Entry by Eric Carvente: Perspective View (uki-e) of a Kabuki Theatre, with a Performance of The Crest Patterns of the Soga Brothers and Nagoya Sanza (Mon-zukushi Nagoya Soga)

This is a picture of the inside of a Kabuki theater. As you can see there are people seated on cushions on the floor which are organized by squares. That is how the seating is arranged in Kabuki plays. I see some of the audience shocked talking amongst one another. This could be because in Kabuki theater there is a big emphasis on makeup. The veins and muscles are emphasized through makeup which results in dramatic emotions and expressions in the play. This could cause a response from the audience dramatically which could be what is happening in the picture since some of the audience are shocked talking amongst one another. We can also see that there is a pathway that leads to the stage that starts from behind the audience to the stage. Well in Kabuki theater that is where the actors would walk to get to the center stage and also use it to exit the stage. It was a pathway to the stage and it is called a hanamichi.

Author: Eric Carvente