Editing Kabuki (section)

=== Appearances ===
Since feudal laws in 17th century Japan prohibited replicating the looks of samurai or nobility and the use of luxurious fabrics, the kabuki costumes were groundbreaking new designs to the general public, even setting trends that still exist today.

Although the earliest kabuki costumes have not been preserved, separate {{transliteration|ja|otoko}} and {{transliteration|ja|[[onnagata]]}} kabuki costumes today are made based on written records called {{transliteration|ja|[[ukiyo-e]]}} and in collaboration with those whose families have been in the kabuki industry for generations.<ref name="Macintosh">{{Citation|last=Macintosh|first=Fiona|title=dance reception|date=2015-07-30|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.7006|encyclopedia=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics|publisher=Oxford University Press|doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.013.7006|isbn=978-0-19-938113-5|access-date=2020-10-19}}</ref> The kimono the actors wear for their costumes are typically made with vibrant colours and multiple layers. Both {{transliteration|ja|otoko}} and {{transliteration|ja|[[onnagata]]}} wear {{transliteration|ja|[[hakama]]}} - pleated trousers – in some plays, and both use padding underneath their costumes to create the correct body shape for the outfit.

Kabuki [[Cosmetics#Purpose|makeup]] provides an element of style easily recognizable even by those unfamiliar with the art form. [[Rice powder]] is used to create the white {{transliteration|ja|[[oshiroi]]}} base for the characteristic stage makeup, and {{transliteration|ja|kumadori}} enhances or exaggerates facial lines to produce dramatic animal or supernatural [[mask]]s. The colour of the {{transliteration|ja|kumadori}} is an expression of the character's nature: red lines are used to indicate passion, heroism, righteousness, and other positive traits; blue or black, villainy, jealousy, and other negative traits; green, the supernatural; and purple, nobility.<ref name="Kincaid" />

Another special feature of kabuki costumes is the {{transliteration|ja|katsura}}, or the wig.<ref name="Macintosh"/> Each actor has a different wig made for every role, constructed from a thin base of hand-beaten copper custom-made to fit the actor perfectly, and each wig is usually styled in a [[nihongami|traditional manner]]. The hair used in the wigs is typically real human hair hand-sewn onto a [[habotai]] base, though some styles of wig require yak hair or horse hair.