Shively, Donald H. "The Social Environment of Tokugawa Kabuki." Studies in Kabuki: Its Acting, Music, and Historical Context. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1978. 1-61.

This chapter in Shively's book addresses the strong link between Kabuki and the pleasure quarters in which it began. Shively starts the chapter with a detailed introduction of Kabuki's origins and how it became established in the pleasure quarters of Japan. He talks about Kabuki's transformation into an all-male theater focused on stylization and exaggeration and how Kabuki theaters were founded near the prostitution districts. Shively then describes the design of the theaters, which began as very similar to Noh theaters and which slowly grew larger and different as popularity grew. He explains the special interaction between audience and actor in Kabuki in these theaters and the circus-like atmosphere which was created. He also delves into the popular adoration of Kabuki, an adoration that was often associated with and often spilled over into prostitution. Shively states that the world of Kabuki was hard to separate from the pleasure districts of Japan, an aspect that made it both popular and scandalous. He believes this scandal helped make it great and that with its reform in the early 1900's it lost some of this edge. Shively's ultimate thesis is that Kabuki is a reflection of the urban Japan of its day and that its essence cannot be separated from the atmosphere of the pleasure quarters in which it arose.

Shively's writing is both clear and easy to follow and this chapter serves as a interesting and comprehensive introduction to Kabuki theater and its origins. He does a good job of establishing the historic character of Kabuki makes some interesting insights the art form and what makes it special. His writing at times becomes bogged down in details, such as when he is describing the history of theater architecture and all its transformations. Some of the information seemed extraneous and served to confuse rather than clarify his points. It also made the reading a little longer than it had to be. Overall, however, it is a good, clear introduction to Kabuki and its history.