Onnagata

Edo Period In the early 17th century, shortly after the emergence of the genre, many kabuki theaters had an all-female cast (, or kabukimono), with women playing men's roles as necessary. ('adolescent-boy kabuki'), with a cast composed entirely of young men playing both male and female roles, and frequently dealing in erotic themes, originated circa 1612. The role of the onnagata was shaped during the Edo period as an expression of femininity that was meant to align with the femininity of real women in Edo society. Both and (or ), actors specializing in adolescent female roles (and usually adolescents themselves), were the subject of much appreciation by both male and female patrons, and were often prostitutes. All-male casts became the norm after 1629, when women were banned from appearing in kabuki due to the prevalent prostitution of actresses and violent quarrels among patrons for the actresses' favors. This more modern, all-male kabuki was originally known as ('male kabuki') to distinguish it from earlier theatrical forms. In 1642, roles were forbidden, resulting in plays that featured only male characters. These plays continued to have erotic content and generally featured many roles, often dealing in themes of (male homosexuality); officials responded by banning roles as well. Meiji era and beyond During the Meiji era, the ban on women performing was lifted, and women began performing in kabuki performances where they played roles. This was more uncommon as it was standard for to be an artistically feminine performance played by a male actor who underwent training to learn the role. In contemporary kabuki performance, is a separate theatrical role with different training that is separate from actual women in society. After film was introduced in Japan at the end of the 19th century, the continued to portray females in movies until the early 1920s. At that time, however, using real female actresses was coming into fashion with the introduction of realist films. The staged a protest at Nikkatsu in 1922 in backlash against the lack of work because of this. == Onnagata performance techniques ==

Every kabuki actor is expected to have facility with techniques. These include learning makeup, which is vastly different from that of a male character's, and adopting traditional feminine mannerisms specific to the role of the . Some of the techniques that actors have to master with years of training and research include being able to move gracefully across the stage when wearing geta, adopting a more feminine posture and physical mannerisms like slouched shoulders and bending knees, and speaking at a higher pitch (falsetto) throughout the entire performance. Many actors specialise in roles, such as Bandō Tamasaburō V. File:Hishikawa Morofusa Two Actors Combing Hair c1700.jpg|alt=Handpainted scroll attributed to Hishikawa Morofusa, titled "Two Actors Combing Hair", circa 1700; showing an (female-role actor) combing the hair of a (actor specializing in adolescent male roles).|"Two Actors Combing Hair"; handpainted ukiyo-e scroll attributed to Hishikawa Morofusa, circa 1700. An wearing a purple headscarf combs the hair of a (identifiable by his forelocks and partially shaved head). File:Actors in 1860.jpg|Nakamura Shikan IV and Sawamura Tanosuke III in courtesan roles. Print by Toyokuni in 1860, the year of Sawamura's debut under that name on the kabuki stage. File:Utaemon Nakamura V as Yodo-gimi in Hototogisu Kojō no Rakugetsu.jpg|Nakamura Utaemon V (1866–1940) as Yodo-gimi in the kabuki play File:Utaemon Nakamura VI 1951.jpg|Nakamura Utaemon VI in costume for a female kabuki role in , 1951. File:TachibanaDaigoro-Miyoshibashi.JPG|Popular Daigoro Tachibana dancing in a performance at the Miyoshibashi Theatre in Yokohama, November 2007. His crest can be seen on the red curtain behind him. File:BandoTamasaburoV Nihonbashi Dec2012.jpg|Bandō Tamasaburō V (center) in kabuki play (December 2012) ==In popular culture==

, a self-identified musician The influence of on Japanese culture has played an important part in the visual kei genre. The subculture emphasizes gender-nonconforming expression, and self-identified male performers who adopt female clothing within the genre are sometimes referred to as . Music journalist Showgun Fuyu cited X Japan drummer and co-founder Yoshiki as the pioneer of in visual kei. Music website Barks credited the increase in band members to Malice Mizer, due to the influence of their guitarist and co-founder Mana. Mana himself has said that he wanted to be the ultimate . In the United States, one of the more well-known is Gia Gunn (real name Gia Ichikawa), a Japanese-American drag queen who began performing as an when she was five years old. She mentioned this experience during her tenure on the sixth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race, crediting it as one of the inspirations for her drag. After the sixth season of Drag Race'', she came out as a trans woman, crediting her first exposure to gender nonconformity back to her performances as a child: "I guess at the time, I didn't even realize that years later this would have resonated with me on a much more personal and deeper level". Later, during her return to Drag Race for the fourth season of All Stars, her entry to the first episode's talent competition was a short kabuki performance in drag that incorporated a blend of traditional and modern elements. it became the all-time highest-grossing Japanese live-action film. ==Notable ==

• Bandō Tamasaburō V • Daigoro Tachibana • Kataoka Nizaemon XII • Nakamura Jakuemon IV • Nakamura Shichinosuke II • Nakamura Utaemon VI • Onoe Kikugorō V • Sawamura Tanosuke III (1845–1878; ; only occasionally Sawamura written as ). • Sakata Tōjūrō IV • Taichi Saotome • Yoshizawa Ayame I ==See also==