Tokyo: Behind the Scenes with an Onnagata at the Kabuki-za

Take your seats at Tokyo's Kabuki-za to watch an onnagata, one of the male actors who have played kabuki's women for 400 years.

Tokyo’s Theater of Transformation

Kabuki has been performed in Japan for more than 400 years, and for most of that time, every role has been played by men. The actors who specialize in female roles are known as onnagata.

Their art is not imitation. An onnagata aims to express an ideal of femininity through movement, voice, and stillness, and the greatest of them are among the most admired performers in the country.

At the Kabuki-za in Ginza, with a guide who knows the theater well, you can see that art up close.

The Kabuki-za

The Kabuki-za is Tokyo’s only theater dedicated entirely to kabuki. Rebuilt and reopened in 2013, it keeps the look of the earlier theaters on this site, with its curved roof and lanterns on the street.

Inside, English earphone guides explain the plot and the conventions as the play unfolds. If you would rather sample than commit to a full program, single-act seats in the upper gallery let you see one play at a time.

How Kabuki Became an All-Male Theater

Kabuki began in the early 1600s with a woman, Izumo no Okuni, and its first troupes were female. In 1629, the shogunate banned women from the stage, and young men took over the roles.

Those young actors also drew devoted admirers, male and female, and the authorities eventually required all actors to be adult men. From those restrictions came the onnagata tradition that continues today.

Desire on the Edo Stage

Love between men, known as nanshoku, was widely recognized in Edo-period Japan, and it shaped the world of the theater. Popular actors were celebrated in woodblock prints and poetry, and the stories of their admirers became part of the culture of the city.

Your guide explains how that history still echoes in the plays and in the way audiences talk about their favorite actors. It is a side of kabuki that most visitors never hear.

Watching an Onnagata

On stage, an onnagata moves with small, precise steps, shoulders drawn in, hands hidden in long sleeves. Many of the most famous kabuki dances are built around these roles, and the costumes and wigs alone can take hours to prepare.

Bando Tamasaburo V, a Living National Treasure, is the most celebrated onnagata of his generation and has also worked in film and with international artists. Seeing any leading onnagata perform is a highlight of the theater.

Behind the Curtain

Where it can be arranged, a specialist guide can take you behind the scenes to learn about makeup, wigs, and costumes, and sometimes to meet a performer. These visits depend on the theater’s schedule and are never guaranteed, but they offer an extraordinary view of the craft.

Even without one, a briefing before the play and a conversation afterward give you a much richer understanding of what you have seen.

Planning Your Kabuki Experience

The Kabuki-za stages programs most months, usually with afternoon and evening performances. A full program lasts several hours with intermissions, and box lunches are a traditional part of the day. Tickets for popular programs sell quickly.

Out Of Office can arrange your tickets, a specialist guide, and, where possible, a backstage visit, followed by dinner in Ginza. Your LGBTQ+ travel specialist can also combine the day with Tokyo’s other cultural highlights as part of our culture vacations or with a longer journey through Japan.