<P> Jidaimono, or history plays, were set within the context of major events in Japanese history . Strict censorship laws during the Edo period prohibited the representation of contemporary events and particularly prohibited criticising the shogunate or casting it in a bad light, although enforcement varied greatly over the years . Many shows were set in the context of the Genpei War of the 1180s, the Nanboku - chō Wars of the 1330s, or other historical events . Frustrating the censors, many shows used these historical settings as metaphors for contemporary events . Kanadehon Chūshingura, one of the most famous plays in the kabuki repertoire, serves as an excellent example; it is ostensibly set in the 1330s, though it actually depicts the contemporary (18th century) affair of the revenge of the 47 Ronin . </P> <P> Unlike jidaimono which generally focused upon the samurai class, sewamono focused primarily upon commoners, namely townspeople and peasants . Often referred to as "domestic plays" in English, sewamono generally related to themes of family drama and romance . Some of the most famous sewamono are the love suicide plays, adapted from works by the bunraku playwright Chikamatsu; these center on romantic couples who cannot be together in life due to various circumstances and who therefore decide to be together in death instead . Many if not most sewamono contain significant elements of this theme of societal pressures and limitations . </P> <P> Important elements of kabuki include the mie (見 得), in which the actor holds a picturesque pose to establish his character . At this point his house name (yagō, 屋号) is sometimes heard in loud shout (kakegoe, 掛け声) from an expert audience member, serving both to express and enhance the audience's appreciation of the actor's achievement . An even greater compliment can be paid by shouting the name of the actor's father . </P> <P> The main actor has to convey a wide variety of emotions between a fallen, drunkard person and someone who in reality is quite different since he is only faking his weakness, for example in the character of Yuranosuke in Chūshingura . This is called hara - gei or "belly acting", which means he has to perform from within to change characters . It is technically difficult to perform and takes a long time to learn, but once mastered the audience takes up on the actor's emotion . </P>

In the kabuki theater characters will often hold a characteristic pose for what purpose
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