Important characteristics of Kabuki theatre include its particular music, costumes, stage devices and props as well as specific plays, language and acting styles, such as the mie, in which the actor holds a characteristic pose to establish his character.

All-male casts became the norm after 1629, when women were banned from appearing in kabuki due to the prevalent prostitution of actresses and violent quarrels among patrons for the actresses' favors. This ban failed to stop the problems, since the young male (wakashū) actors were also fervently pursued by patrons.

Kabuki costuming is 'extremely elaborate' making the emotions/meaning more pronounced. The costumes signify the class, traits and age of a character by colour, contour and textile. Generally, however, not all three are strongly depicted at once.