ABSTRACT
This chapter tells the story of how jōruri musical narrative found a place in kabuki and was transformed into kabuki dance music. This is analogous to the blend of narrative, drama and dance in nō: in both the actor-dancer kinetically narrates (or mimetically dances) while a chorus of on-stage musicians take the musical narrative. There are of course differences: in nō the dancer also sings, unlike the kabuki dancer; kabuki has dramatic dialogue; it has a melodic instrument, the shamisen, and its main dance style is the mimetic furi, not mai.
