TOKYO - Kabuki actor Nakamura Takanosuke is looking forward to giving European audiences a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the stylized stage makeup and elaborate costumes of the centuries-old Japanese drama form when he embarks on a tour next month.
Takanosuke will be part of the road show "Meet Kabuki -- The Art of 'Onnagata' Europe Tour," a two-week, three-country tour focusing on female, or "onnagata," roles that rides on the momentum of the international success of the Japanese film "Kokuho" about the world of Kabuki. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for best makeup and hairstyling, though it missed out on it.
"At a time when the movie has gained worldwide recognition, it will be a great opportunity for people to take a fresh look at Kabuki," the 26-year-old scion of a Kabuki acting dynasty said in a recent interview with Kyodo News.
Takanosuke will headline "The Wisteria Maiden," a work that was featured in "Kokuho," in performances in Paris, Rome and Cologne from April 9 to 23, taking on the part of the heroine. In addition, he will perform, in Paris only, a dance drama known as "The Stone Bridge," in which he will portray a lion spirit.
Kabuki actors will demonstrate onstage how they do their makeup and don their costumes, giving the audiences a rare peek into key elements of Kabuki's stagecraft.
Takanosuke is best known for his "tachiyaku," or leading male roles, in Kabuki, but will take on the onnagata, or leading female role, on the European tour.
Versatile in performing a broad range of pieces from classic works to innovative, contemporary Kabuki performances, he made his first appearance on stage in 2001 at the age of 2.
Takanosuke's late father, Nakamura Tomijuro V, designated a living national treasure, had also taken Kabuki overseas, performing in Paris in 1997. His grandmother, meanwhile, a nihon buyo classical Japanese dancer, took part in a Kabuki-style dance troupe that conducted groundbreaking tours of the United States and European countries in the 1950s after World War II.
"I seem to have a connection with performing overseas, what with my grandmother's and father's experiences," Takanosuke, who was only 11 when his father died, said. "It is fortunate for someone as young as myself to be in this place, which makes me want to properly convey the charms of Kabuki."
He noted the challenges of the female role, saying the current basic form of movement had evolved over Kabuki's long history.
"For a man to take on a female role is to go against the law of nature," he said, requiring him to master distinct movements such as the way he walks, adjusts his shoulders to a low-shouldered posture and holds items such as a hand towel.
The kimonos and wigs of onnagata roles are also heavier than tachiyaku roles, with wigs sometimes weighing as much as 6 kilograms, according to Takanosuke. "An onnagata role demands more physical strength," he said.
Takanosuke said he discovers a lot from interacting with European visitors, seeing how deeply immersed the people there are in cultural tradition, art and history.
"Someday, I want to perform in an opera house in Europe," he added.
