口上

A kōjō is a formal address spoken from the stage to the audience. On special occasions such as name-succession or memorial productions it is staged as an independent act, with rows of actors in formal kamishimo dress and wigs—a ceremonial spectacle unique to kabuki.

The words express the joy of succession, reverence for predecessors, and resolve to carry the art into the future. Through the kōjō the audience witnesses—and joins in celebrating—the birth of a new name, the whole theatre becoming one festive space.

The word kōjō has traveled beyond the theatre. In sumo, the formal statement of resolve delivered by a wrestler promoted to yokozuna or ōzeki is called a kōjō, familiar from every news broadcast. And the kiri-kōjō—the closing address that once ended the day's performance—survives in daily Japanese as a word for stiff, ceremonious speech.

A kōjō was performed at the 2022 productions celebrating the succession of Ichikawa Danjūrō XIII Hakuen. At the Ichikawa Sōke's kōjō, the household's celebrated nirami glare is sometimes presented—traditionally said to ward off misfortune for all who see it.