Kabuki Theater is a basic introduction to the history and development of the theater for the common man during the Edo Period (1603-1854). It actually was started by a woman, though now all the actors are men.

Kabuki Theater II contains more information. The article compares Kabuki to the Noh theater and explains its uneasy relationship to the ruling shogunate.

Kunisada and Kabuki This is a great site where you can learn more about the traditions of the Kabuki theater and see the colorful woodblock prints of one of it's most famous artists. There's an introduction to Kunisada's art, a section where you can see what a Kabuki theater looked like and a virtual gallery of all the prints.

Kabuki Juhachiban are eighteen famous dramatic heroe plays. They are popular for the key dramatic moments that allow an actor to excel.

The Tale of Heike Heroes from the epic Tale of Heike inspired the artwork on many hanten and woodblock prints. This article explains the plot of one battle from the Tale of Heike that is a famous and well-loved Kabuki play. Beware! It's more complicated than a soap opera.

The Forty-Seven Ronin was a very popular story for woodblock prints and Kabuki theater. The 47 samurai became ronin (masterless samurai) when their master was killed. The story tells their valiant efforts to revenge their master's death.

Kabuki Terminology introduces you to basic terms and how they relate to the plays.

Fantastic Fans is subtitled Clappers and Cheer-meisters. By studying one woodblock print, you'll learn about dedicated Japanese fans (not the folding paper type) from yesterday and today.