Final Draft

How can Japanese People Prevent Kabuki from Declining?

    “Today, Kabuki is the most popular of the traditional styles of Japanese drama,” UNESCO described (United). Do you agree with the explanation? Kabuki was registered on “the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in 2005” (“Kabuki”). It means that Kabuki was evaluated highly in the world. Nevertheless, according to one research about Kabuki, about ninety percent of young people have not seen Kabuki (DIMSDRIVE). It shows that Kabuki faces a crisis to take over traditions for the future.

    In fact, the state of industries supporting Kabuki becomes worse and worse. Ichikawa Danjyuro, a Kabuki actor, explained in his interview that the number of “producers of okuchibakama (a type of hakama pleated trousers)” was only one (Nakatani). He also said that other manufactures used in Kabuki faced crisis (Nakatani). Kabuki uses various items, like umbrellas and kimono. If those industries become extinct, Kabuki actors have to use other items imported from foreign countries instead of them. It means the decline of Kabuki as a Japanese traditional culture.  

Thus, Japanese people need to acknowledge the value of Kabuki, and protect it for the future, so the quality and quantity of audiences should be improved in order to continue to exist Kabuki. The ways for this are that 1) a curriculum to learn Kabuki deeply for children, 2) a variety of publicity to attract Japanese young people.

Ⅰ. Cause of Declining and Necessity of Kabuki

     To begin, it is important to consider the significance of decline of Kabuki. The reason why Japanese young people are not interested in Kabuki is related to the history of Japan and Kabuki. Kabuki was inherited for four hundred years. In 1603, “Izumo no Okuni” started a modern performance of dance and drama, so the kanji of Kabuki means a song and a dance in Edo era (“Kabuki”). It became a popular entertainment among the general public, because it was a source of information about new trend like music, clothes and actors at the time (“Kabuki”). However, Western culture came to Japan in Meiji era (“Kabuki”). Daily lives including education and culture became westernized by Japanese government (ISCRCP et al. 24). Therefore, people did not feel the reality when they saw Kabuki, because there were differences between lives shown by Kabuki and the real lives in Meiji era. It is a big reason why people became indifferent to Kabuki. Today, the world becomes global more and more. In addition, people can get information of foreign culture easily by using high technology. These social back grounds promotes that Japanese young people prefer foreign culture to Japanese traditional culture. It causes the decline of Kabuki.

     Kabuki should be preserved for the future, because Kabuki shows daily lives in Edo era. For instance, people in Edo era often use “tenugui”, a type of towel (Yoshida 29-35) In Kabuki, audiences can learn how to use it at the time (Yoshida 29-35). It means that Kabuki plays an important role as information of history. Therefore, Japanese people should take actions to inherit Kabuki for the future.

Figure1. Kabuki is very popular for general public in Edo era, so Japanese young people should accept the value of Kabuki. Image by Neo Kabuki Online: http://second01.s352.xrea.com/; n.d.; Web; 31 Oct. 2011.

Ⅱ. Education to Learn Kabuki for All Children

     First solution is that Japanese ministry of education should include a class of learning Kabuki in the curriculums of both elementary school and junior high school. According to Toshio Kawatake, a professor of a Waseda university, the attention and the ability to understand Kabuki of Japanese young people is almost as low as that of foreigners (ISCRCP et al. 23-26). It means that a chance to learn Kabuki deeply is demanded to acknowledge the value of Kabuki. However, it is difficult to have enough time to know Kabuki except for a school, so it is the best way to get opportunities to learn it as compulsory education. When I asked some friends whether you have seen Kabuki or not, Yurika Goto, one of my section mates, answered that she had been Kabuki-za to see Kabuki without paying a fee because of a class in her high school. I was surprised at her story, because I had never taken such a class when I was a high school student. According to a committee of education in Tokyo, it makes up a curriculum of public schools in Tokyo to learn or experience Japanese traditional culture (Tokyo). It must be nice for children, but this implies that Japanese governments do not give all children opportunities to learn it equally. In other words, whether children can learn Kabuki in a school or not depends on curriculums of each prefecture. This situation needs to be changed.

It is the best way that children take a class to learn Kabuki a week, because it is essential to keep children’s attention to Kabuki. In addition, children should get an  opportunity to see or experience Kabuki per year. There are a lot of things to learn, like the meaning of difficult words, history and declining. Especially, make-up and dance of Kabuki are unique, so the experiences of them are meaningful for children to feel a sense of closeness toward Kabuki. This curriculum will spend a lot of time and money. However, the number of children has decreased in Japan, so an expense for education has decreased in Japan. In fact, the national assistance of education in 2007 is as half as that in 1998 (MEXT). Hence, it is possible to spend remaining money on classes of Kabuki. Children need to curious the future of Kabuki, and have a sense of impending crisis through education to take over Japanese traditions. 

Therefore, Japanese ministry of education should oblige all of prefectures to make a curriculum which all children can learn Kabuki equally.

Figure2. Experiences of kabuki are important for children who become next generation to protect Kabuki. Image by Yamashiokan; http://www.yamashio.com/blog/2010/03/ post-77.html; 20 Mar.2011; Web; 31 Oct.2011.

Ⅲ. New Fields of publicity

     Second solution is a variety of publicity using latest technologies to inform truths. It is because a lot of people have mistaken negative images about Kabuki even though they do not see the real Kabuki. For Instance, the most reason why people do not see Kabuki is the price of Kabuki ticket (DIMSDRIVE). About seventy percent of them want to see Kabuki if the price of Kabuki ticket is less than one thousand yen (DIMSDRIVE). However, the cheapest ticket is four hundred eighty yen for one show. It is cheaper than a movie ticket. Surprisingly, less than five percent of people know this fact (DIMSDRIVE). In addition, some young people say that Kabuki is boring, because it is too old for young people. However, new Kabuki is created even now. Young Kabuki actors create new works reflected modern times. For instance, Ichikawa Shinnosuke creates new program mixed between an old type of “Sukeroku” and a new type of “The Tale of Genji” (Okura 174). Moreover, Ichikawa Ennosuke brought high technology to classical Kabuki (Ehrlich 581). It is a new style of Kabuki called “Super Kabuki”.

     As shown above, Japanese people do not know these facts well, so those mistaken images create barriers to see Kabuki. This means that Kabuki’s publicity is not enough to inform the facts. The advertisements of Kabuki are usually posters. Now, Japan is a society of information, so people who are related to Kabuki should make use of this situation. Especially, propaganda using a computer is very useful. Some web pages to introduce Kabuki are already created, but it is not enough because only people who are interested in kabuki see the web pages. In other words, people who are indifferent to Kabuki will not try to see them. Hence, latest advertisements on the Internet are essential to call audiences. For example, advertisements on Twitter or Facebook are effective in attracting Japanese young people, because everyone can see these advertisements regardless of people’s interest of Kabuki. If those stereotypes are deprived, Japanese people will not feel hesitant to see Kabuki.

     Therefore, new types of advertisements are necessary to break barriers to see Kabuki for Japanese young people.

Ⅲ. Conclusion

     In conclusion, the ways that 1) learning Kabuki in a curriculum, and 2) advertisements in new fields are useful for Japanese young people who become next generation to go to see Kabuki at ease. If a number of people who go to see Kabuki has increased, people will recognize the importance as a Japanese traditional culture and protect it to prevent Kabuki from declining.

However, it is also important to maintain the quality of classical Kabuki in order not to decline as a Japanese traditional culture. Toshio Kawatake demanded that the quality of Kabuki should be maintained even if the audiences are young people or foreigners (ISCRCP et al. 33). The role of education of Kabuki and a new style of Kabuki like “Super Kabuki” must be just a hook to inherit classical Kabuki, so both people who provide Kabuki and people who see Kabuki need to take actions actively to preserve Kabuki for the future.

Works Cited

DIMSDRIVE “Kabuki ni Kansuru Chosa.” [The Research about Kabuki]. 2005. Web. 12. Oct. 2011.

Enrlich, Linda C. “Review: [Untitled].” Monumenta Nipponica. 53.4 (1998): 581. JSTOR. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.

ISCRCP and TKBK. (International Symposium on the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Property and Tokyo Kokuritu Bunkasai Kenkyujyo. Kabuki, Changes and Prospects). Kawatake, Toshio et al. Tokyo: Tokyo National Research Institute of Cultural Properties, 1996. Print.

“Kabuki.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia, n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2011.

MEXT. (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports Science and Technology). “Gakkokyoiku Kankei no Omona Kuni no Hojyo.”　[Main National Assistance Related to School Education]. MEXT, Oct. 2007. Web. 31 Oct. 2011.

Nakatani, Shogo. “Interview: Kabuki star Danjyuro cries out for future.” The Nikkei Weekly. 26 Apr. 2010. Web. 10 0ct. 2011.

Okura, Shunji, et al. Kabuki Today: The Art and Tradition. 1st ed. Tokyo; New York: Kodansha International Print, 2001. 174. Print.

Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education. “Tokyo Toritu Gatukkou no Nihon no Dentou Bunka Karikyuramu.” [Curriculum of Japanese Traditional Culture of Public Schools in Tokyo].www.kyoiku.metro.tokyo.jp/index.html, Mar. 2010. Web. 10. Oct. 2011.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. “Kabuki Theatre.” UNESCO World Heritage Center, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2011.

Yoshida, Yayoi. Shibai ni Miru Edo no Kurashi. [Daily Lives in Edo Era Shown by a Play]. Tokyo; Shintensha, 30 Jan. 2009. 29-35. Print.