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- �e^Jt� *
D Bunzaku (Sawamura Sojuro, etc. in playbill / affiche de th��tre)
the audiences, the prints served as a memento of the performances and pin-ups of their favourite stars, lavishly made-up and dressed in stunning costumes. The actors were known by their exaggerated gestures and the family crests (mon) which they often wore on their costumes.
The courtesans of the Yoshiwara, or licensed brothel district of Edo (present day Tokyo), provided another rich source of themes for the print artists. Houses of prostitution, called green houses, were a natural outcome of the unpleasant nature of arranged marriages and the subordinate position of women in the warrior-dominated feudal society of Edo. Because young couples often met for the first time at their marriage ceremony, romances between the husband and a Yoshiwara courtesan were more likely occurrences. With wives and family conveniently left at home, the pleasure-seekers and courtesans of the Yoshiwara were free to develop their own set
violents et m�lodramatiques. Etant donn� l�intrigue, l�action et la sc�ne magnifiquement r�aliste, le kabuki offrait un spectacle brillant et haut en couleur. En raison du fait que les femmes �taient exclues de ces pi�ces, les com�diens �taient tous des hommes sp�cia�lis�s dans les poses exag�r�es et les expres�sions faciales. En pr�sence de la censure gouvernementale, les acteurs et les drama�turges kabuki devaient faire preuve de grande cr�ativit� pour �viter d�offenser les autorit�s pour des raisons morales et politiques. Les pi�ces faisaient constamment allusion � la corruption morale et ce fait n�a servi qu�� rendre le kabuki d�autant plus mirobolant � la soci�t� refoul�e de l��poque Edo.
Le public, surtout la classe marchande, portait un culte � leurs acteurs favoris et assistaient en masse aux repr�sentations. Les artistes ukiyo-e ont vite su tourner � leur avantage l�enthousiasme passionn� de l�auditoire kabuki en prenant comme sujet le portrait
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