Female Kabuki

The name of the early Kabuki. In a broad sense, it refers to the art of Kabuki dance with a female lead, including Okuni Kabuki, but it usually refers to the Kabuki dance performed by prostitutes that imitated Okuni Kabuki and was performed after Okuni Kabuki, so-called "Prostitute Kabuki". It became popular almost nationwide after 1605 (Keicho 10) and continued until 1629 (Kan'ei 6) when it was banned for being corrupting public morals. This was a time when pleasure quarters were established in cities around the country, including Kyoto, Osaka, and Edo, and these brothels organized troupes and held performances as an effective way to sell their bodies. For example, the Tokaido Meishoki describes the nature of Sado Island, which is described as "a place called Sado Island in Rokujo Keisei-machi, where a stage was set up at Shijogawara and many keisei danced." A female courtesan (called an osho) sat in the center of the stage on a luxurious chair draped with peacock feathers and tiger skin, carrying a newly arrived shamisen, and played the instrument. The numerous courtesans surrounding her sang in unison and performed an erotic dance in unison. Think of it as a Harimise-style revue. Courtesans such as Sadoshima Shokichi, Murayama Sakon, Okamoto Oribe, Ono Kodayu, Dekishima Hayato, Sugiyama Tanomo, and Ikushima Tango no Kami left their mark on the world through their Kabuki dancing.

Female Kabuki spread to newly emerging castle towns, temple towns, mining towns, and port towns, and some even emerged in those areas, where it flourished. Many feudal lords from various provinces were fans of Kabuki, and there are records of Asano Yoshinaga, Date Masamune, and Kato Kiyomasa inviting Kabuki tayu to their drinking parties and having them perform. There are also scattered articles about female Kabuki tayu attending drinking parties in historical documents related to Christianity from the early modern period. The structure of female Kabuki theaters, the status of the audience, the customs of men and women, and the performance style performed on stage are all thoroughly depicted in the many surviving maps such as Shijo Kawarazu and Rakuchu Rakugaizu. After the ban on women performing arts in 1629 (Kan'ei 6), the performances of young men, which had been performed in parallel, were pushed aside, and came to be called wakashu Kabuki.

[Yukio Hattori]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

創始期の歌舞伎の名称。広義には阿国(おくに)歌舞伎をも含めて、主演者が女性である歌舞伎踊の芸能をよぶ名であるが、普通は阿国歌舞伎以後、これを模倣して演じられるようになった遊女による歌舞伎踊、いわゆる「遊女歌舞伎」をさしてよぶことが多い。1605年（慶長10）以後ほとんど全国的に流行し、1629年（寛永6）に風俗を乱すとの理由で禁じられるまで続いた。この時代はたまたま京都、大坂、江戸をはじめ各地方の都市に遊里が固定した時代であり、それら遊女屋が座を組織して売色の効果的な手段として興行したものである。たとえば、『東海道名所記』に「六条の傾城町(けいせいまち)より佐渡島といふもの、四条川原に舞台をたて、けいせい数多(あまた)出して舞をどらせけり」というのがその性格であった。当時新渡来の三味線を抱えた女太夫(たゆう)（和尚(おしょう)とよんだ）が舞台中央に、クジャクの羽根やトラの皮をかけた豪華な椅子(いす)に座って弾じると、これを取り巻く多数の遊女たちが、声をそろえて歌を歌い、振りをそろえて扇情的な踊りを踊った。張見世(はりみせ)的なレビューと思えばよい。佐渡島正吉、村山左近、岡本織部、小野小太夫、出来島隼人(はやと)、杉山主殿(たのも)、幾島丹後守(いくしまたんごのかみ)らの遊女は、歌舞伎踊によって名を残した。

　女歌舞伎は新興の城下町、門前町、鉱山町、港湾町などに下り、またその地に発生するものもあって盛行を示した。諸国の大名にもこれを愛好する者が多く、浅野幸長(よしなが)、伊達政宗(だてまさむね)、加藤清正らが酒席に歌舞伎太夫を招き、芸を演じさせた記録がある。近世初頭のキリシタン関係の史料にも女歌舞伎の太夫を酒席にはべらせた記事が散見される。女歌舞伎の小屋の構造、観客の身分、男女風俗、舞台で行われている芸態などは、数多く残っている四条河原図や洛中(らくちゅう)洛外図などに余すところなく描き出されている。1629年（寛永6）の女性芸能禁止のあとは、並行して行われていた若衆の芸能が押し出される形となり、若衆(わかしゅ)歌舞伎と称されるようになった。

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