The is an extra stage section used in Japanese kabuki theater. It is a long, raised platform, running left of centre to the stage through the audience, connecting to the main stage.
The Japanese: hanamichi is typically used for character entrances and exits, though is also used for asides and scenes that do not take place in the location as scenes on the main stage; the Japanese: hanamichi also typically features a trapdoor just before the runway meets the stage, placed to be visible to everyone in the audience, which is commonly used for character entrances. Some kabuki plays also require the use of two Japanese: hanamichi, running along the left and right of the audience.
The Japanese: hanamichi was first used in 1668 in the Japanese: [[Kawarazaki-za]]|italic=no, in the form of a simple wooden plank that reached from the centre of the stage to the middle of the theatre. It was not used in performances, but allowed actors to step into the audience after a performance to receive flowers, with the word Japanese: 'hanamichi' literally meaning "flower path."
The modern style of Japanese: hanamichi, sometimes called Japanese: "honhanamichi" (Japanese: 本花道, "main flower path"), was first conceived and standardized in 1740. The standard size ranges from 16.38m (53.74feet) – 18.2m (59.7feet) long and 150cm (60inches) – 180cm (70inches) wide. Some theatres have since begun to make use of a secondary Japanese: hanamichi on the right side of the audience, known as Japanese: "karihanamichi" (Japanese: 仮花道, "copied flower path") which is one-third to half the width of the Japanese: honhanamichi on the left.
Though rarely used for the main action of a play, much of the more dramatic or famous character moments occur during entrances or exits along the Japanese: hanamichi. Many particularly dramatic actions take place seven-tenths of the way down the Japanese: hanamichi (three-tenths away from the stage), at a spot known in Japanese as (lit., "seven-three"). It is here that exiting characters may say their final words, and entering characters may address the audience or the characters on stage. Since the Japanese: hanamichi runs through the audience, it allows for a closer experience for the spectator than might normally be allowed by other forms of traditional theater.
In sumo, the path to the Japanese: dohyō is also known as Japanese: hanamichi.