Culture Japan Smart Doll – Kabuki (Blue)

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The Japanese word “Kabuki” refers to a drama played out as a stage performance sprinkled with singing and dancing. Kabuki actors feature a distinct “kumadori” face makeup – my first encounter with such makeup was on the face of E.Honda – the sumo wrestler in Street Fighter. Folks who watched the opening ceremonies of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics may have noticed the Kabuki actor.


The lines on each kumadori design are an exaggerated representation of facial muscles and veins. The colors have meanings too.
Red represents the “hero” aspect – justice, courage, and strength.
Blue represents the “villain” aspect – ruthless and evil.
Brown represents non-humans such as demons and monsters.

I mentioned “actors” for a reason – in 1629, women were banned from performing on stage in Kabuki because they were seen as an unhealthy influence due to their suggestive movements on and off stage. A bit like those awkward hanky panky scenes that crop up all of a sudden on what seems like any Netflix show during dinner time.

Men replaced the female role and were galled Onnagata. To this day, women are still forbidden to perform on stage in Kabuki.

Smart Doll Kabuki features prominent red paint on her kumadori makeup – she is our heroine who stands up against and fights the forces that oppress.

As for why she has a touch of blue paint on her face – I will leave that for you to decide 😉 

Important Kabuki Notes

The asymmetrical Kumadori design on Kabuki’s face is created using the aid of paint masks. However, each and every head is still painted by hand using a combination of airbrushes and traditional brushes.

Each and every head will inherit imperfections through the hand painting process meaning that some edges will be fuzzy. If you compare your Kabuki with your friend’s Kabuki then you will notice that they will have fuzziness in different locations.

We want you to be happy with your purchase so if you are not cool with imperfections then leave this product to somebody else – because there are never enough Smart Doll’s to go around 😉 

Do note that the sports bra will be a random color – you cannot choose. Kabuki does not come with the Hakama set that she is wearing in some of the photos. Nor does she come with the stairs or walls also pictured in the photos.