00:02Putting on the finishing touches, 60-year-old wigmaker Kamoji Tadashi places his latest creation onto kabuki actor Nakamura Tane
00:10-no-Suke.
00:14The smooth top knot known as a mage was a status symbol in the Edo period and now transforms this
00:21young performer into a sumo wrestler from times past.
00:26A kabuki actor just can't walk onto stage as he is and be a kabuki actor.
00:32It's only when he dons the wig that he truly becomes a kabuki actor.
00:38This key part of kabuki, a traditional Japanese theater art, has gained attention after a film about kabuki actors, Kokuho,
00:46was nominated for the Oscars in Best Makeup and Hairstyling this year.
00:50Kabuki is known for its dramatic makeup, colorful costumes, and all-male casts.
00:55In kabuki, wigs are made to express the social status, jobs, and personality of all sorts of characters, from noble
01:03women to villains and comedians.
01:05And the wigs bring more than just a physical transformation.
01:12I believe it is an art form.
01:13While the audience sees the actor as a human being, the wig is an absolute necessity for the character that
01:19the actor is portraying.
01:21Kamoji is a fourth-generation wig maker, also known as a tokoyama.
01:26He says he feels a sense of pride in helping make the key element that draws audiences into the performance.
01:34When the actor goes on stage and receives shouts or praise or loud applause, it makes me feel that our
01:41wig perhaps suited the actor.
01:43I very much feel a sense of joy in that.
01:46Over four decades, Kamoji has honed his tokoyama skills from his family, transforming hundreds of kabuki performers into their roles.
01:54And he hopes to keep learning more as he continues to make even more creations for the stage.
02:00Lee Sun Chen and Tiffany Wong for Taiwan Plus.
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