Kuroko (黒子 "black child") are stagehands in traditional Japanese theatre, who dress all in black. Kurogo and kurombo are alternative pronunciations of the same term, all three referring either to the stagehands themselves or to their black costumes. In kabuki, the kuroko serve many of the same purposes as running crew. They move scenery and props on stage, aiding in scene changes and costume changes. They will also often play the role of animals, will-o-the-wisps, or other roles which are played not by an actor in full costume, but by holding a prop. Kuroko wear all black, head to toe, in order to imply that they are invisible and not part of the action onstage. The convention of wearing black to imply that the wearer is invisible on stage is a central element in bunraku puppet theatre as well. Kuroko will wear white or blue in order to blend in with the background in a scene set, for example, in a snowstorm, or at sea, in which case they are referred to as "Yukiko" (雪子, snow child) or "Namiko" (波子, wave child) respectively. As this convention was extended to kabuki actors depicting stealthy ninja, it has been postulated that the stereotypical image of a ninja dressed all in black derived from kabuki.[1] Real ninja, living prior to the advent of kabuki, would likely have almost never dressed in this way. In Noh theatre, a kōken, wearing black but no mask, serves much the same purpose.
Examples from popular culture
- Kuroko clothing and methods were used to comical (but quite effective) ends in the Internet meme Matrix Ping-Pong.
- The Scissor Sisters' video for She's My Man
- A Kuroko character appears in some of the Samurai Shodown video games.
- Pretty Polly staged a live Kuroko performance on the 30th October 2007 on a poster site on the M4 London.
References
- Shōriya Aragorō (2006). www.kabuki21.com. Accessed 29 August 2006.
- ^ Turnbull, Stephen (2003). "Ninja: AD 1460-1650." Oxford: Osprey Publishing. p17.
