Kabuki is a type of theater that started in Japan 400 years ago. Kabuki plays feature both music and dancing. In fact, the word Kabuki means “singing and dancing.”

There are two kinds of Kabuki plays. One kind tells a story. The other kind is mostly dancing.

Kabuki is beautiful. Kabuki actors dress in bright costumes and wear bright makeup. They also wear big wigs.

Kabuki plays are funny and loud. The actors dance and move in ways that are specific to Kabuki. Their movements are big and exaggerated. They move like clowns and do funny things. They make exaggerated faces to show how they feel. This makes it easy for people to understand what is happening and how the characters feel. You don’t have to speak Japanese to understand a Kabuki play.

A woman invented Kabuki and Kabuki plays were performed mostly by women at first. But then Japan made a new law. It forbade women from performing on stage. Only men could perform on stage. That meant that the men had to start playing the women’s roles.

Since then, all Kabuki actors are men. It has become a tradition. Some actors specialize in playing women’s roles. These actors are called onnagata.

Kabuki is a traditional form of art that is important to Japan. Kabuki is part of Japan’s history and is still around today.