Rotting Bodies: Sex, Gender, and Horror in Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan

Abstract

The success that the kabuki play Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan enjoyed was not simply due to its spectacular stage tricks, but also because of the inescapably intimate (human) nature of the horror displayed on stage. Sexuality and gender in particular dominate the horror on stage. The central character Oiwa serves as a vehicle for gendered fears rooted in Edo-period attitudes towards sexuality.

Keywords

• kabuki
• theatre
• edo period
• femininity
• ghosts