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Among fans of the Japanes kabuki theater the play "Shibaraku" is maybe the best known and the most popular one. The simple plot and the spectacular costume of the hero are among the reasons for its popularity. Shibaraku is one of the "kabuki juhachiban", the 18 kabuki plays of Ichikawa Danjuro.
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Shibaraku - the Plot
The plot of Shibaraku is rather simple and has only minimal but spectacular action. "Shibaraku" is about the fight of good and evil and how the "good" prevails at the last moment.
The evil and power-hungry Kiyohara Takehira has captured several innocent and virtuous but defenseless people. He threatens to kill them unless they join forces with him.
And at the very last moment, when everything seems lost for the good guys, suddenly a thundering voice comes from behind the audience and shouts "shibaraku", meaning "wait a moment" in Japanese.
Shibaraku - Wait a Moment!
Then steps in the hero and savior, Kamakura Gongoro Kagemasa, in a huge and impressive costume on the long walkway running from the back of the auditorium to the stage. This walkway is called hanamichi, and one can imagine it like a catwalk in a fashion show.
The Costume and Make-up
The costume of the hero is designed to make him look bigger and more impressive. For this reason the sleeves are enlarged by a kind of bamboo construction, sometimes supported by two assistants on the stage. When the sleeves are unfold, the hero looks like a bat and the huge sleeves show the triple-box crest of the Ichikawa family. To make him look taller, the hero stands on high-heeled wooden shoes, the traditional Japanese geta.
Kamakura Gongoro Kagemasa wears the traditional kumadori, the kabuki make-up. The white and red stripes of the kumadori signal the good and noble and powerful character of the hero.
Mie Pose
Once the hero has entered the "hanamichi" everybody on the stage becomes petrified and motionless including the bad guys. While still on the "catwalk" the hero starts his monologue. He talks about himself and his role. This monologue is often witty and may contain some funny remarks and references about current events. At the end the hero performs the mie pose.
A mie pose is the climatic freezing of an action. The actor remains completely motionless. The eyes are widely opened and crossed. Striking the mie pose is regarded a high art by Japanese kabuki fans and is a challange for an actor. The mie pose is the culminating highlight of a kabuki play.
Kabuki Juhachiban
Shibaraku is one of the 18 plays of kabuki juhachiban that still today may be played only by the members of the Ichikawa family.
Shibaraku and Ukiyo-e
The Shibaraku theme is frequent on Japanese prints - from the Edo and Meiji period period until our days.
We know shibaraku designs by Shunsho Katsukawa 1726-1792. Kunisada Utagawa 1786-1865, Kuniyoshi Utagawa 1797-1861, Kiyosada Torii 1844-1901, Kunichika Toyohara 1835-1900, Sadanobu III Hasegawa 1881-1963, Tadamasa Ueno 1904-1970, Hisashi Yamamoto born 1905, Hiromitsu Takahashi born 1959, Kokei Tsuruya born 1946 and Paul Binnie born 1967. Here are a few examples of the shibaraku subject on ukiyo-e.
Ichikawa Danjuro
Ichikawa Danjuro in Shibaraku, 1985
copyright Hisashi Yamamoto
Katsukawa Shunsho - Biography
18 Famous Roles of Kabuki - Shibaraku
copyright protected
Dieter Wanczura
(September 2009)
Literature sources for this article about Shibaraku
Friedrich B. Schwan, "Handbuch Japanischer Holzschnitt", 2003, IUDICIUM Verlag, Postfach 701067, D-81310 München, ISBN 3-89129-749-1.
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