Kuroko (kabuki)

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Kuroko (黒衣) are stagehands in Kabuki theatre, who dress all in black. Kurogo and kurombo are alternative pronunciations of the same term, all three referring either to the stagehands themselves or to their black costumes.

The kuroko serve many of the same purposes as running crew. They move scenery and props on stage, aiding in scene changes and costume changes. They will also often play the role of animals, will-o-the-wisps, or other roles which are played not by an actor in full costume, but by holding a prop. Kuroko wear all black, head to toe, in order to imply that they are invisible and not part of the action onstage.

The convention of wearing black to imply that the wearer is invisible on stage is a central element in bunraku puppet theatre as well. Kuroko will wear white or blue in order to blend in with the background in a scene set, for example, in a snowstorm, or at sea. As this convention was extended to kabuki actors depicting stealthy ninja, it has been postulated that the stereotypical image of a ninja dressed all in black derived from kabuki^[1]. Real ninja, living prior to the advent of kabuki, would likely have almost never dressed in this way.

In Noh theatre, a kōken, wearing black but no mask, serves much the same purpose.