'' serve many of the same purposes as
running crew. They move
scenery and
props on stage, aiding in scene changes and costume changes. They will also often play the role of animals, will-o-the-wisps, or other roles which are played not by an actor in full costume, but by holding a prop. ''Kuroko'' wear all black, head to toe, in order to imply that they are invisible and not part of the action onstage.
Colour variation
The convention of wearing black to imply that the wearer is invisible on stage is a central element in ''
bunraku
is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, which is still performed in the modern day. Three kinds of performers take part in a performance: the or (puppeteers), the (chanters) ...
'' puppet theatre as well. ''Kuroko'' will wear white or blue in order to blend in with the background in a scene set, for example, in a snowstorm, or at sea, in which case they are referred to as or respectively. As this convention was extended to kabuki actors depicting stealthy
ninja
A , or was a spy and infiltrator in pre-modern Japan. The functions of a ninja included siege and infiltration, ambush, reconnaissance, espionage, deception, and later bodyguarding.Kawakami, pp. 21–22 Antecedents may have existed as ear ...
, historian
Stephen Turnbull suggested that the stereotypical image of a ninja dressed all in black derived from kabuki. The theatrical convention of dressing ninja characters as apparent stagehands to imply stealth and to surprise audiences contributed to this popular image, in contrast to the historical reality that real ninjas usually dressed like civilians.
In
Noh theatre, a ''kōken'', wearing black but no mask, serves much the same purpose.
Examples from popular culture
* Kuroko methods were often used by the late
Nagi Noda, notably in the
Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters are an American pop rock band formed in 2000. The band's current line-up consists of Jake Shears (vocals), Babydaddy (various instruments), Del Marquis (guitar, bass) and Randy Real (drums). Former members include vocalist A ...
music video for "
She's My Man" and the
MEG video for "Precious".
Precious
* A Kuroko character appears in some of the '' Samurai Shodown'' and '' Power Instinct'' video games as the referee, and also a secret playable character occasionally. He also appears in the series' crossover with '' Granblue Fantasy''.
* Kuroko are Ryoko Mendo's personal servants in the manga series ''Urusei Yatsura
is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from September 1978 to February 1987. Its 366 individual chapters were collected in 34 ''tankōbon'' volum ...
''.
* Kuroko are used extensively in two Super Sentai
The is a Japanese superhero team media franchise consisting of television series and films produced by Toei Company and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi. The shows are of the '' tokusatsu'' genre, featuring live action characters and colorfu ...
series, namely "'' Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger''" (2002) and "''Samurai Sentai Shinkenger
is the title of Toei Company's thirty-third entry in its long-running Super Sentai metaseries of Japanese tokusatsu television series. It aired from February 15, 2009, to February 7, 2010, replacing '' Engine Sentai Go-onger'' and was replaced b ...
''" (2009). In the latter's case, when ''Kamen Rider Decade
is a Japanese television show and the 2009 installment of the long-running ''Kamen Rider'' series of tokusatsu dramas. ''Decade'', as its title suggests, is the tenth anniversary series of ''Kamen Rider''s Heisei era, and the final installment ...
'' crossed over with ''Shinkenger'', Tsukasa Kadoya a.k.a. Kamen Rider Decade
is a Japanese television show and the 2009 installment of the long-running ''Kamen Rider'' series of tokusatsu dramas. ''Decade'', as its title suggests, is the tenth anniversary series of ''Kamen Rider''s Heisei era, and the final installment ...
appears in the Sentai's world as one of the Kuroko of the Shiba household.
* The title character of '' Kuroko's Basketball'' has the ability of misdirection, which makes him quasi-invisible. This is a reference to the invisibility of the kuroko.
* In '' Monster Musume'', Kuroko is the first name of the government agent Ms. Smith. She wears all black and likes to manipulate the other characters and events of the series from the background.
* In the variety show '' Gaki no Tsukai'', Hitoshi Matsumoto is assisted by the other show members -whom are all dressed as Kuroko- in order to achieve nonsensical sports challenges.
* In '' Tomodachi Collection'' and in the Japanese version of ''Tomodachi Life
''Tomodachi Life'', known in Japan as , and in South Korea as , is a social simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the sequel to the Japan-exclusive Nintendo DS title '' Tomodachi Collection''. Th ...
'', the shopkeepers wear a Kuroko mask. This was changed to a carved wooden head in the American version, a robot head in the European version, and a racing helmet in the Korean version. The Kuroko mask is available to purchase as a hat that can be gifted to Miis.
See also
*Grip (job)
In the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, grips are camera support equipment technicians in the filmmaking and video production industries. They constitute their own department on a film set and are directed by a key grip. Grips have tw ...
References
{{reflist
Kabuki
Bunraku
Stage crew
Theatrical occupations