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Onnagata (女形/女方, lit. 'female role'), alsooyama (女形), are male actors who play female roles inkabuki theatre.[1] It originated in 1629 after women were banned from performing in kabuki performances.[2] There are many specific techniques that actors must learn to master the role ofonnagata.
In the early 17th century, shortly after the emergence of the genre, many kabuki theaters had an all-female cast (onna kabuki, orkabukimono), with women playing men's roles as necessary.[3]Wakashū kabuki ('adolescent-boy kabuki'), with a cast composed entirely of young men playing both male and female roles, and frequently dealing in erotic themes, originated circa 1612.[4]: 90
The role of theonnagata was shaped during theEdo period as an expression of femininity that was meant to align with the femininity of real women in Edo society. Bothonnagata andwakashū (orwakashū-gata), actors specializing in adolescent female roles (and usually adolescents themselves), were the subject of much appreciation by both male and female patrons, and were often prostitutes. All-male casts became the norm after 1629, when women were banned from appearing in kabuki due to the prevalentprostitution of actresses and violent quarrels among patrons for the actresses' favors.[4]: 90–91 This ban failed to stop the problems, since the young male (wakashū) actors were also fervently pursued by patrons.[2] This more modern, all-male kabuki was originally known asyarō kabuki ('male kabuki') to distinguish it from earlier theatrical forms.
In 1642,onnagata roles were forbidden, resulting in plays that featured only male characters. These plays continued to have erotic content and generally featured manywakashū roles, often dealing in themes ofnanshoku (male homosexuality); officials responded by banningwakashū roles as well.[4]: 92 The ban ononnagata was lifted in 1644, and onwakashū in 1652, on the condition that all actors, regardless of role, adopted the adult male hairstyle with shaved pate.Onnagata andwakashū actors soon began wearing a small purple headscarf (murasaki bōshi) to cover the shaved portion, which became iconic signifiers of their roles and eventually became invested with erotic significance as a result.[4]: 132 After authorities rescinded a ban on wig-wearing byonnagata andwakashū actors, themurasaki bōshi was replaced by a wig and now survives in a few older plays and as a ceremonial accessory.[5]
During theMeiji era, the ban on women performing was lifted, and women began performing inkabuki performances where they playedonnagata roles. This was more uncommon as it was standard foronnagata to be an artistically feminine performance played by a male actor who underwent training to learn the role.[6] In contemporary kabuki performance,onnagata is a separate theatrical role with different training that is separate from actual women in society.[6]
After film was introduced in Japan at the end of the 19th century, theoyama continued to portray females in movies until the early 1920s. At that time, however, using real female actresses was coming into fashion with the introduction of realistshingeki films. Theoyama staged a protest atNikkatsu in 1922 in backlash against the lack of work because of this.
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Every kabuki actor is expected to have facility withonnagata techniques. These include learningonnagata makeup, which is vastly different from that of a male character's, and adopting traditional feminine mannerisms specific to the role of theonnagata.[7] Some of the techniques thatonnagata actors have to master with years of training and research include being able to move gracefully across the stage when wearinggeta, adopting a more feminine posture and physical mannerisms like slouched shoulders and bending knees, and speaking at a higher pitch (falsetto) throughout the entire performance.[2] The falsetto used by theonnagata performers is not meant to be an exact imitation of the female voice. Instead,onnagata imitate typical vocal intonations associated with femininity. The type of falsetto varies depending on the specific role that theonnagata is performing.[8] Many actors specialise inonnagata roles, such asBandō Tamasaburō V.
The influence ofonnagata on Japanese culture has played an important part in thevisual kei genre. The subculture emphasizes gender-nonconforming expression, and self-identified male performers who adopt female clothing within the genre are sometimes referred to asonnagata.[9] Japanese music website Barks credits the increase inonnagata band members to the bandMalice Mizer, due to the influence of its guitarist and co-founderMana. Mana himself has said that he wanted to be the ultimateonnagata.[10]
In the United States, one of the more well-knownonnagata isGia Gunn (real name Gia Ichikawa), a Japanese-Americandrag queen who began performing as anonnagata when she was five years old.[11] She mentioned this experience during her tenure on thesixth season ofRupaul's Drag Race, crediting it as one of the inspirations for her drag.[12] After the sixth season of Drag Race, she came out as atrans woman, crediting her first exposure to gender nonconformity back to her performances as a child: "I guess at the time, I didn't even realize that years later this would have resonated with me on a much more personal and deeper level".[13] Later, during her return to Drag Race for thefourth season ofAll Stars, her entry to the first episode's talent competition was a short kabuki performance in drag that incorporated a blend of traditional and modern elements.[12]
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