Is there historical precedent for Minnie Mouse to be a kabuki actress?

Disney has just released a new line of merch in Japan in collaboration with Shochiku, one of the country’s oldest movie distributors. But while it’s common for Japanese movie theaters to sell memorabilia at gift shops in their lobbies, this tie-up has more to do with another aspect of Shochiku’s business, as it also operates some of Japan’s most prestigious kabuki theaters, and so this collab is a series of Disney Kabuki character goods.

It’s well-known that all roles in kabuki plays are played by men, so right off the bat the above illustration begs the question, is Mickey Mouse dressing up not just as a fierce samurai warrior, but also a pretty kimono-clad princess? However, according to Disney and Shochiku, the Disney Kabuki line has depictions of both Mickey and Minnie.

Some might argue that that’s a contradiction of the rich traditions of kabuki, but there’s cultural and historical justification. First, the most famous and successful kabuki actors who play female characters (who are called onnagata), tend to specialize in such roles. So it stands to reason that a star of Mickey Mouse’s stature, if he became a kabuki actor, would likely either play female roles exclusively or not play them at all.

As for Minnie’s presence, while it’s true that only men act in kabuki plays now, that wasn’t always the case. As a matter of fact, at the time of kabuki’s inception in the early 1600s, the opposite was true, and all characters, whether male or female, were played by women. A ban on female performers was put in place a few years later, but there’s still historical precedent for kabuki actresses.

▼ This would mean that Minnie is a kabuki actress from 400 years in the past, but if we’re already talking about anthropomorphic mice performing plays, making her a time traveler too isn’t really straining believability all that much more.

▼ Minnie retains her long eyelashes, in case you’re wondering who’s who in the bottom row.

As for the merch itself, Disney and Shochiku are offering key chains (800 yen [US$5.15]), and sets of clear files (four for 800 or 1,200 yen), and stickers (two for 600 yen or four for 800 yen).

The whole lineup can be purchased through the Shochiku online store here, as well as at the Ginza Kabukiza kabuki theater in downtown Tokyo, branches of the Movix movie theater chain, the Shinjuku Piccadilly and Marunouchi Piccadilly theaters, and the Shochiku Kabuki specialty shop in the Tokyo Character Street shopping row inside the Tokyo Station Ichibangai shopping center. Currently there are no announced plans for a Mickey Mouse kabuki play, but considering that Star Wars got a kabuki adaptation, maybe the idea isn’t so far-fetched.

Source: PR Times, Shochiku
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Shochiku
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