the encyclopedic entry of Kabuki-za

Kabuki-za

in Ginza is the principal theater in Tokyo for the traditional kabuki drama form. It opened in 1889, and is one of the city's finest extant examples of Meiji-era construction using Western materials in traditional Japanese architectural styles. The building was originally constructed as the Tokyo residence of Kumamoto (Hosokawa) clan.

The building was destroyed in a fire in 1921, and was uncompleted when the 1923 Kanto earthquake struck. It was rebuilt in a baroque Japanese revivalist style, meant to evoke the Japanese castles of the 16th century; The theater was again destroyed in the Allied bombing during World War II. It was rebuilt once again, as a reconstruction of the 1924 structure, and today remains one of Tokyo's more dramatic and traditional buildings.

Performances are held nearly every day at Kabuki-za, and tickets are sold for individual acts as well as for the play in its entirety. The tickets sold for individual acts are sold as a 'taster' for the Japanese visitor who wants to find out if they are interested in watching further acts and maybe to watch a full day of Kabuki.

Kabuki is a kind of Japanese pantomime with music and dance based along the same lines as a Geisha performance in Kyoto. The short individual act is entertaining with bright colours of performers, traditional music of shamisen and a geisha performance as part of the act.

The theatre set in the middle of the Ginza shopping district and is a prominent building of stature within the area. A traveller who wants to experience Japanese culture and history should at least dedicate an afternoon to see a performance.

The dances are intricate and have a beautiful flow of movement accompanied by the music of the shamisen players and singers.