is a term used in the Japanese theatrical form

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

to refer to young adult male roles, and to the actors who play those roles. Though not all ''tachiyaku'' roles are heroes, the term does not encompass roles such as

villains A villain (also known as a "black hat" or "bad guy"; the feminine form is villainess) is a stock character, whether based on a historical narrative or one of literary fiction. ''Random House Unabridged Dictionary'' defines such a character as ...

or comic figures, which form their own separate categories. The hero or chief protagonist of a kabuki play is nearly always a ''tachiyaku'' role, and the head of a troupe or acting family typically specializes in these roles. The term, which literally means "standing role", once was used to refer to all actors, to distinguish them from musicians and chanters, who were called .立役
(''Tachiyaku''). ''Kabuki Jiten'' (歌舞伎事典, "Kabuki Encyclopedia"). 2001–2003: Japan Arts Council. Accessed 17 January 2009. There are two main types of ''tachiyaku'' role: * ''

Aragoto , or 'rough style', is a style of kabuki acting that uses exaggerated, dynamic (forms or movements) and speech. roles are characterised by the bold red or blue makeup () worn by actors, as well as their enlarged and padded costumes. The term i ...

'': Most of the great heroes of the kabuki tradition are characters performed in the ''aragoto'' style. Their face makeup is white with bold red patterns, and their words and actions are likewise quite bold. It takes great training to create, and sustain, the loud and forceful voice of an ''aragoto'' character. The chief example of an ''aragoto'' role is that of

Kamakura Gongorō Kagemasa Kamakura Gongorō Kagemasa (鎌倉権五郎景政) (born 1069) was a samurai descended from the Taira clan, who fought for the Minamoto clan in the Gosannen War of Japan's Heian period. He is famous for having continued to fight after losing an ey ...

in the famous play ''

Shibaraku ''Shibaraku'' (暫, しばらく) is a play in the Kabuki repertoire, and one of the celebrated ''Kabuki Jūhachiban'' ("Eighteen Great Plays"). The play is noted for its flamboyantly dramatic costumes and makeup (''kumadori''). {{citation need ...

''.Cavaye, Ronald et al. ''A Guide to the Japanese Stage''. Tokyo: Kodansha, 2004. pp59–60. * ''

Wagoto , or ''soft style'', is a style of kabuki acting that emphasizes realistic speech and gestures. Wagoto actors typically do not employ the exaggerated makeup and costuming common to the more exaggerated ''aragoto'' (''rough'') style. Wagoto was p ...

'': ''Wagoto'' roles are softer, gentler, characters. A ''wagoto'' figure is often a companion to the chief ''aragoto'' role in the play, or a romantic character. Abe Kiyoyuki in '' Narukami Fudō Kitayama Zakura'' and Yoshitsune in ''

Kanjinchō ''Kanjinchō'' (勧進帳, ''The Subscription List'') is a kabuki dance-drama by Namiki Gohei III, based on the Noh play ''Ataka''. It is one of the most popular plays in the modern kabuki repertory. Belonging to the repertories of the Naritaya ...

'' are examples of ''wagoto'' roles. There are also a number of lesser categories of ''tachiyaku'' roles, including '' shinbōya'' (mild-mannered characters who are defined by their suffering great cruelty, usually at the hands of the play's villain) and '' sabakiyaku'' (level-headed, wise, and thoughtful characters, often serving as judges or the like). These are lesser roles, very rarely if ever serving as the chief protagonist or hero of a play. While there are a number of ''

onnagata (also ) are male actors who play female roles in kabuki theatre. History The modern all-male kabuki was originally known as ("male kabuki") to distinguish it from earlier forms. In the early 17th century, shortly after the emergence of the g ...

'' (female role specialists) who are particularly famous, most of the other top actors of both past and present specialize(d) in ''tachiyaku'' roles. This includes the lineages of

Ichikawa Danjūrō is a stage name taken on by a series of Kabuki actors of the Ichikawa family. Most of these were blood relatives, though some were adopted into the family. It is a famous and important name, and receiving it is an honor. There are a number of r ...

Ichikawa Ebizō is a stage name taken on by a series of Kabuki actors of the Ichikawa family. Most of these were blood relatives, though some were adopted into the family. It is a famous and important name, and receiving it is an honor. Ebizō, like other acto ...

Nakamura Kanzaburō Nakamura Kanzaburō is a stage name taken on by a series of Kabuki actors of the Nakamura family. Most of these were blood relatives, though some were adopted into the family. Kanzaburō, like other actors' names, is bestowed (or given up) at gran ...

, Onoe Kikugorō, and many others.

Notable ''Tachiyaku''

Bandō Mitsugorō VIII (19 October 1906 – 16 January 1975) was one of Japan's most revered kabuki actors from the 1930s until his death. He was a renowned and , specializing in particular in the style. He was officially designated as a " Living National Treasure ...

Ichikawa Danjūrō I was an early kabuki actor in Japan. He remains today one of the most famous of all kabuki actors and is considered one of the most influential. His many influences include the pioneering of the ''aragoto'' style of acting which came to be larg ...

Ichikawa Danjūrō II was a Japanese kabuki performer in the lineage of a celebrated family of actors from the Edo region.Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric ''et al.'' (2005). "Ichikawa Danjūrō" in Ichikawa Danjūrō is a stage name. Career The earnestly prayed-for son ...

Ichikawa Danjūrō VII was a Japanese kabuki actor who specialized in male hero (''tachiyaku'') roles, said to be the greatest of the 19th century. He was responsible for the establishment of the ''Kabuki Jūhachiban'', a collection of the eighteen greatest plays in ...

Ichikawa Danjūrō VIII was a Japanese kabuki actor of the prestigious Ichikawa Danjūrō line. He was a ''tachiyaku'' (male roles) actor in the ''aragoto'' style, like all members of the lineage, but particularly specialized in the roles of young lovers, for which he ...

Ichikawa Danjūrō IX was one of the most successful and famous Kabuki actors of the Meiji period (1868–1912). Ninth in the line of actors to hold the name Ichikawa Danjūrō, he is depicted in countless ''ukiyo-e'' actor prints (''yakusha-e''), and is widely cr ...

Ichikawa Danjūrō XII was a Japanese actor. He was the twelfth kabuki actor to hold the illustrious name Ichikawa Danjūrō. Career He was the eldest son of Ichikawa Danjūrō XI. He first appeared on stage in 1953 under his birth name Natsuo Horikoshi, and in 195 ...

Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII (born December 6, 1977) is a Japanese Kabuki, film, television actor and stage producer. He is the eldest son and successor of the celebrated Ichikawa Danjūrō XII. He is known for being a renowned '' tachiyaku'' (actor specializing in male ...

* Ichikawa Jūkai III * Ichikawa Sadanji III * Ichikawa Sadanji IV * Ichikawa Udanji III * Ichimura Uzaemon XVII *

Kataoka Ainosuke VI is a Japanese actor, kabuki actor and TV host. His ''yagō'' is ''matsushimaya''. His '' mon'' is the ''Oikake Go-mai Ichō''. His current stage name is Ainosuke Kataoka. He is a renowned '' tachiyaku'', specializing in both the ''aragoto'' and ' ...

* Kataoka Nizaemon XIII * Kataoka Nizaemon XV *

Matsumoto Hakuō I , born , was a Japanese kabuki actor, regarded as the leading '' tachiyaku'' (specialist in male roles) of the postwar decades; he also performed in a number of non-kabuki venues, including Western theatre and films. Taking the name Hakuō upon r ...

Matsumoto Hakuō II is a Japanese kabuki actor, one of the most popular ''tachiyaku'' (specialist in male roles) currently performing. Like many members of the kabuki community, he can trace his lineage back several generations, many members of his family being ...

Matsumoto Kōshirō VII was a Japanese actor. He was one of the leading '' tachiyaku'' Kabuki actors of Japan's Meiji period (1868–1912) through the late 1940s. Names Like most Kabuki actors, Kōshirō took various stage names ('' gō'') over the course of his care ...

Matsumoto Kōshirō X is a Japanese actor and kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance- drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of ...

* Morita Kan'ya XIV *

Nakamura Ganjirō II was a Japanese kabuki and film actor. He appeared in more than 70 films between 1941 and 1980, directed by notable filmmakers such as Yasujirō Ozu, Kenji Mizoguchi, Akira Kurosawa, and Mikio Naruse. Filmography Film Television Honors * 1 ...

Nakamura Kankurō VI is a Japanese kabuki and film and television actor. Born , he is the eldest son of actor Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII and the older brother of Nakamura Shichinosuke II. He is a well-known '' tachiyaku'' actor (kabuki actor who plays male roles) just ...

* Nakamura Kanzaburō XVII *

Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII , was a Japanese actor active in kabuki, other forms of live theatre, television and commercials. Kanzaburō was a versatile actor whose credits include farce, period pieces and Shin Kabuki. Lineage Kanzaburō was the eighteenth in the line of ...

Nakamura Kichiemon I was a Japanese actor and kabuki performer. In 1945, he became the senior living kabuki actor in Japan.Scott, Adolphe C. (1999). Biography Kichiemon construed his career in terms of "lifelong study" (''gei'') of that which cannot be seen in an ...

Nakamura Kichiemon II was a Japanese actor, kabuki performer and costume designer. He was a so-called Living National Treasures of Japan, Living National Treasure. Nakamura Kichiemon was a formal kabuki stage name. The actor's grandfather first appeared using the ...

Nakamura Shichinosuke II (born May 18, 1983) is a Japanese Kabuki, theatre, TV, and film actor. He was born , the second son of famed Kabuki performer, Nakamura Kanzaburō XVIII. Unlike many kabuki actors, who specialize in a single type of role, Shichinosuke plays both ...

Nakamura Shidō II , better known by the stage name , is a Japanese kabuki and film actor. Life Born in Tokyo, the son of kabuki actor Nakamura Shidō I, young Nakamura made his kabuki debut at the age of eight. He took the name Shidō the following year, following ...

Nakamura Tomijūrō V was a Japanese Kabuki actor and Living National Treasures of Japan. Tomijūrō work in Kabuki included the role of Musashibō Benkei, a Japanese warrior monk, in the drama, Kanjinchō. Outside Japan, Tomijūrō toured performed in the United Stat ...

Onoe Kikugorō V was a Japanese Kabuki actor, one of the three most famous and celebrated of the Meiji period,"Onoe family" (尾上家, ''Onoe-ke'')Kabuki Encyclopedia(歌舞伎事典, ''kabuki jiten''). Japan Arts Council, 2001–2003. Accessed 30 May 2009. alon ...

* Onoe Kikugorō VII * Onoe Shoroku II *

Sakata Tōjūrō I (1647 – 1 November 1709) was an early kabuki actor of the Genroku period in Japan. He was a pioneer of the ''wagoto'' style, and of Kamigata kabuki more generally. His influence persists in the lineage of actors who have taken up his arti ...

Sakata Tōjūrō IV was a Japanese kabuki actor in the Kamigata style and was officially designated a Living National Treasure. Unlike most kabuki actors, he performed both male and female roles, and was renowned as both a skilled ''wagotoshi'' (actor of male role ...

References

{{reflist

Notable ''Tachiyaku''

References

See also