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Heading to the stage from Toya.
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Heading to Toya from the stage.
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Entire Hanamichi (from the second-floor seats)
The passage on the left side of the stage is the Hanamichi, running through the audience seats on the same level as the main stage to connect it and Toya that is placed at the end of the Hanamichi. In some plays, a passage called a temporary Hanamichi is installed on the right side of the stage in parallel with the Hanamichi.
The Hanamichi turns itself into various places, according to scenes performed on stage. For example, when a scene is set indoors, the Hanamichi becomes a corridor. And it becomes a street when a scene is set outdoors. The passage plays so important a role as a place for different scenes from ones performed on the main stage.
In Kabuki, it will be a big highlight when the actors appear and withdraw through the Hanamichi. A representative act of disappearing from the stage is Roppo. An area around Suppon is called Shichisan (the three-tenth), where an actor passing along the Hanamichi may come to a halt and take some sort of actions or a Mie pose. This type of acting by using the Hanamichi closer to the audience than the stage is unique to Kabuki and can make a strong impression on them.
