Just like the many native English-speakers who have difficulty understanding the language and classical references in the works of William Shakespeare, so Japanese people generally feel a sense of distance from kabuki, as though it were a foreign language.
However, Ennosuke Ichikawa III, who is currently known as En-ou Ichikawa II, is a kabuki actor whose inspiration it has been to protect that genre¡¯s tradition while broadening its appeal through what¡¯s known as Super Kabuki ¡ª his creation in which classic storylines, spoken in today¡¯s Japanese, are refashioned for contemporary relevance.
This way, by melding universal and easily understood themes and language with authentic kabuki¡¯s excellent production values, he has been able to remove the aura of inaccessibility surrounding it and allow more people to experience its wonder.
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