Have you heard of kabuki, one of Japan's traditional stage arts, originated in the 17th century. In the beginning kabuki was performed by female dancer Izumo-no-kuni and her troupe in Kyoto. 
In the early days of kabuki, women who were also working as prostitutes play women roles. However during the Tokugawa Shogun, female players were prohibited because the fact that some women also worked as prostitutes would harm public morals. 
Since then, female roles have been performed by male actors. The kabuki you see today still carry the Tokugawa rules, where only men are on stage.
Look at the photos here, do not be surprised to know that they are men playing female roles, called the "oyama". For more about kabuki, you can visit:
No comments:
Post a Comment