Okuni,
also called IZUMO NO OKUNI (fl. early 17th century),
Japanese dancer who is credited as being the founder of the Kabuki art
form.
Okuni is said to have been an attendant at the
Grand Shrine of Izumo in western Japan. She formed a troupe of female dancers
who in 1603 gave a highly popular performance of dances and light sketches
on a dry riverbed in Kyoto. The company's lusty and unrestrained dance
dramas soon became known throughout Japan--the style acquiring the name
Okuni Kabuki--and other troupes of female dancers were formed.
Okuni's company and the newer groups normally had
the patronage of the nobility; but their appeal was directed toward ordinary
townspeople, and the themes of their dramas and dances were taken from
everyday life. The popularity of onna ("women's") Kabuki remained high
until it was officially banned in 1629 by the shogun (military ruler),
who thought that the prostitution practiced by many of the dancers was
becoming too widespread.