Fans of contemporary art and Japanese classical drama kabuki can now enjoy a beautiful stage curtain designed by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami at Tokyo’s Kabukiza Theatre in Ginza until November 28.
Known as iwai-maku, the beautifully-designed curtain is used to celebrate important events in kabuki such as shumei, which can be translated as ‘name succession’, where actors take on new stage names. Stage names in kabuki are usually passed down through generations and are very important for an actor’s career as they specify his acting style and lineage.
The new front curtain was made for two special occasions. It commemorates the stage debut of Kangen Horikoshi under his new stage name Shinnosuke Ichikawa VIII. Kangen is the son of the famous kabuki actor Takatoshi Horikoshi, who also changed his stage name from Ichikawa Ebizo XI to Ichikawa Danjuro XIII. Both are descendants of the prestigious Ichikawa family, which originated in the 17th century and has produced a series of kabuki actors.
The theatre’s new grand drape is 7.1 metres in height and 31.8 metres in length. Murakami’s design features scenes from ‘Kabuki Juhachiban’ (‘18 Best Kabuki Plays’).
The ‘Kabuki Juhachiban’ is a collection of kabuki plays associated with Ichikawa Danjuro kabuki actors of the Ichikawa family and was curated in 1832 by Ichikawa Danjuro VII.
The curtain will be used during performances at the Kabukiza Theatre in Tokyo until November 28.
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