The Complex World of Kabuki Costuming

When you need costumes for a show, you rent them from a big costume house. These costume houses have hundreds of different kimono and obi, props and bits and pieces, in a variety of sizes. Each dance has fairly specific requirements, motifs and colours attached -- and there are always some options within the guidelines. For instance, the piece I will be dancing, Shiki no Yamamba, uses two motifs: mountains and autumn leaves. You can have one motif on the fan, and the other on the kimono -- but you should have both. When you ask for a costume for a particular dance, the first question is whether they will have your size (which for me being 6 feet tall is a definite issue!), then if there are variations to choose from you have artistic freedom.

When you rent costumes for a show, you are also renting costumers. A performer cannot dress him or herself -- it is simply impossible. You need two knowledgeable humans to know how to put on a kimono - hugely detailed work because every knot and bow and doo-dad means something and you can't get it wrong. Just the tying of the obi is a lifetime study!

We have two costumers for Odori...both from Shochiku Costume House - the company that does costumes for the kabuki-za. It will be very, very exciting (and a rare chance for me!) to be costumed by these professionals.