Kabuki for Everyone

Kabuki is a traditional form of Japanese theatre created in the early 17th century by Okuni, a shrine maiden who brought her unique dance style to the dry river beds of the ancient capital of Kyoto, and over the next 300 years it developed into a sophisticated, highly stylised dramatic form. This I have learned from the Kabuki for Everyone site. Kabuki may seem a somewhat esoteric topic but the way these pages are put together makes it accessible and fascinating. There are articles on its history, summaries of major plays, an index of related books and films, pictures of the costumes, sound files of the instruments used and video clips of performances. Although invented by a woman, all roles are played by men and female impersonators are referred to as 'onnagata'. One of the highlights is watching how an onnagata transforms himself into a beautiful woman. There is a Japanese language version of the site, too.

Link | www.fix.co.jp