Kurogo
【黒衣】
【KUROGO】
-
Kurogo assistants, hiding behind the actors so as not to stand out, in “Sukeroku Kuruwa no Momoyogusa”. Onoe Kikugoro 7th as Agemaki and Ichimura Uzaemon 17th as Ikyu. January, 1977 at the National Theatre. （Y_E0100083000200）
It refers to stage assistants who support the actors on stage. They are called Kurogo (black dress) because they are dressed in black to cover their head and face.
In Kabuki, there is an unspoken rule that “black is invisible from the audience”. Therefore, the Kurogo assistants on stage are not to be visible. They hide and shrink as small as possible behind the actors or the stage set so as to keep themselves from standing out.
Their work ranges from preparing the props used on stage and putting away the props that are not needed anymore to helping the actors change their costumes on stage. Usually, pupils of the actor serve as assistants. They work in accordance with their master’s acting.
The black dress, on the contrary, should stand out in the scene of the snow, water, sea, or river. So, they wear a white dress called “Yukigo” in the scene of the snow and a light-blue dress called “Mizugo” or “Namigo” in the scenes of the sea or river.
In Kabuki, there is an unspoken rule that “black is invisible from the audience”. Therefore, the Kurogo assistants on stage are not to be visible. They hide and shrink as small as possible behind the actors or the stage set so as to keep themselves from standing out.
Their work ranges from preparing the props used on stage and putting away the props that are not needed anymore to helping the actors change their costumes on stage. Usually, pupils of the actor serve as assistants. They work in accordance with their master’s acting.
The black dress, on the contrary, should stand out in the scene of the snow, water, sea, or river. So, they wear a white dress called “Yukigo” in the scene of the snow and a light-blue dress called “Mizugo” or “Namigo” in the scenes of the sea or river.
