Make-up

Make-up, or keshou, is one of the vital ingredients of kabuki. Whether the more refined look of the onnagata or the bombastic role of an aragoto hero, the actors refer to the application of make up as kao o tsukuru - making a face. The action of applying make-up is considered very much a part of the preparation psychologically for a perfomance.

There are several styles of keshou for males and female roles and many different shapes of lip and eyebrow styles each with their own name. The base colour for most styles of make up is the white oshiroi. Made from rice powder, on the onnagata it symbolized delicate skin. It may have had its origins in the attempt to illuminate the face of the actors because of the poor light in the theatres.

There are many conventions associated with the use of make up. For example, in order not to transfer the oshiroi to the wigs the upper part of the ears are never made up. However, a"pink" ear is also considered particularly comely. This is felt to be the case with the nape of the neck, which is also left bare. Also for the onnagata a small mouth signified refinement and emphasised the desirability so make up was used to diminish the size of the lips into a vivid red "strawberry" more.

Kumadori

One of the most visually striking aspects for a newcomer to kabuki is the exaggerated make-up worn by the actors, especially those playing the most dramatic roles. It is particularly vivid when associated with a supernatural character. The name of this style of make-up, kumadori, is derived from kuma - lines, wrinkles, and toru - to take, to follow.

Chinese theatre also has kumadori, however it tends to create a mask irrespective of facial structure. In kabuki, the bold lines of colour highlight the eyes cheekbones and jawline which help to emphasize the emotional responsiveness of the character (often anger). It also gave some support to the character portrayal of the actor who would have to maintain a particular facial expression for long periods of time. The style of make-up is standardized for each role.

Kumadori was first used by Danjuro I in 1673, no doubt to help project the vigorous aragoto style character he portrayed into the dimness of the theatre. It was not until 1702 that he was to formalise the make-up with the development of suji-guma. This was probably developed from the striking facial structures found in the supernatural subjects of Buddhist sculpture and formed the basis for most forms of kumadori.

Danjuro II improved upon the suji-guma by applying the bokashi technique of shading. This softened the harsh lines originally used by his father, and in this way enabled better "underpinning" for the facial muscles. He also extended the development of other styles of kumadori.

The colours used in kumadori are of great significance, and it is these that highlight the emotion and temperament of the character.

Deep red on a white face

used more frequently than any other and it expresses, anger, indignation, or rage mixed with cruelty. It can also represent characters with forceful personalities who have good qualities

Pink

restricted to a small number of roles, one being that of the charming or amorous fox

Indigo

second to deep red in usage and appears on the faces of villains and ghosts

Brown

worn by villains among court nobles and by gods

Purple, light green and gold

seldom used being restricted to characters such a that of the lion in Shakkyo, and the golden tiger in Ryuuko