This month the Kabukiza, Ginza, is sporting a yagura (turret) on its gabled facade, covered with a blue curtain on which is written "Kyogenzukushi (All kyogen plays)." To those in the know, the turret is announcing the arrival of the annual kaomise ("face-showing") season. This was the most important kabuki event of the year during the 18th and 19th centuries, marking the time when the licensed theaters in Edo, Kyoto and Osaka hired new actors for the upcoming year and introduced them to audiences.
In Edo, at such theaters as the Nakamuraza, Ichimuraza and Moritaza, the kaomise performance was given in November; in Kyoto and Osaka, it was held in December. The practice died out in Edo during the 1860s, but in 1957 the Kabukiza revived the tradition of calling its November performance a "kaomise" -- though in name only.
This month's programs are exceptionally good, each consisting of a jidaimono (historical play) and a sewamono (realistic play), separated by a dance number.