goi Back to the route map日本語

Use the left and right arrow keys, or swipe the sign, to move to the next word.

Meaning

the mastermind behind the scenes

A person who stays out of sight and manipulates people or events from behind the scenes.

Example

今回の人事には、裏で糸を引く黒幕がいるらしい。

Word is that someone is pulling the strings behind this round of personnel changes.

Origin

Originally the black curtain used in kabuki. It hides the stage during scene changes or serves as a backdrop representing night or darkness. A small black curtain is also used to screen a character who has died so the actor can leave the stage. Since in kabuki black by convention stands for what cannot be seen, the word came to mean someone pulling strings in the shadows.

Sources