Escape from the "Floating World": Kabuki Theater in Conflict with the Bakufu Government of Tokugawa Japan (1600-1868)

Authors

Suzanne Schenewerk

Keywords

kabuki, Tokugawa, Japan

Abstract

Ukiyo 浮世, the “floating world” of the Tokugawa 徳川 era (1600–1868) in Japan, holds a particular fascination that endures to this day. For townfolk and samurai alike, this realm of beauty and entertainment represented an escape from the ordinary, a place where pleasure took priority above all other concerns. However, for the entertainers themselves, this demi-monde was not a temporary refuge from the mundane – quite the opposite. Their occupations conferred them to a strange and, in many ways, unenviable position in society, as caste structure and governmental restrictions isolated performers of the period physically and socially.

Recommended Citation

Schenewerk, Suzanne (2012) "Escape from the "Floating World": Kabuki Theater in Conflict with the Bakufu Government of Tokugawa Japan (1600-1868)," The Ozark Historical Review: Vol. 41, Article 5.

Available at: https://scholarworks.uark.edu/ohr/vol41/iss1/5