Take your first steps into the world of kabuki with these basic terms

LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL

Take your first steps into the world of kabuki with these basic terms

An illustration of a scene from the fourth act of "Aoto Zōshi Hana no Nishiki-e" by Toyokuni Utagawa III (1862). | PUBLIC DOMAIN / VIA WIKIPEDIA

By Eric Margolis
Contributing writer

Jun 26, 2025

Want to plunge into some of the most compelling elements of Japanese culture? 求めているものは舞台にある (Matomete-iru mono wa butai ni aru, What you’re looking for is on the stage).

From the demons of 能 (noh) to the puppets of 文楽 (bunraku), Japanese theater teems with moving stories — especially within the ostentatious culture of 歌舞伎 (kabuki).

Unfortunately, this kind of theater isn’t that easy to experience in English. Scholars and cultural experts have long lamented over how these productions are translated. 要するに、日本の古典芸能が翻訳しにくいということだ (Yō suru ni, Nihon no koten geinō ga honyaku shinikui to iu koto da, In summary, Japanese classical theater is difficult to translate).