Izumo no Okuni

Izumo no Okuni (出雲 阿国; born c. 1578; died c. 1613) was a Japanese entertainer and miko (shrine maiden) who is believed to have invented the theatrical art form of kabuki. She is thought to have begun performing her new art style of kabuki (lit. 'the art of singing and dancing') theatre in the dry riverbed of the Kamo River in Kyoto. Okuni's troupe quickly gained immense popularity, and were known for their performers, who were often lower-class women Okuni had recruited to act in her all-female theatre group.