Short answers, pulled from the story.
Izumo no Okuni founded kabuki theater in the year 1603 in the dry bed of the Kamo River in Kyoto. She led a troupe of young female dancers in a new style of dance drama that eventually defined Japanese theater for four centuries.
The shogunate issued a ban on women from the stage in 1629 to maintain order in a city where fights frequently erupted among young samurai patrons fighting over the attention of female performers. This decision led to the development of adult male actors known as toshidama who took over the roles previously held by women and boys.
Kabuki plays fall into three main categories: jidaimono which are history plays set within major events in Japanese history, sewamono which are domestic plays focusing on commoners and themes of family drama and romance, and shosagoto which place emphasis on dance.
Kabuki was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in the year 2005 to recognize its outstanding universal value. This recognition followed the establishment of year-round performances at the Kabuki-za in 1991 and the introduction of English earphone guides in 1982.
The hanamichi is a projection walkway that extends into the audience and serves as a dramatic entrance and exit point for kabuki actors. Mechanical innovations such as revolving stages and trap doors were introduced during the 18th century to manifest themes of sudden revelation or transformation.