1.
kumadori; kabuki stage makeup
The distinctive bold face painting used in kabuki theater, featuring dramatic lines in red, blue, brown, or black over a white base. Each color and pattern conveys the character's nature — red indicates a hero, blue indicates a villain, and brown indicates a supernatural being.
歌舞伎役者が隈取りをしていた。
The kabuki actor was wearing kumadori makeup.
赤い隈取りは正義の味方を表す。
Red kumadori represents a heroic character.
隈取りの柄をデザインしたTシャツが外国人観光客に人気だ。
T-shirts with kumadori designs are popular with foreign tourists.
BACKGROUND:
隈取り is one of the most recognizable visual elements of kabuki theater. The word comes from 隈 (shadow, shading) and 取る (to take, to apply). The patterns are painted to exaggerate the muscles and veins of the face, expressing the character's emotions and personality at a glance.
KEY COLORS:
- 赤 (red): 正義, 勇気 — heroism, courage
- 青/藍 (blue/indigo): 悪 — villainy, evil
- 茶 (brown): 人間以外 — supernatural beings
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 隈取りをする (to apply kumadori makeup)
- 隈取りの模様 (kumadori pattern)
SIMILAR WORDS:
化粧 is the general word for makeup. 白塗り refers to the white face base used in kabuki and geisha traditions. 隈取り specifically refers to the bold colored lines painted over the white base in kabuki.