Hare, Tom. Classic Japanese Drama. Asian Languages 135, Stanford University. January 17, 2000. http://www.stanford.edu/class/asianlang135.

This website, developed by Stanford University in conjunction with a class on Classic Japanese Drama, is a comprehensive guide to not only Kabuki but a range of performance arts. Kabuki is, therefore, only one of the many divisions of the website. This division contains a long, written piece on a range of Kabuki subjects. The first part deals with the physical characteristics of Kabuki such as color, form and sound. The next discusses the unique aspects and important terms of Kabuki theater, giving a good indication of what makes Kabuki stand out. The reading then tells what the average day at a Kabuki theater is like. This short section is followed by a detailed but brief history of the early origins of Kabuki. This history may be longer but the next sections are under construction and do not continue the story. The entire reading is interspersed with colorful and striking pictures of the Kabuki a stage and its actors as well as a few woodblock prints.

The page is very academic and very detailed which makes it difficult to read. Not all the writing is hard to follow but some pieces are so filled with terms and references that sentences become impossible. Also, the material seems stunted due to the fact that the page is still under construction. The page does, however, have some very colorful and evocative pictures. Still, the text is hard and it is also hard to scroll through because the advance buttons are always at the bottom of long blocks of print. For a detailed summary of Kabuki aspects and form, this page is good, but for a general introduction, look elsewhere.

-Owen Strock