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Hyper Japan Festival Kabuki Dress-Up and Kumadori Face Painting Workshops 2025
Hyper Japan Festival Kabuki Dress-Up and Kumadori Face Painting Workshops 2025
The Hyper Japan Festival 2025, held from July 18 to 20 at Olympia Events in London, is the UK’s premier celebration of Japanese culture, drawing thousands of enthusiasts to explore its vibrant traditions through food, performances, and hands-on workshops. Among the festival’s highlights, the Kabuki Dress-Up and Kumadori Face Painting Masterclass offers a unique opportunity to engage with the iconic art of kabuki, a classical Japanese theatre form renowned for its dramatic performances, elaborate costumes, and striking makeup. This masterclass, part of the Shochiku Culture Experience area, allows participants to step into the world of kabuki by donning authentic costumes and applying kumadori makeup, a stylized technique that transforms actors into vivid character archetypes. Led by experienced instructors, possibly in collaboration with kabuki experts or cultural specialists, the workshop is designed for beginners and enthusiasts alike, offering a blend of practical skills and cultural insight into this UNESCO-recognized Intangible Cultural Heritage.
What You Will Learn
The Kabuki Dress-Up and Kumadori Face Painting Masterclass immerses participants in the transformative elements of kabuki theatre, teaching both the technical and cultural aspects of this centuries-old art form. You will learn how to apply kumadori makeup, a hallmark of kabuki’s aragoto style, characterized by bold, colorful patterns that exaggerate facial features to convey a character’s nature. The workshop introduces the symbolism behind kumadori colors and patterns: red for heroism and passion, blue for villainy or jealousy, brown for supernatural beings like demons, and purple for nobility. Participants will practice creating specific designs, such as the red mukimiguma for youthful, virtuous heroes or the blue kuge kuma for villainous aristocrats, learning how these patterns enhance dramatic expression. You will also explore the cultural significance of kumadori, understanding how it serves as a visual shorthand to communicate character traits instantly to the audience.
In the dress-up component, you will learn how to wear and move in authentic kabuki costumes, which are often heavy, ornate, and designed to amplify stage presence. The workshop covers the basics of dressing in kabuki-style kimono, including how to tie an obi sash and handle accessories like wigs or props, which are tailored to specific roles such as tachiyaku (male roles) or onnagata (female roles played by male actors). You will gain insight into how costumes reflect character status—bold reds for warriors, deep purples for nobility, or intricate designs for high-ranking courtesans. The session also introduces the art of posing in the mie style, a dramatic freeze-frame technique credited to Ichikawa Danjūrō I, where actors strike exaggerated poses to highlight key moments, enhanced by kumadori and costume. Participants will practice these poses to embody the larger-than-life essence of kabuki characters.
Beyond technical skills, the masterclass provides a deeper understanding of kabuki’s role in Japanese culture, its all-male performance tradition, and its evolution from a rebellious art form to a refined theatrical practice. You will learn how to interpret the visual and performative elements of kabuki, appreciating how makeup, costume, and movement work together to create a cohesive narrative. By the end, participants will have applied their own kumadori makeup, dressed in kabuki attire, and performed a short sequence, capturing the essence of a kabuki character in a photo opportunity, leaving with a tangible connection to this storied art form.
Lesson Structure
The Kabuki Dress-Up and Kumadori Face Painting Masterclass, lasting approximately 1.5 to 2 hours, is structured to provide a comprehensive, hands-on experience that balances education, practical application, and cultural immersion. The session begins with a 15-20 minute introduction to kabuki theatre, delivered by the instructor, who may be a kabuki-trained actor or a cultural specialist affiliated with the Shochiku Culture Experience. This segment covers the history of kabuki, its origins in the Edo period, and the significance of kumadori and costumes in storytelling. The instructor explains the symbolism of colors and patterns, using visual aids or live demonstrations to showcase iconic designs like the red sujiguma for samurai heroes or the brown chaguma for supernatural beings.
Next, the workshop transitions into the kumadori face painting segment, lasting about 45 minutes. Participants are divided into small groups to ensure personalized guidance. The instructor demonstrates the application of oshiroi, a white rice powder base that creates a smooth canvas for kumadori. Using brushes, participants learn to apply bold lines in red, blue, or black, following patterns that align with specific character types. For example, you might practice the mukimiguma pattern, with its simple, red lines symbolizing youthful heroism, or the zare-guma, a playful design for comedic villains. The instructor provides step-by-step guidance, emphasizing techniques like blending with fingers to soften lines or accentuating facial muscles for dramatic effect. Participants work on their own faces or practice on a partner, fostering a collaborative atmosphere.
The dress-up portion, lasting about 30-40 minutes, follows the makeup application. Assistants help participants select and wear kabuki-style costumes, which may include silk kimonos, obi sashes, and wigs styled for specific roles. The instructor explains how to move in these heavy garments, which can weigh up to 20-30 pounds, and teaches basic mie poses to capture the dramatic flair of kabuki. Participants practice these poses, integrating their kumadori makeup and costumes to embody a character, such as a heroic samurai or an elegant courtesan. The session concludes with a 15-minute photo opportunity, where participants can pose on a stage-like setup, mimicking a kabuki performance setting. A brief Q&A allows participants to ask about kabuki techniques or cultural nuances, and some may receive a small keepsake, such as a guide to kumadori patterns or a festival memento. The workshop is accessible to all ages, though children under 16 require adult supervision, and requires an add-on ticket alongside general festival admission.
Materials Used
The masterclass provides all necessary materials, ensuring participants can fully engage without bringing supplies. For kumadori face painting, the primary material is oshiroi, a non-toxic, white rice powder used as the base to create a stark, mask-like effect. Participants use brushes of varying sizes to apply colored pigments—red, blue, black, and occasionally brown or purple—formulated specifically for theatrical makeup to ensure safety and vibrancy under stage lighting. These pigments are water-based for easy application and removal, with some designs requiring blending tools like sponges or fingers to soften lines. The workshop may also provide mirrors, cleansing wipes, and cloths to manage the application process.
For the dress-up component, authentic kabuki-style costumes are provided, including silk kimonos in vibrant colors and patterns that reflect character roles. Accessories include obi sashes, hand-sewn with gold or silver threads, and katsura wigs, crafted from human or yak hair to match specific characters, such as the elaborate styles for onnagata roles or simpler ones for warriors. Props like folding fans or mock swords may be included to enhance the experience. Assistants ensure proper fitting, as costumes are heavy and require careful handling. All materials are provided by the Shochiku Culture Experience team, reflecting high-quality, traditional craftsmanship, and participants can take home a small guide to recreate basic kumadori designs at home.
YouTube Channel
For those inspired to explore kabuki further, the YouTube channel “Kabuki In-Depth” offers detailed insights into kabuki theatre, including tutorials on kumadori makeup and costume techniques. Visit their channel at https://www.youtube.com/@KabukiInDepth to discover videos that break down the art form’s history, performance styles, and visual elements, perfect for deepening your understanding post-workshop.
Brief History of Kabuki
Kabuki, a classical Japanese theatre form, emerged in the early Edo period (1603–1868) and remains a vibrant cultural tradition, recognized by UNESCO in 2005 as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Its origins trace back to 1603, when Izumo no Okuni, a shrine maiden, began performing lively dances and comedic sketches on the dry riverbeds of Kyoto. These performances, blending song (ka), dance (bu), and skill (ki), were initially led by all-female troupes, with women playing both male and female roles. The term “kabuki” may derive from “kabuku,” meaning to lean or be unconventional, reflecting its early rebellious spirit. However, the provocative nature of these performances, often tied to prostitution, led the Tokugawa shogunate to ban women from the stage in 1629 to protect public morals.
This ban birthed yarō kabuki (men’s kabuki), where male actors, including onnagata specializing in female roles, took over. Young male actors initially filled these roles, but their performances, still tied to risqué behavior, prompted further bans in 1652, restricting kabuki to mature male performers. This shift refined kabuki into a sophisticated art form, emphasizing stylized movements, dramatic narratives, and elaborate visuals. The Genroku period (1688–1704) marked a golden age, with figures like Ichikawa Danjūrō I developing the aragoto style—bold, masculine performances—and the iconic kumadori makeup, with its vivid patterns symbolizing character traits. Playwrights like Monzaemon Chikamatsu crafted influential works, though some, like “The Love Suicides at Sonezaki,” were adapted from bunraku puppet theatre.
Kabuki’s visual elements, particularly kumadori and costumes, became central to its identity. Kumadori, pioneered by the Ichikawa Danjūrō family, uses a white oshiroi base with colored lines to exaggerate facial features, instantly conveying a character’s nature—red for heroes, blue for villains, brown for demons. Costumes, often weighing over 20 pounds, feature vibrant silks and intricate designs, with wigs tailored to roles. By the mid-18th century, kabuki faced competition from bunraku but regained prominence by the 19th century, adapting to modern tastes. Despite challenges, including fires destroying wooden theatres and a brief post-World War II ban by occupying forces, kabuki endured, with major theatres like Nakamura-za and Kabukiza in Tokyo preserving its legacy. Today, kabuki’s universal themes of love, revenge, and sacrifice, combined with its visual spectacle, continue to captivate global audiences, with performances touring internationally and workshops like Hyper Japan’s bringing its artistry to new generations.
Paul (Poison Fish) Manjyu Woodman
