Bromide Kabuki Postcards 歌舞伎 ブロマイド 絵葉書 

"Before the widespread circulation of bromides featuring Kabuki actors, the role was played by actor prints from the Edo period to the mid-Meiji period [with attempts to revitalize Kabuki woodblock actor prints into the early Taishō era, an example of which is the 1915 print shown above].  Although the number of actor prints in domestic and foreign institutions is vast, recent proactive efforts by these institutions have organized and made them public, gradually revealing the full picture. As a result of these efforts, using actor prints in Kabuki research has become common. On the other hand, the photographic materials that replaced actor prints have significantly lagged in organization, publication, and research compared to actor prints."[1] 

Kabuki bromide postcards were sold at theater shops and were very popular as souvenirs for theatergoers and Kabuki enthusiasts. While silver bromide photographic paper became the most utilized photo paper in the early 1900s, the term "bromide" (ブロマイド, buromaido) became a generic term for any glossy photograph of celebrities. Tens of thousands of bromides depicting Kabuki actors and the Kabuki stage were created during the Meiji era into the prewar period, with the Shōchiku Otani Library holding over 12,000 images, many of which are accessible through Ritsumeikan University's Art Research Database "Shōchiku Otani Library Performance Record Database."[2]

These postcards were packaged in decorative bags which provide valuable insights into the sales methods of Kabuki bromides at that time. Additionally, many were formatted as postcards, with the back showing text indicating "postcard" in various languages such as "郵便はがき" (Japanese), "POST CARD" (English), and "CARTE POSTALE" (French). Some  feature logos of the theater’s sales booths where stamps were attached, advertisements and directions to theater patrons.[3]

While some postcards have captions printed in red or navy blue on the photo surface, providing various information, such as performance dates, titles, scenes, theatres, role names, and actor names, the postcards in this collection do not contain captions, although some have hand-written notations on the verso providing the actor's name and role being played.[4] As bromides of popular actors in their notable roles continued to be sold long after the initial performance, it is also challenging to pinpoint the exact date of many of the performances. Compounding difficulties in identifying actors, roles and plays pictured on some cards was the practice of repurposing the same picture for different plays as pointed out by Umetada Misa in her article cited in footnote [1] below.

The majority of this collection's bromides were published by Shōchiku, a Japanese entertainment company that began in 1895 as a Kabuki theater management business in Kyoto. In 1914, the company acquired the Kabuki-za theater in Tokyo, and in 1920, Shōchiku expanded into film production. "It was Shōchiku that brought all the kabuki actors under the same management and raised the position of kabuki."[5]

For brief biographies of the identified actors below please go to The Kabuki Actor on this site.

[1] 東京文化財研究所無形文化遺産部所蔵 歌舞伎絵はがき・ブロマイド目録明治・大正 埋忠美沙 (Inventory of Kabuki Postcards and Photographs of Kabuki Actors in the Collection of the Department of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo: Meiji and Taisho Periods), UMETADA Misa, Research and Reports on Intangible Cultural Heritage Number 1 2007, Publisher: National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, Tokyo. 

[2] For more information on this database see [Part 8] Photographs bring back the faces of famous actors, passing on the charm of Kabuki to the next generation https://readyfor.jp/projects/ootanitoshokan8 [accessed 7-5-24]

[3] [Part 8] Photographs bring back the faces of famous actors, passing on the charm of Kabuki to the next generation https://readyfor.jp/projects/ootanitoshokan8 [accessed 7-5-24]

[4] Op. cit. Inventory of Kabuki Postcards 

[5] https://www.kabukiweb.net/about/shochiku/ [accessed 7-5-24]

Kabuki Bromides in this Collection