Editing Kabuki (section)

==Post-war to modern day kabuki==
The ensuing period of [[Occupation of Japan|occupation]] following [[Pacific War|World War II]] posited a difficult time for kabuki; besides the war's physical impact and devastation upon the country, some schools of thought chose to reject both the styles and artforms of pre-war Japan, kabuki amongst them.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kominz|first=Laurence|title=The Stars Who Created Kabuki; Their Lives, Loves and Legacy|year=1997|publisher=Kodansha International|location=Tokyo, New York, London|isbn=4-7700-1868-1|page=232}}</ref> Director [[Tetsuji Takechi]]'s popular and innovative productions of kabuki classics at this time are credited with sparking new interest in kabuki in the [[Kansai]] region.<ref name="Toita-231">{{Cite book|last=Toita|first=Yasuji|others=Don Kenny (trans.)|title=Kabuki: The Popular Theater|series=Performing Arts of Japan: II|year=1970|publisher=Walker/Weatherhill|location=New York & Tokyo|isbn=0-8027-2424-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/kabukipopularthe00toit/page/213 213]|chapter=Zenshin-za Innovations|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/kabukipopularthe00toit/page/213}}</ref> Of the many popular young stars who performed with the Takechi Kabuki, Nakamura Ganjiro III (b. 1931) was the leading figure, first known as Nakamura Senjaku before taking his current name. It was this period of kabuki in [[Osaka]] that became known as the "Age of Senjaku" in his honor.<ref name="Toita-231"/>

Today, kabuki is the most popular of the traditional styles of Japanese drama, with its star actors often appearing in television or film roles.<ref>Shōriya, Asagoro. [http://kabuki21.com/acteurs_a.php Contemporary Actors at Kabuki21.com]. (Retrieved 18 December 2006.)</ref> Well-known {{transliteration|ja|onnagata}} actor [[Bandō Tamasaburō V]] has appeared in several non-kabuki plays and movies, often in the role of a woman.

Kabuki also appears in works of [[Japanese popular culture]] such as [[anime]]. In addition to the handful of major theatres in Tokyo and Kyoto, there are many smaller theatres in Osaka and throughout the countryside.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kabuki21.com/theatres.php |title=Kabuki Theaters |publisher=Kabuki21.com |date=31 December 2013 |access-date=25 July 2014}}</ref> The {{nihongo|Ōshika Kabuki|大鹿歌舞伎}} troupe, based in [[Ōshika, Nagano|Ōshika]], [[Nagano Prefecture|Nagano]] Prefecture, is one example.<ref name="Oshika">{{cite web |url=http://www.ooshika.com/kabuki/src/index.html |title=Ōshika Kabuki |access-date=22 February 2007 |archive-date=13 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713174904/http://www.ooshika.com/kabuki/src/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Some local kabuki troupes today use female actors in {{transliteration|ja|onnagata}} roles. The Ichikawa Shōjo Kabuki Gekidan, an all-female troupe, debuted in 1953 to significant acclaim, though the majority of kabuki troupes have remained entirely-male.<ref>Edelson, Loren. ''Playing for the Majors and the Minors: Ichikawa Girls' Kabuki on the Postwar Stage''. In: Leiter, Samuel (ed). ''Rising from the Flames: The Rebirth of Theater in Occupied Japan, 1945–1952''. Rowman & Littlefield, 2009. pp. 75–85.</ref>

The introduction of earphone guides in 1975,<ref name="Kabuki going strong, 400 years on">Martin, Alex, "[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20101228i1.html Kabuki going strong, 400 years on]", ''[[Japan Times]]'', 28 December 2010, p. 3,</ref> including an English version in 1982,<ref name="Kabuki going strong, 400 years on"/> helped broaden the artform's appeal. As a result, in 1991 the Kabuki-za, one of Tokyo's best known kabuki theaters, began year-round performances<ref name="Kabuki going strong, 400 years on"/> and, in 2005, began marketing kabuki cinema films.<ref>Martin, Alex, "[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20101228i1.html Kabuki going strong, 400 years on]", ''[[Japan Times]]'', 28 December 2010, p. 3, retrieved on 29 December 2010.</ref> Kabuki troupes regularly tour Asia,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kabuki21.com/asie.php |title=Kabuki Tours in Asia |publisher=Kabuki21.com |access-date=25 July 2014}}</ref> Europe<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kabuki21.com/europe.php |title=Kabuki Tours in Europe |publisher=Kabuki21.com |access-date=25 July 2014}}</ref> and America,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kabuki21.com/ameriques.php |title=Kabuki Tours in North And South America |publisher=Kabuki21.com |access-date=25 July 2014}}</ref> and there have been several kabuki-themed productions of Western plays such as those of [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]. Western playwrights and novelists have also experimented with kabuki themes, an example of which is [[Gerald Vizenor]]'s {{transliteration|ja|Hiroshima Bugi}} (2004). Writer [[Yukio Mishima]] pioneered and popularised the use of kabuki in modern settings and revived other traditional arts, such as [[Noh]], adapting them to modern contexts. There have even been kabuki troupes established in countries outside Japan. For instance, in Australia, the [[Za Kabuki]] troupe at the [[Australian National University]] has performed a kabuki drama each year since 1976,<ref>Za Kabuki Troupe, "Za Kabuki 2012: Who We Are." Last modified 2012. Accessed 28 April 2013. https://sites.google.com/site/zakabuki2010/who-we-are</ref> the longest regular kabuki performance outside Japan.<ref>Negishi, K, and M Tomoeda. "ANU Za Kabuki." Monsoon, 2010, 26.</ref>

In November 2002, a statue was erected in honor of kabuki's founder, Izumo no Okuni and to commemorate 400 years of kabuki's existence.<ref name="sign">Sign (in English) for Izumo no Okuni's statue in Kyoto</ref> Diagonally across from the Minami-za,<ref name="Lonely Planet Kyoto 2012, page 169">Lonely Planet Kyoto, 2012, page 169</ref> the last remaining kabuki theater in Kyoto,<ref name="Lonely Planet Kyoto 2012, page 169"/> it stands at the east end of a bridge (Shijō Ōhashi)<ref name="Lonely Planet Kyoto 2012, page 169"/> crossing the Kamo River in Kyoto.

Kabuki was inscribed on the [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists]] in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kabuki21.com/hist_21.php |title=2001~2100 |publisher=Kabuki21.com |access-date=25 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00011&RL=00163 |title=UNESCO Culture Sector – Intangible Heritage – 2003 Convention |publisher=Unesco.org |access-date=25 July 2014}}</ref>

=== Super Kabuki ===
While still maintaining most of the historical practices of kabuki, {{nihongo|[[Ichikawa Ennosuke III|Ichikawa En-ō]]|市川猿翁}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=市川猿翁 2 {{!}} 歌舞伎俳優名鑑 現在の俳優篇|url=https://meikandb.kabuki.ne.jp/actor/30/|access-date=2020-10-19|language=ja}}</ref> aimed to broaden its appeal by creating a new genre of kabuki productions called {{nihongo|"Super Kabuki"|スーパー歌舞伎}}. With {{nihongo||ヤマトタケル|[[Yamato Takeru]]}} as the first Super Kabuki production to premiere in 1986, remakes of traditional plays and new contemporary creations have been brought to local theaters throughout the country, including anime-based productions such as ''Naruto'' or ''One Piece'' starting from 2014.

Super Kabuki has sparked controversy within the Japanese population regarding the extent of modification of the traditional art form.<ref>{{Cite web|title=ワンピース・NARUTO・初音ミク 現代の歌舞伎は「超歌舞伎」へ|url=https://wa-gokoro.jp/traditional-performing/kabuki/127/|access-date=2020-10-19|website=ワゴコロ|language=ja}}</ref> Some{{who|date=November 2022}} say that it has lost its 400-year history,{{Citation needed|date=November 2022}} while others consider the adaptations necessary for contemporary relevance. Regardless, since incorporating more advanced technology in the new stage sets, costumes, and lighting, Super Kabuki has regained interest from the young demographic.<ref name="Performing Arts Network Japan 2008 u752">{{cite web | title=Artist Interview: Yuichiro Kanai | website=Performing Arts Network Japan | date=October 14, 2008 | url=https://performingarts.jpf.go.jp/E/art_interview/0809/1.html | access-date=February 28, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Ohsawa_2023">{{cite journal |last1=Ohsawa |first1=Yuki  |date=2024-01-30 |title=Charismatic Actors and Devout Audiences: Kabuki Meets Anime in Super Kabuki II |url=https://www.japanesestudies.org.uk/ejcjs/vol23/iss3/ohsawa.html#:~:text=Super%20Kabuki%2C%20through%20its%20combination,Super%20Kabuki%20in%20the%201980s. |journal=Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies |volume=23 |issue=3 |access-date=2024-02-28}}</ref>

In addition, [[Square Enix]] announced a Super Kabuki adaptation of ''[[Final Fantasy X]]'' collaborating with [[Tokyo Broadcasting System]] in 2022. Entitled ''Kinoshita Group presents New Kabuki Final Fantasy X'' and part of celebrations of the ''Final Fantasy'' franchise's 35th anniversary, it is scheduled to be performed at the IHI Stage Around Tokyo from March 4 to April 12, 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ff10-kabuki.com/ |title=木下グループ presents『新作歌舞伎 ファイナルファンタジーX』 |access-date=23 February 2023 |language=JA |trans-title=Kinoshita Group presents 'New Final Fantasy X Kabuki' |archive-date=18 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221118165237/https://ff10-kabuki.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Komatsu |first1=Mikikazu |title=Final Fantasy X Kabuki Adaptation Gets New CM Narrated by Tidus VA Masakazu Morita |url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2022/09/13/final-fantasy-x-kabuki-adaptation-gets-new-cm-narrated-by-tidus-va-masakazu-morita |website=Crunchyroll |access-date=23 February 2023 |date=13 September 2022 |language=en-us}}</ref>