ABSTRACT
Kata 型 (alternatively also written as 形) refers to conventional “forms” or “patterns” which can be found in various genres in traditional and partly modern and contemporary Japanese performing arts—such as bugaku 舞楽, nō 能, kyōgen 狂言, ningyō jōruri 人形浄瑠璃 (puppet theatre, also known as bunraku 文楽), kabuki 歌舞伎, nihon buyō 日本舞踊 and minzoku geinō 民俗芸能, but also butō 舞踏, including ankoku butō 暗黒舞踏 (butō of darkness) and others—as well as in music. The term kata can refer to different concepts depending on context and genre. It is used in a broader sense for any recurrent pattern in staging and performing, and it is extending also to aspects of the use of properties, costumes, makeup, scenery and music in a narrower sense. Even though kata exists in all forms of premodern Japanese art, from the performing and martial arts to ikebana 生け花 (arranging flowers), tea ceremony, the visual arts, and music, emphasis on its importance seems greater in nō and kabuki than elsewhere. Outside the realm of the performing arts and music, kata is also applied in many adjacent areas such as literature and sports.
