Paper short abstract:

Taking up the concept of mitate I will portray the modes of negotiating erotic allure and body discourses of the early Kabuki as they can be found in the Kabuki hyōbanki (actor's critiques). I concentrate on the issues Yarō mushi (1659) and Kokon shibai iro-kurabe hyakunin isshu (1693).

Paper long abstract:

Since Okuni's dance and the emergence of shirabyōshi epigones Kabuki was closely related to physical attraction and erotic desire. Its surrounding culture was a vital part of the licensed pleasure quarters of Edo, Kyōto, and Ōsaka while the sexual allure and bodies of the actors gradually became objects of vivid discourse among connoisseurs. These discourses were especially strong within fan communities and after the ripening of yarō kabuki debates were perpetuated by theaters and publishing houses through their various prints. While illustrated books or single sheets on actors remain important examples, the actor's critiques - issued by publishers and referred to as Kabuki hyōbanki or Yakusha hyōbanki - represent valuable material to trace the evolution of erotic discourses within the audience community. The critiques were released periodically twice a year from 1659 until the end of the Edo period. Although they do not express the immediate view of the audience and have a strong literary quality, they can be seen as the driving force and authoritative frame for discussion and perception.

As Kabuki was developing during the Genroku period into a more refined form of theater, artistic features and aesthetics gained importance. This might lead one to the assumption that erotic aspects were of little relevance by then. I want to show that this is not the case and portray modes of negotiating the actor's body in the context of the audience. There is already a considerable amount of research on the aesthetics in shunga available in English (see for example Screech 1999 or Clark et al. 2013). Alfred Haft has recently tried to pin mitate as the dominant aesthetic pattern in Kabuki woodblock prints (see Haft 2013). I want to take up this approach and portray the way in which the erotic body of the actor was addressed in the Kabuki hyōbanki comparing the issue Yarō mushi from 1659 with Kokon shibai iro-kurabe hyakunin isshu from 1693. While the former displays immediate comments on the appearance and simple comparisons of single actors ("like a wakashu-doll"), the latter compares more extensively the charms of several actors with each other.