My first experience on the Kabuki stage was playing Nippon Daemon in the famous play, Shiranami Gonin Otoko (The Five Thieves of Shiranami) in Child Kabuki group.
In the story, Nippon Daemon is the powerful leader of a notorious group of five thieves. I was cast in this role mainly because I was the tallest among the children in the troupe at the time!
The word ‘Shiranami‘ literally means ‘white waves,’ but in the world of Kabuki, it is a poetic slang for ‘thieves.’ The highlight of the play is the ‘Shiranami-zukushi’ scene, where all five thieves, dressed in beautiful kimonos, introduce themselves with rhythmic and stylish speeches called ‘Tsurane.’
Before /After of Kabuki-make up. I was a handsome thieve. (^_^)
In Kabuki, the color of the makeup reveals a character’s personality and role. A white base usually represents high-ranking individuals or nobility. Heroes often have a white base with red lines (called Kumadori) to show youthful passion and justice, accented with black shadows. Villains, on the other hand, are often depicted with blue lines, which symbolize negative emotions like jealousy, cruelty, or supernatural evil.
In this case, the Nippon Daemon is just a commoners, so color of face is rather natural.
Even as a child, standing in the center as the leader and performing the bold, powerful movements of a master thief was an unforgettable experience that started my journey in Kabuki-Dance.
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