Japanese Kabuki mask - hero makeup - KESHO

Japanese Kabuki mask - hero makeup - KESHO

Made in japan

Kabuki (歌舞 伎) is the epic form of traditional Japanese theater. Centered on an actor game that is both spectacular and codified, it is distinguished by the elaborate make-up of the actors and the abundance of scenic devices intended to highlight the paroxysms and reversals of the play.

The three ideograms of the word mean: song (歌, ka), dance (舞, bu) and technical skill (伎, ki).

Kabuki actors are made up (and not masked as in Noh theater). The makeup is very stylized, and allows the viewer to recognize at first glance the main features of the character of the character.

This makeup, keshō, is composed of a white base of rice powder on which are added lines (kumadori) which amplify the facial expressions to produce an effect of savagery or supernatural power of the actors.

The color of the kumadori reflects the nature of the character. Red, he is a hero, fair, passionate, courageous. Blue is used to denote negative characters, green for supernatural beings and purple for noble characters. The foundation is often white.