Theatre Yearbook 2021
Theatre in Japan
Published in March 2021
Japanese Centre of International Theatre Institute (ITI/UNESCO)
c/o Kokuritsu Nohgakudo (The National Noh Theatre)
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mail@iti-j.org / http://iti-japan.or.jp© Japanese Centre of International Theatre Institute 2021
All rights reserved. Requests for permission to reproduce material
from this work should be sent to the Japanese Centre of International Theatre Institute.

Commissioned by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Government of Japan in fiscal 2020
under the Program for Nurturing Upcoming Artists Leading the Next Generation
Editor-in-chief Niino Morihiro
Director in charge Sota Shuji
Editors Kakihana Rieko, Konishi Michiko (Office Miyazaki), Goto Ayako,
Goto Ryuki, Sakaguchi Kaya, Steven Davis (Office Miyazaki),Takeshita Tsutomu, Tada Shigefumi, Nakajima Kana,
Fukazawa Yuichi, Yamashita Yoko
Editorial Staff Iki Terumi, Hayashi Hideki
Translators Ishikawa Mai, William Andrews, Eleanor Goldsmith (Office Miyazaki),
Cody Poulton, Sumida Michiyo, Donncha Crowley, Mark Oshima,
Matt Treyvaud (Office Miyazaki), Lingua Guild
Proofreaders Aida Yuko/Konishi Michiko/Shiraishi Mitsuko/Hirano Miyako/
Yamazaki Nobuko (Office Miyazaki), Galia Todorova Petkova,
Tove Bjork
Art Director and Designer Kubo Saori
Plate-making Yubido Co., Ltd.
Yamamura Printing Co., Ltd.
Printing Sankyosha Co., Ltd.
Binding Wincam Co., Ltd.
Printed in Japan

Foreword
The Japanese Centre of International Theatre Institute is a public interest incorporated foundation and belongs to the international network of National Centres and professional organizations in approximately ninety countries and regions that constitutes the International Theatre
Institute (ITI), which is a non-governmental organization under the umbrella of the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The preamble of the UNESCO Constitution begins with the famous phrase “since wars begin
in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed.”
Article 3 of the standing rules of the Japanese Centre of International Theatre Institute stipulates
that the purpose of the Centre is “to contribute to the development of culture and realization ofpeace in Japan by deepening mutual understanding and facilitating the creation and exchange oftheatre and dance based upon the purpose of the UNESCO Constitution.”
While COVID-19 has dealt a major blow to the whole world over the last year, the internet has
served as a window onto the limitless ingenuity demonstrated by each country in taking on thechallenge of engaging in performing arts activities under these circumstances. Artists and audiences alike across the globe remain keen to participate in the arts. Creation and appreciation oftheatrical and dance performances encourage us to think about people and society by sharing
time and space together. The contribution made to our lives by the performing arts seems
unlikely to change.
The Japanese Centre has published the Theatre Yearbook since 1972. Starting from 1997, it has
been published in two parts: “Theatre in Japan” (English version) for readers outside Japan and“Theatre Abroad” (Japanese version) for domestic readers. Since 2011, the Centre has been commissioned to publish this yearbook by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as part of the “Program
for Nurturing Upcoming Artists Leading the Next Generation.”
Also funded by this program, we have staged readings every year since 2009 to introduce remarkable plays from around the world as part of our research activities to promote international theatrical exchange. In 2020, we continued the “Theatre Born in Conflict Zones” series
for the twelfth consecutive year, this time featuring a new play from Israel that was translated
and introduced to Japan for the first time.
Thus the publication of the Theatre Yearbook has laid a firm foundation for activities that seek
to gain knowledge of the relationship between Japan and the world, to deepen mutual understanding by positioning Japan within the global network, and to realize cultural development
and peace.
We look forward to your continued support and cooperation with the activities of the JapaneseCentre of ITI in the years to come.
March 27, 2021
In commemoration of World Theatre Day
Nagai Taeko
President
Japanese Centre of International Theatre InstituteCONTENTS
005 Shots from the Performing Arts in Japan in 2020

The Japanese Performing Arts in 2020
038 Noh and Kyogen Oda Sachiko049 Kabuki Yanai Kenji
060 Bunraku Kameoka Noriko
071 Musicals Hagio Hitomi
081 Contemporary Theatre Yamaguchi Hiroko
093 Children’s and Youth Theatre Ota Akira
103 Japanese Classical Dance Hirano Hidetoshi
116 Ballet Urawa Makoto
126 Contemporary Dance and Butoh Tsutsumi Hiroshi
140 Television Dramas Nakamachi Ayako

Developments in Japan and Overseas
152 Japanese Theatre in the Time of the Spanish Influenza 100 Years Ago / Goto Ryuki
168 Plurality of Senses – for Dumb Type / Uchino Tadashi
179 Obituary: Betsuyaku Minoru “Under the Influence of Beckett: Betsuyaku, Pinter, Stoppard” / Tanioka Takehiko
189 Appendix: Translations and Overseas Presentations of Works by Betsuyaku Minoru / Editorial TeamSpecial Feature
202 “Theatre Born in Conflict Zones 12” A Staged Reading Performed Full Out / Kono Takashi
216 Companion Volume “Theatre Abroad 2021” in Japanese
218 ITI Centres«Editors’ Notes»• The articles in this publication report on the performing arts in Japan from the previous calendar year.
•N ames are presented in the respective style of their country/region of origin. For Japanese names, theorder is family name, followed by given name. The names in the contributor profiles are presented with acomma and in the following order (except for individuals with only one name): family name, given name.
• Titles for traditional Japanese performing arts (Noh, kyogen, kabuki, bunraku, Japanese classicaldance, etc.) are presented in the following order: Japanese title (English Title).
• Other titles of works are presented in the following order: English Title (Japanese title).
• The English play titles, theatre venue names, and other formal names are the official ones or, when no
official English name is available, newly translated for this publication.

日本の
舞台芸術
を見る

Shots from the Per forming Ar ts in Japan
in 2020

Noh and Kyogen

Shibuya-Noh First Night: Kanze School Youchi Soga (The Soga Brothers’ Night Raid)

Photo: Tsujii Seiichiro

The 41st Wadachi no Kai Fujito

Photo: Tsujii Seiichiro

Noh Performance 2020 Sagi (Egret) Nomura Shiro© The Nohgaku Performers’ Association

Noh and Kyogen

Noh Performance 2020 Tsukimi zato (Autumn Moon and the Blind Man) Yamamoto Tojiro© The Nohgaku Performers’ Association

Noh Performance 2020 Kawakami Nomura Man (right), Nomura Akihito (left)© The Nohgaku Performers’ Association

KabukiZoom Kabuki Chushingura(The Treasury of 47 Loyal Retainers)
Matsumoto Koshiro as Oboshi Yuranosuke© Shochiku

Sakanaya Sogoro (Sogoro, the Fishmonger)
Onoe Kikugoro as Sogoro
Photo provided by the National TheatreKabukiShunkan Nakamura Kichiemon as Shunkan

Photo provided by the National TheatreKajiwara Heizo homare no ishikiri (Stone-Cutting Kajiwara) Kataoka Nizaemon as Kajiwara© Shochiku

Kabuki

Yoshitsune senbon zakura(Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees)
Onoe Kikunosuke as the magical fox Tadanobu
Photo provided by the National Theatre

Sakata Tojuro as Ohatsu in Sonezaki shinju(The Love Suicides at Sonezaki)
June 2015, Hakataza© Shochiku

Bunraku

Honcho nijushiko (The Japanese Twenty-Four Examples of Filial Piety) Kiritake Kanjuro as Princess Yaegaki© National Bunraku Theatre and Ningyo joruri Bunraku-za

Keisei hangonko (The Courtesan and the Resurrecting Incense) Takemoto Shikorodayu (left), Takezawa Sosuke (right)© National Bunraku Theatre and Ningyo joruri Bunraku-za

Bunraku

The 23rd Bunraku Sujoruri no Kai Shoutsushi Asagao banashi (The Tale of the Morning Glory)
Toyotake Sakitayu, Tsuruzawa Enza © National Bunraku Theatre and Ningyo joruri Bunraku-za

Ehon taikoki (A Picture Book of the Taiko Toyotomi Hideyoshi) – Amagasaki

Photo provided by the National TheatreParco Theater Opening Series Mitani Bunraku: Sorenari shinju (Much Ado about Love Suicides)
Photo: Osako Futoshi, provided by Parco Theater

The 40th World Heritage Theater – Tomioka Silk Mill Koimusume tsumugi no rabirinsu (Girl in Love and the Labyrinth of Silk)
BUNRAKU-beyond, Ningyo Joruri and Hatsune Miku © SEGA/CFM

Musicals

Whistle in the Wind

Photo provided by Toho Theatrical Division

Once Upon a Time in America Takarazuka Revue−Snow Troupe, based on the motion picture Once Upon a Time in America,
courtesy of New Regency Productions, Inc., and the novel The Hoods written by Harry Grey © Takarazuka Revue Company

A Robot in the Garden Shiki Theater Company

Photo: Abe Akihito

Shakespeare in the12th Year of the Tempo Era

Photo provided by Toho Theatrical Division

Musicals

Violet Umeda Arts Theatre

Photo: Hanai Tomoko

Billy Elliot TBS/Horipro/Umeda Arts Theatre/WOWOW

Photo: Tanaka Aki

Contemporary Theatre

Parco Theater Opening Series Actors (Social Distancing Version) dir. Mitani Koki
Photo: Abe Akihito, provided by Parco Co., Ltd.

Ghosts from the Performance of “Regret of Ghosts and Monsters — Zaha” dir. Okada Toshiki (Kanagawa Arts Theatre)

Contemporary Theatre

A Midsummer Night’s Dream dir. Silviu Purcărete (Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre)

Furimun Sisters dir. Matsuo Suzuki (Theatre Cocoon)

Photo: Hosono Shinji

Photo: Tanaka Aki

You Must Go, Laura
dir. Watanabe Eri (Honda Theater)
Photo: Yokota Atsushi

The Bacchae—Holstein Milk Cows
dir. Ichihara Satoko (Kanagawa Arts Theatre)
Photo: Sato ShunContemporary Theatre

Murderous Intent Striptease dir. Kuriyama Tamiya (Theatre Tram)

Richard II dir. Uyama Hitoshi (New National Theatre, Tokyo)

Photo: Hosono Shinji

Photo: Hikiji NobuhikoMary Stuart dir. Mori Shintaro (Setagaya Public Theatre)

Photo: Hosono Shinji

Mrs. Klein dir. Kamimura Satoshi (Theater Fuusikaden)

Photo: Oki Miho

Children’s and Youth Theatre

Change: From the Recesses of the Library Kazenoko Theatre Company

Night on the Galactic Railroad La Clarté Puppet Troupe

Photo provided by Kazenoko Theatre Company

Photo provided by La Clarté Puppet TroupeA Christmas Carol Mochinosha Puppet Company

Photo provided by Mochinosha Puppet Company

The Happy Foundling Puppet Theatre Hitomi-za

Photo provided by Puppet Theatre Hitomi-za

Children’s and Youth Theatre

Can You Whistle, Johanna? Tokyo Engeki Ensemble

Photo: Matsuura Noriko

Our Elementary School Is a Space Station Theatre Urinko

Photo: Hattori Yoshiyasu

Japanese Classical Dance

Kakurenbo (Hide and Seek)
Yamamura Wakayuko
Photo provided by the National Theatre

Magakami (The God of Misfortune)
Fujima Ranko
Photo: Seto Hidemi

Japanese Classical Dance

Yoshiwara suzume(The Sparrows of the Yoshiwara Pleasure Quarters)
Fujima Etsuko
Photo provided by the Nihonbuyo Association

Kanawa (The Iron Crown) Inoue Yachiyo
Photo provided by the National Theatre

BalletSleeping Beauty Asami Maki Ballet Tokyo

Fiorito Tani Momoko Ballet

Photo: Shikama Takashi

Photo: Staff Tes

BalletCacti Sadamatsu-Hamada Ballet

Photo: Okamura Masao (Osaka Tes)

Ryuuguu – The Turtle Princess National Ballet of Japan

Photo: Shikama TakashiM The Tokyo Ballet
Photo: Hasegawa Kiyonori

Giselle Sumina Okada Ballet School

Photo provided by Sumina Okada Ballet School

Contemporary Dance and Butoh

Mukumeku-mu Seki Kaori’s Punctumun

Photo: Matsumoto Kazuyuki

Yokohama Dance Collection 2020 Suiyoubaion Yokoyama Ayano

Photo: Sugawara Kota

Night on the Galactic Railway Teshigawara Saburo

Wherever the World Company Derashinera

Photo: Abe Akihito

Photo: Suzuki Jouji

Contemporary Dance and Butoh

Diagram of a Fully Automatic Kleshas-Brain Yasumoto Masako

Photo provided by phA Gathering for a Duet Kasai Akira’s Duo no Kai, Kasai Mitsutake (left), Kawaguchi Takao (right)

Photo: bozzo

Le Petit Prince Kanagawa Arts Theatre/Moriyama Kaiji

Gold Experience Iwabuchi Teita’s Body Map

Photo: Maiko Miyagawa

Photo: Maezawa Hideto

Contemporary Dance and Butoh

Geigeki Dance Yo! Don Quixote Tanaka Min

Photo: Hirama Itaru

Dance New Air 2020→21 n o w h e r e Yuasa Ema and Ohira Takayuki

Photo: Yulia Skogoreva

日本の
舞台芸術
を知る
Th e J a p a n e s e Pe r fo r m i n g A r t s
i n 2020

NOH and KYOGENNoh and Kyogen

That Which Changes,
That Which Does Not
Oda Sachiko
From Restraints to Reopening
In revisiting the year 2020 in Noh and Kyogen, it is impossible
to ignore the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Focusing on the National Noh Theatre, let us summarize the timelinefrom the initial restraints on performances to their reopening. At
038

the government’s request on February 26, to mitigate the spreadof infection, the Japan Arts Council decided on February 29 tocancel performances at the National Theatre, Engei Hall, Noh
Theatre, and Bunraku Theatre. Meanwhile, various other Nohtheatres and organizations continued to some extent, such as theKanze-kai Regular Performance, the Otsuki Seiin-kai Tokyo
Special Performance, the Tessen-kai Regular Performance, and the
Umewaka-kai Special Performance, yet many of the events scheduled for March were cancelled or postponed. According to a survey
by the editorial department of the monthly Nohgaku Times, there
were 70 cancellations and 35 postponements in the period up to
March 19; 88 cancellations and 104 postponements up to April 20;
and 51 cancellations and 42 postponements leading up to May 20.
Some performances were broadcast online.
After the April 7 Emergency Declaration was lifted on May 25,

starting with performances in July, the National Noh Theatre
would reduce its seating capacity to 50% according to official guidelines, while applying infection prevention measures. Though not
uniformly, other Noh theatres and groups would gradually reopenfrom June through July, continuing with performances and returning to almost 100% from October through November, following the
September 19 relaxation of restrictions on seating capacity.
As explained above, a considerable number of performancesscheduled from March onwards were canceled or postponed. Somegroups postponed all of their regular performances for the year,
while others were forced to cancel despite having continued their
preparations until the very day before. Amid the uncertainty, there
were numerous instances of sudden cancellation notices and calls039

for refunds. Since resuming, the overall number of performances
has been greater than usual, with both prescheduled and rescheduled events. Despite anxieties due to the sudden increase in infections during December, the performances continued more or lessas planned, without seeing any major decline in audience numbers.
How did Noh and Kyogen respond to these unforeseen circumstances? What was brought to light about Noh and Kyogen, andwhat is it that will change, or not change? While it is probably still
too soon to be able to adequately develop such a discussion, in revisiting 2020’s performances, I would like to share what stood out.

Masked Jiutai
The first thing I saw at the National Noh Theatre after the reopening was the “41st Wadachi no Kai” featuring Honda Mitsuhiro and
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NOH and KYOGEN

Sakurama Kinki of the Konparu school (July 5). What struck me
was the different appearance of the jiutai chorus, who wore paleyellow face masks onstage, and were reduced from the customary
eight members in two rows to six members in one and a half rows.
Their masks are said to have been inspired by the white masksworn by the seino dedicants at the Kasuga Wakamiya Onmatsuri
festival. It cannot be denied that this infection prevention measuretended to have a muffling effect on their voices, with a decrease involume. Elsewhere, we would later see black masks, screens placedin front of the jiutai, and variations in the number and layout of
performers, with some wearing masks and others not, dependingon the particular school’s approach. In some cases, it would be040

noticeable at the outset that the performance was taking placewith certain adjustments, such as immediate stage exits—of the
wakitsure attendant after delivering their introductory line, or thetsure attendant (heavenly maiden) after completing a dance—while
actors faced each other from staggered positions, or space wasmade between hayashikata musicians. If such features become
normalized, this may in time bring about a qualitative change to
Noh itself.

Noh and Kyogen as Prayer
A major event of the year was “Noh Performance 2020: Praying for
the End of the New Coronavirus,” a ten-day run from July 27 toAugust 7 (excluding August 1 and 2) at the National Noh Theatre,
co-sponsored by the Nohgaku Performers’ Association, Japan
Nohgaku Organization, Agency for Cultural Affairs, and Japan

Arts Council. Originally, this event was to be the “Tokyo 2020
Olympic and Paralympic Noh Festival” whose planning began in2014 as “a symbolic cultural event to run in parallel to the Games”(from a pamphlet for the event). From the opening day performance of the ritual Okina by Kanze Kiyokazu (head of the Kanze
school) to the closing day performance of Dojoji (Dojoji Temple) by
Hosho Kazufusa (head of the Hosho school) there was a total of 35
items of Noh, Kyogen, maibayashi (abbreviated performances inhakama-style), and shimai (short highlights accompanied by jiutaionly), assembling great masters, elders, and leaders from each of
the schools and groups. Though it is said that the program did not
depart greatly from the original plan, still, it was regrettable that
infection countermeasures necessitated cuts to characters and041

verses at every turn, as well as the 50% limit on audience numbers.
Nonetheless, the realization of this program, which felt like a gathering of the sum forces of the Noh-Kyogen world, left an impression of the resilience of these art forms. It is an indication of thatstrength that they can respond to such a change in framing, from a
grand festival to a prayer for relief from the virus, while their form
remains unchanged. Along with its social role as a performing art
set apart from other forms of theatre, I was once again reminded ofsome of the reasons for Noh’s longevity for more than 670 years.
Among the many fulfilling performances, one I would like tomention for the deep impression it made in light of the “prayer”
theme is the maibayashi Sagi (Egret) danced by Nomura Shiro (July31). Here an egret allows itself to be captured by order of theEmperor, only to fly away upon receiving permission to dance. The
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NOH and KYOGEN

portrayal of the egret requires a special kind of footwork not seenin any other work, making this a rare and significant experience.
Nomura, looking trim in grey hakama with silver fan in hand, wasborn in 1936. Despite the perhaps inevitable loss of physical agility,
still he uses the strength of his core to stand firmly on one leg, andgives his all to the dance. In this figure, spreading wide its wings to
fly for freedom, there was a natural expression of both the distressin which humanity finds itself, and its liberation from that state. It
was a dance imbued with deep prayer from one of the elders of the
Noh world.

Riches in Kyogen
042

In recent years there has been a noticeable vitality in Kyogen. In
addition to the evolving artistry of three Living National Treasures,
it is heartening to see that promising successors are emerging among
veterans, mid-career, and early-career performers in each school.
Bringing together young Kyogen performers from across thecountry and from different styles and schools, the “6th Kyogen
Contest: 8 Rounds Starring Taro Kaja” (February 15, National
Noh Theatre) facilitated in turns by Okura Yataro and Nomura
Matasaburo, was a new project showcasing eight numbers featuring the highly popular Noh character of Taro Kaja (the headapprentice). The various guises of the hardworking, opportunistic,
and sly Taro Kaja were vividly portrayed, and creativity was seen in
the programming of the rarely performed piece Naginata Ashirai(Counter Parry) and Mizu Kikazu (The Unseeing and Unhearing),
which features characters with disabilities.

There was a succession of young performers taking on challenging works, marking their arrival at higher stages of artistic
maturity. The “Nomura Man 90th Birthday Commemoration: Yorozu Kyogen New Year Special Performance” featured
three grandsons of Man (sons of Nomura Manzo): Mannojo in
Tsurigitsune (Fox Trapping), Kennosuke in Sanbaso (Celebratory
Dance), and Shinnosuke in Nasu no Yoichi no Katari (The Taleof Nasu no Yoichi). Mannojo made a vivid impression with his
high-leaping, larger-than-life physicality. Nomura Yuki (grandsonof Mansaku, son of Mansai) appeared in two formats, solo in Nasu
no Yoichi no Katari, and in the ai-kyogen (interlude) of Yashima
at the “61st Kyogen Gozaru-no-za” (August 10, 12, and 30, Hosho
Noh Theatre). He recited calmly with a well-projected voice and043

consideration for the overall balance.
At the “Mansaku no Kai Special Performance: Viewing
Tsurigitsune,” Nomura Mansaku’s pupils Naito Ren (October 20)
and Nakamura Shuichi (November 5) each took on Tsurigitsune(National Noh Theatre). While there is still room for growth there,
it is pleasing to see these young performers earnestly developing
their craft, which bodes well for the future.
Elsewhere, the “Yamamoto Noritoshi 77th Birthday Commemoration” was performed without an in-person audience andbroadcast live on August 31, featuring Noritoshi himself, recipientof the previous year’s 41st Kanze Hisao Memorial Hosei University
Noh Theatre Award, in his tenth and truly youthful performanceof Tsurigitsune, while his grandson Norimitsu made his debut with
Iroha (The Language Lesson). In each Tsurigitsune, the performer in
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Theatre Yearbook 2021

NOH and KYOGEN

the Hunter role must be commended for their solid support of theshite protagonist.
It should be added that Zenchiku Tomitaro of the Okura
school, who appeared in the aforementioned “Kyogen Contest,”
passed away on April 30th at the young age of 40 due to the novel
coronavirus.

New Acting Trends
Two performances from “Noh Performance 2020” that made me
keenly aware of how much a work can be transformed by its production were Tsukimi Zato (Autumn Moon and the Blind Man, July31) and Kawakami (August 4). Both are short on comedic elements044

but esteemed as great works depicting human psychology. As such,the mainstream tendency had been to perform them in a slow,
weighty manner, but here there was a sketch-like quality to theirperformance, honing in on a sense of humanity.
The blind man in Tsukimi Zato was played by Yamamoto
Tojiro, with Yamamoto Noritoshi as the man from Kamigyo(upper Kyoto), played in an unforced style. Parting on good terms,
having shared a drink, the upper-Kyoto man then pretends to besomeone else and assaults the blind man, dragging him aroundand pushing him to the ground. This transformation in the manrenders this a problematic scene, yet Noritoshi was able to present
the action without introducing any psychological excess, while
Tojiro too acted with a minimum of emotional attachment.
Kawakami sees Nomura Man as the blind husband, whose
wife is played by Nomura Akihito, whose unique qualities have

been prominent in recent years. The husband has his sight cured by
Jizo Bodhisattva on the condition that he gets a divorce, yet when
his wife insists on staying together, he complies with her. Nomura
Man allowed such wide ups and downs to develop precisely, withstrength of voice and restraint in acting. In the final scene where
the husband, once again blind, is practically dragged by the hand
offstage by his wife, Man paused for a moment on the bridgeway,turning his body slightly towards the audience. Regret and resignation moved through that silent figure, representing a complex talethat does not resolve in simple marital affection.
The common thread between Tsukimi Zato and Kawakami
was how the audience’s imagination was aroused by a dispassionatestyle of acting, the opposite of a passionate, demonstrative style. In045

both cases, where the blind man falls over, the actor actually falls
over. With the abandoning of sweetness and excess, and the arisingin their place of uncompromising reality and dry humor, one
senses a new direction in Kyogen.
As an illustration of new trends in Noh, I would like tomention “Shibuya Noh” at Cerulean Tower Noh Theatre, whichbegan the previous year, and this year presented Youchi Soga (TheSoga Brothers’ Night Raid, October 28). A special feature this year
is hitamen: maskless performance. This could have been challenging considering the abundance these days of mugen-noh (pieces
with supernatural or otherworldly elements).
Youchi Soga depicts events before and after the vengeance ofSoga no Juro (tsure: Katayama Kuroemon) and Soga no Goro (shite:
Kanze Atsuo). Katayama’s acting shone, achieving subtle
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NOH and KYOGEN

expressivity of the eyes, with assuredness of dialogue. This series offour scheduled performances remains incomplete due to postponement, yet I sensed here continuity from previous hitamen performances—which have come into vogue before—and a contribution
towards breaking new ground in acting.

Sakurama Kinki Portrays Deep Despair
My top pick of the year was the acting of Sakurama Kinki, whoplayed the shite in Fujito at “Wadachi no Kai.” During the Battle of
Fujito (1184), as told in The Tale of the Heike (Vol. 10), Minamoto
no Yoritomo’s vassal Sasaki Moritsuna (waki counterpart) is handsomely rewarded for leading a successful vanguard across the046channel, having learned the location of a stream there from a local
fisherman whom he had killed out of fear he would be given away.
The Noh picks up these events where the Heike leaves off. In thefisherman’s mother (mae-shite), a new character is introduced who
publicly denounces Moritsuna’s senseless act. The climax of thefirst act comes where the mother, having heard her son’s fate, getsup and presses towards his killer: “Let me be killed just like mychild!” Being shoved aside, she rolls on the ground, exclaiming:“Give back my child!” Since olden times, many great performances
have risen to this scene, calling on the actor’s ingenuity in portraying the lamentation and violent emotion of the elderly mother. She
is beside herself as she rushes forward, in this tense confrontationof the powerful by a common person. The waki role of Moritsuna isalso difficult.
Surprisingly, Kinki’s performance places the focus not on thismoment, but a later one. With “Give back my child…” it is as
though the inward intensity is ratcheted up two gears—having
stood still in confrontation of the waki, he sits down. But after that,standing back up at the urging of a servant (ai, played by Miyake
Chikanari), the shite’s facial expression is now vacant, without
focus. He exits the stage, disappearing off the bridgeway, hunchedsomewhat smaller than before. The ai follows after, offering comforting words, yet there is an unnaturally wide space between them,and the hand of support is extended in vain. The elderly motherjust walks, an empty shell, having exhausted her strength. The
silently disappearing figure was an eloquent expression of Fujito’s
theme, of the common person’s resistance against the powerful.
Kinki’s deep expression of despair had also been seen a year047

earlier at the Yokohama Noh Theatre, in the final scene of Kinuta(The Fulling Block). As soon as the deceased wife (shite) has
reproached her husband (waki): “Know my pain? Oh, you arepainful!” she realizes her feelings will never reach her husband. It
was as though a chasm had opened up between them. It is difficult
to explain how such an impression arises, and it may be due to
one’s own imagination. But it may be said that the audience’s
various imaginations are born from the silence, where words andacting cease; where the shite’s mind and body are transfigured, justafter such an outburst of emotion has been expressed. Kinki’s
acting stands out in its expressions of despair and loneliness. Eachtime one encounters it, one trembles in recognition that the humanheart is not so easily pacified.

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LastlyFrom March 2020, Noh and Kyogen went online. This has taken
various forms, from live broadcasts minus live audience, toYouTube broadcasts of archived performances, to Zoom webinars.
In contrast to previous times where straight archival filming was
the norm, there is now an increase in active camerawork, and theadvantages of being able to reach overseas and rural locations havebecome more apparent. Online broadcasts will surely continue
into the future. While the situation has greatly changed, so far thisdoes not seem have brought about a major qualitative change to thecontent of Noh and Kyogen. With no equipment onstage, theadvantage lies in being able to put on a full performance for any
048

time or location, with just a single rehearsal. It seems important tobe grateful for this, while continuing to cultivate these works anddeepen in their expression.
Oda, Sachiko
Researcher of Noh and Kyogen. Doctor of Letters. Graduate of Hosei
University Graduate School of Humanities. Primary research themes include
the history of Noh and Kyogen directing, and Noh and Kyogen works
themselves. Active at the intersection of research and the stage, including
performance criticism, lecturing, commentary, and as a dramaturge forrevivals and historical performances.
(Translation: Lingua Guild)KabukiCanceled Performances andReopening Theatres
During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Yanai Kenji

One after Another, Performances Are Temporarily
Stopped, Canceled and Postponed
For kabuki, as with all other genres of live performance, this was ayear of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

049

Starting at the end of February, the national government andmunicipal bodies called for voluntary restraints on going out andorganizing events, and from March on, different theatres partiallycanceled performances. After that, detailed specifications were
issued for different stages of closing and reopening of theatres andother public venues, with criteria for each stage, but nevertheless,
all kabuki performances in March were canceled. At the end of
March, it was announced that the April performances would
be canceled as well, and right after that, on April 7, the national
government announced a State of Emergency. After that, performances of kabuki—not only in the big cities, but regional tours—
had what must be described as the first long-term cancellation inmodern times. The Kabukiza Theatre had scheduled a three-month
event beginning in May for the name-taking ceremony of Ichikawa
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KABUKI

Ebizo to become Ichikawa Danjuro Hakuen XIII, but even thisevent had to be postponed indefinitely.
Even after the ending of the formal State of Emergency, kabuki
only resumed five months later with a month-long production in
August featuring young performers at the Kabukiza Theatre. The
National Theatre also began performances in August, but that waswith two recitals only lasting a few days in the small hall, featuring
graduates of their training programs. This was the Chigyo no kai(Minnow Recital) / Kabuki kai (Kabuki Recital) joint performanceof kabuki plays and the Ne no kai (Music Recital) featuring kabuki
music. Performances of kabuki in the large hall did not begin again
until the beginning of its regularly scheduled season with a month050

long production in October, although it was divided into two different short programs instead of the usual single, long program.

Resuming Performances with Measures to Combat thePandemic
The pandemic brought on two big changes.
The first was a change in the structure of programs and thetheatrical environment.
For example, at the Kabukiza Theatre, when it resumed performances in August, the programs were structured so as to reduce
the time that people spent in the theatre, and at the same time, inorder to reduce the number of performers, there were four different
programs centering on dances, with the entire program calculated
to last around one hour. Both the cast of performers and the stage
staff were different for each of the four programs. The number ofseats that could be used was drastically reduced, and in addition tosuch measures as taking the temperature of the audience members
as they entered and requiring that they sanitize their hands, eating
and drinking in the theatre were prohibited. In order to increase
ventilation, the doors to the auditorium were kept open evenduring the performance. The musicians and stage assistants onstage also wore black cloths, like veils, to cover their mouths andnoses. Also, instead of selling programs, there were simple explanatory pamphlets that were distributed for free, and the traditional
shouts to praise the actors were forbidden. Performances only
resumed after these very cautious measures were put into place.
After that, other theatres performing kabuki resumed, taking
similar measures and keeping an eye on the state of COVID-19

051

transmission. But at the end of November, one actor contracted
the virus, and because other actors had close contacts with him,
there had to be several sudden cast changes. As of this writing in
December 2020, performing kabuki live still feels like walking on
thin ice.
In January 2021, Kabukiza is scheduled to change from four
short programs to three different programs with two plays each.
The National Theatre will reduce the length of the program andis scheduled to have a repeat performance of Shitenno oedo no
kaburaya (The Four Lieutenants of Demon-Quelling Raiko andthe Miraculous Arrows of Edo), an Edo period play that was firstrevived at the National Theatre in 2011. Performances of kabuki
are also scheduled at the Shinbashi Enbujo in Tokyo in January,
Hakataza in February, and at the Minamiza in Kyoto in March,
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KABUKIso theatres are gradually beginning to have regular performancesof kabuki again, but no one has any idea when things can return
to normal.

Starting Online Distribution on a Serious Scale
Another phenomenon of the pandemic period was distributing
recordings of performances online.
When the live productions of kabuki in March were canceled,
it was at the very end of the short rehearsal period of kabuki andjust before opening day. The productions were ready to go, andmost of the production costs had already been incurred, but withno way of presenting them to a paying audience. So, Kabukiza, the052

National Theatre, and Minamiza in Kyoto all recorded the productions in their theatres without an audience and uploaded them forfree on the Internet for a limited time. Kabukiza uploaded Hinamatsuri (The Doll’s Festival), Shin usuyuki monogatari (The New
Tale of Princess Usuyuki), Kajiwara Heizo homare no ishikiri(Stone-Cutting Kajiwara), Takatsuki (The Ceremonial Cake Stand),and Numazu (At the Numazu Post Town), the National Theatre
uploaded a full-length performance of Yoshitsune senbon zakura(Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees), divided into threeprograms, and Minamiza uploaded Super Kabuki II: Shinpan
Oguri (Super Kabuki Second: A New Version of the Story of Oguri
Hangan). From time to time, these performances in empty theatres
had a forlorn feel to them, but these performances that otherwise
couldn’t be seen were well edited, beautifully clear, and surprisingly satisfying. In August, there was the beginning of an official

Internet distribution service, Kabuki On-Demand, so kabuki
finally joined the ranks of providers of paid video content.
This was a response to the pandemic, but now that there arealmost no broadcasts of performances of kabuki on regular television, shouldn’t we see online distribution of kabuki as a good
way for potential kabuki audiences who live outside the citieswith
kabuki theatres or who for various reasons don’t actually buy tickets
for performances, to enjoy and become familiar with kabuki?
Also, there was a unique experiment using the online conferencing application Zoom called Zoom Kabuki with a productionof Chushingura (The Treasury of 47 Loyal Retainers) (June andJuly, 5 parts). Here, “Zoom” is written with Chinese charactersthat mean “dream image.” The concept and staging were by Mat-

053

sumoto Koshiro, and there were many experiments only possible
with a recorded production. For example, in the prologue wherethe villain Ko no Moronao (Koshiro) tries to seduce Kaoyo Gozen(Nakamura Kazutaro), the wife of Enya Hangan, the man who will
eventually be forced to commit ritual suicide, Moronao and Kaoyo
Gozen were filmed separately and combined with editing. Or in
Act III, where Moronao relentlessly bullies Enya Hangan driving
him to attack Moronao, the scene was given great immediacy byshowing Moronao very close up, from Enya Hangan’s point of view.
In May, the Nihon Haiyu Kyokai (Japan Actors’ Association)
teamed up with the Dento Kabuki Hozonkai (OPK: The Organization for the Preservation of Kabuki) to establish a YouTube
channel, Kabuki-masho (Let’s Kabuki!). This features videos ofkabuki actors talking about acting and behind-the-scenes features
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KABUKIof kabuki to make a positive effort to broadcast information aboutkabuki other than actual performances in order to inspire interestin kabuki.

Fine PerformancesThis was a year with few performances and constant battles with
unprecedented procedures, but this had the one happy result that
there were many examples of veteran performers displaying thebest of their mature art.
Onoe Kikugoro appeared in several plays, showcasing his dazzling pacing, able to change instantly from slow and leisurely tofast and powerful. In January, he appeared at the National Theatre054

in what has become a New Year’s tradition of a revival of an oldplay, reworked for modern audiences with Kiku ichiza reiwa noadauchi (The Kikugoro Theater Troupe and a Revenge Play for the
Reiwa Period). Then there were two performances that featured his
mastery of portraying the common people of the Edo period. In
February at the Kabukiza, he appeared as the poor but gallant
wall-plasterer Chobei in Ninjo Banashi Bunshichi Mottoi (A Storyof Human Feeling: Bunshichi and the Invention of Bunshichi
Topknot Ties) and in October at the National Theatre he appeared
as Sogoro in Sakanaya Sogoro (Sogoro, the Fishmonger).
The March performance featured a balanced ensemble of top
senior actors in Shin usuyuki monogatari, with Nakamura
Kichiemon as Saisaki Iga-no-kami, Kataoka Nizaemon as Sonobe
Hyoe, Nakamura Baigyoku as Katsuragi Minbu, and Nakamura
Kaishun as Ume-no-kata. It was unfortunate that such a fine

performance could not have been seen live and was only shown on
the Internet. Kichiemon and Nizaemon both played samurai torn
between their duty and love for their children, but expressed it indifferent ways. The contrast in the acting styles of the two actors
showed splendidly, with Kichiemon coldly formal and Nizaemon
affable and warm.
In November at the National Theatre, Nakamura Kichiemon
gave a masterful performance in Shunkan as a monk in exile on
an island. His performance in this play has long been renowned,
but the complex movement of emotion inside the character wasboth subtle and extremely clear. This time, he emphasized thevery human figure of a man who has renounced all the things ofthis world. I felt that Kichiemon’s acting had reached a new stage

055

of excellence.
At Kabukiza, Kataoka Nizaemon appeared as Kanshojo in
the Domyoji (Domyoji Temple) scene of Sugawara denju tenarai
kagami (Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy) in February
and as Kajiwara in Ishikiri Kajiwara in October and as Rokusuke
in Keyamura (Keyamura Village) at the National Theatre in
November, all plays originally from the puppet theatre. Nizaemon
simultaneously showed some of the unique ways of performing
these roles in his family’s acting style, but at the same time thatthey showed the transmission of a unique tradition, they also very
vividly portrayed living human beings.
Bando Tamasaburo had performances at Kabukiza called
Special Performance: Recorded Image plus Classical Japanese Dancewith Sagi Musume (The Heron Maiden) in September and Yokihi
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KABUKI(Yang Guifei), a modern dance based on the noh play about the
famous beauty of Tang China who almost destroyed the realm, in
October. After a stage announcement in which Tamasaburo introduced the pieces to the audience, video was used to show the backstage world and later to interlay images of past performances withthe live performance. The result was full of variety and indeed, wasa very satisfying one-man show.
In January at Kabukiza, Matsumoto Hakuo appeared as
Gotobei in Goto Sanbaso (The Sword Ornament-Maker Gotobei)
and in March as Heisaku in Numazu. In both roles, he left a strong
impression with his unique, humorous touch.
And here are some of the memorable performances by the056

younger generation of mature performers:
First is Iromoyo chotto karimame (The Ghost Story of Kasane)in September at Kabukiza, with Matsumoto Koshiro as Yoemon
and Ichikawa Ennosuke as Kasane. This was a full-on collision ofacting skills by two actors who are still young and energetic. This
was a dance thick with the feeling of kabuki.
Sannin Kichisa (Three Thieves Named Kichisa) in December
at the National Theatre featured the delicately balanced trio of
Nakamura Tokizo as Ojo Kichisa, Nakamura Shikan as Osho
Kichisa, and Onoe Shoroku as Obo Kichisa. The acting of each was
careful and precise and brought this story of people caught up in
the travails of karma and fate very vividly.
In Iwashi uri koi no hikiami (The Sardine Seller and the Nets ofLove) in January at Kabukiza, Nakamura Kankuro as Saru Genjiand his brother Nakamura Shichinosuke as Hotarubi showed that

they had not only properly received the tradition of this play with adeep connection to their family, but that they had also made it
their own. In Keisei hangonko (Stuttering Matahei) in December,
Kankuro as Matahei and Ennosuke as his wife Otoku both gave
performances making good use of their innate pleasant and cheerful personalities.
In March at the National Theatre, Onoe Kikunosuke wasscheduled to play the three most important roles in Yoshitsune
senbon zakura: Taira no Tomomori, Igami no Gonta, and themagical fox Tadanobu. Unfortunately, this did not receive a live
performance, but watching the video online showed that it was avery impressive achievement. After this performance, an exhausted
Kikunosuke said, “It would be totally different with an audience....”

057

This impressed on me anew that theatre is an operation that is
impossible without the raw give-and-take between the stage andthe audience. This year, Kikunosuke also made his first appearance
as Yohei in the Hikimado (Skylight) scene of Futatsu chocho kuruwa
nikki (Two Butterflies in the Pleasure Quarters). Expectations for
how Kikunosuke will both receive the art of kabuki and build on it
are growing constantly.

Obituaries
On November 12, Sakata Tojuro IV died. His acting was always
young and alluring, and he worked tirelessly for the preservation
and advancement of Kamigata kabuki (the distinctive style from
Kyoto and Osaka). He appeared in the experimental kabuki of
Takechi Tetsuji and appeared in Toho Kabuki, but his appearance
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KABUKIas the courtesan Ohatsu in Sonezaki shinju (The Love Suicides atSonezaki) became a media sensation. As a sign of his devotion to
Kamigata kabuki, he revived the name of Sakata Tojuro, thefounder of this style of acting, for the first time in 231 years. In
particular, after he took the name of his father to become
Nakamura Ganjiro III, his acting as the gentle, attractive men ofplays from the puppet theatre about Osaka commoners like Jihei inShinju Ten no Amijima (The Love Suicides at Ten no Amijima) and
Chubei in Koibikyaku Yamato Orai (The Courier from Hell)deserves praise.
Also, on September 24, Onoe Kikujuro died. He was animportant supporting actor who played working people of the Edo058

period in unique trades and conveying the atmosphere of theirwork and that vanished world, as with the peddler of katsuo bonito
fish in Kamiyui Shinza (Shinza, the Barber) and the attendant in
the public bath in Kurayami no Ushimatsu (The Dark World ofUshimatsu). Kikujuro was also a fight choreographer responsible
for staging the fight scenes for which the Kikugoro Theater Troupe
is famous.

Yanai, Kenji
Born in Tokushima Prefecture in 1970. After working at the National Theatre,
he became a professor at International Christian University (ICU). His PhD is in
literature. He specializes in the history of Japanese performing arts with anemphasis on kabuki. His publications include Meiji kiwamono kabuki: Sora
tobu Godaime Kikugoro (Sensational Meiji Period Kabuki: Kikugoro V Flying
through the Sky, Hakusuisha Publishing) and Chabudai gaeshi no kabuki
nyumon (An Introduction to Kabuki Surprising Enough to Overturn the Dinner
Table, Shinchosha Publishing). He also writes reviews of kabuki for the Tokyo
Shimbun newspaper.
(Translation: Mark Oshima)

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BUNRAKU

Bunraku

Bunraku in the Age of COVID-19
Kameoka Noriko

For the world of Bunraku puppet theatre, 2020 will probably
remain in both the historical records and people’s memories as ayear that was upended by COVID-19. In January and February, theproductions of Bunraku went as usual. But for six months, startingin March, there was the unusual situation where all forms of live
060

entertainment became impossible. Bunraku was no exception. This
was a year of anxiety, when it was impossible for anyone to see
what the future would bring.
January 2020 opened the new year colorfully with a gala production at the National Bunraku Theatre in Osaka celebrating
veteran narrator Takemoto Tsukomadayu taking the new name of
Takemoto Shikorodayu VI. Shikorodayu V (1876–1940) was anextremely famous narrator who was active from the Meiji Period(1868–1912) to the early Showa Period (1926–1989) and madeseveral recordings. This was the first revival of this name in eighty
years. At the press conference announcing the name-taking, the
new Shikorodayu said that he “wished to polish his art in way
worthy of the name in order to leave this name for future generations.” And, just as he said, I felt that his artistry showed new scalewith his performance of the Tosa Shogen Kankyo (Tosa Shogen’sHermitage) scene of Keisei Hangonko (The Courtesan and the
Resurrecting Incense). Together with shamisen player Takezawa
Sosuke, he narrated the story of the artist Matahei, who is prevented from receiving an official artistic name from his teacher
because of a terrible stutter. In this scene, Matahei’s artistic power
and the love of his wife bring a miracle. The stage announcementof his new name was made by Toyotake Rodayu on the yuka, thelittle platform by the side of the stage where the musicians performand he illustrated Shikorodayu’s extremely straightforward andenthusiastic nature with a humorous story from his early training.
Shikorodayu and Rodayu are both veteran narrators in theirseventies, and together, they are the group just junior in age andrank to Living National Treasure Toyotake Sakitayu. Rodayu took061

his name in 2017, and since that time, his artistry as seen in performances in jidaimono period plays and other genres has grown inscale. I hope that for both of them, taking a new, major artisticname will be the impetus for new heights of achievement.
The absence of up-and-coming narrator Toyotake Rosetayu
from the January performances for health reasons was a cause forsome concern. He was scheduled to narrate the role of Iwafuji inthe Zori uchi (Beating with the Slipper) scene of Kagamiyama kokyo
no nishiki-e (Mirror Mountain: A Women’s Treasury of Loyalty/
Female Chushingura). Sometimes, instead of a single narrator performing all the roles and describing the scene, there is an alternate
performance style called kake-ai, with one narrator for each role.
For the January performances, in place of Rosetayu, the young
promising narrator Toyotake Yasutayu appeared and gave a very
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BUNRAKU

solid and delightful performance. Yasutayu was paired with shamisen player Nozawa Kinshi. In recent performances, this pairing
has been common, which is probably a major reason for Yasutayu’s
significant progress. Rosetayu returned to the stage in the September performances of Bunraku in Tokyo.
In 2019, Bunraku featured a performance of all of the acts ofKanadehon Chushingura (The Treasury of Forty-Seven Loyal
Retainers) (including infrequently performed sections) divided
over the entire year, so it was interesting that 2020 began with aperformance of Kagamiyama kokyo no nishiki-e, a play that is often
described as the female version of Chushingura. It was a very satisfying performance with a full selection of the top puppeteers, with
062

Yoshida Kazuo as the main puppeteer for Onoe, Yoshida Tamao as
the main puppeteer for Iwafuji, and Kiritake Kanjuro as the main
puppeteer for Ohatsu.
The February performance of Bunraku at the small hall of the
National Theatre in Tokyo repeated the announcement of the new
Shikorodayu with the same play as in Osaka, Keisei hangonko, andthe shamisen player was again Sosuke. Reflecting on this production now, I realize how lucky we were to be able to complete thisrun. The program also featured two popular plays, the entire third
act of Sugawara denju tenarai kagami (Sugawara and the Secrets ofCalligraphy) and the Nozakimura (Nozaki Village) scene of Shinpan
utazaimon (A New Version of the Story of Osome and Hisamatsu).
Two days after the end of the February performances of
Bunraku, on February 26, the government issued a request that
cultural and sports events with large gatherings of people bevoluntarily canceled or postponed. As a result, Bunraku’s regional
tour scheduled for March was canceled, and then, the regularlyscheduled performances of Bunraku: April in Osaka, May inTokyo, June and July in Osaka, and August in Tokyo were all canceled. The performances of Bunraku in August in the old Uchikoza
theatre in Ehime Prefecture, which have become a regular event,were also canceled. This was true, of course, not only for Bunraku;
after March, all performances of kabuki, noh, kyogen, and traditional Japanese music and dance disappeared. Frankly, at the startof all this, few people imagined that this period of self-restraint
would go on for so long.
During this time, there was also some very sad news. Living
National Treasure Toyotake Shimatayu died of kidney failure on

063

August 20 at the age of eighty-eight. He delighted audiences withhis deeply emotional narrative style with a very wide range, goingfrom such sewamono domestic plays as the Sakaya (Sake Shop)
scene of Hade sugata onna Maiginu (The Fabulous Appearance of
the Female Dancer) and Shinju ten no amijima (The Love Suicide at
Ten no Amijima) to jidaimono period pieces and even including
new Bunraku plays like Meoto zenzai (Hooray for Marriage!) and
Uriko-Hime to Amanjaku (Princess Uriko and the Amanjaku
goblin). He was designated a Living National Treasure in 2015, but
he retired from the stage the following year. For many years, hehad been an instructor in the training program for the Bunraku
troupe organized by the Japanese Arts Council, and even after hisretirement, he continued to passionately train his successors as
Bunraku narrators. His contribution in teaching many students
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BUNRAKU

and training many narrators must not be forgotten.
Performances resumed at the National Bunraku Theatre in
Osaka with Bunraku sujoruri no kai, a performance of the narrative music without puppets on August 22. The program consistedof three pieces, beginning with the Yadoya (The Inn) scene from
Shoutsushi Asagao banashi (The Tale of the Morning Glory), withnarrator Toyotake Sakitayu and shamisen player Tsuruzawa Enza,and continuing with the Komakiyama jochu (Inside the Mt.
Komaki Fortress) scene of Hiyoshimaru wakaki no sakura(Hiyoshimaru and the Young Cherry Blossoms), performed by narrator Takemoto Shikorodayu and shamisen player Tsuruzawa
Kantaro, and the Shigenoi kowakare (Shigenoi’s Parting from her
064Son) scene from Koi nyobo somewake tazuna (The Beloved Wife
and the Colorful Braided Horse Reins), performed by narrator
Takemoto Chitosedayu and shamisen player Tsuruzawa Seisuke.
The narrations by accomplished artists in their prime, veteranartists, and a talented younger shamisen player performing with all
their might helped to satisfy the starvation for Bunraku after a longabsence. Tickets sold out, but on the day of the performance, there
were many empty seats. This is probably because many people whobought tickets were still hesitant to actually go to the theatre.
Before the performance at the National Bunraku Theatre,
there was an experiment testing how far saliva droplets from a narrator’s mouth as he chanted would go during a performance of
Bunraku. The experiment measured this under various conditions,such as having the narrator and shamisen playing on a little platform on the side of the stage. It was found that when a narrator

sang, moisture from his mouth did not go farther than 1 meter
away, and it was not found to reach the shamisen player at his side.
On the day of the performance, there were various measurestaken to prevent the spread of COVID-19. When entering thetheatre, all audience members were required to wear masks, andtheir temperature was taken. Patrons tore off their ticket stubs
themselves and put them in boxes. The front row and the section ofseats in front of the musicians’ platform were blocked off. The
number of seats used was reduced to less than half, and disinfectant was available at the entrance to the auditorium and other places
around the theatre. There was one touch that was uniquely
Bunraku, even though it was part of the measures to prevent the
spread of the virus. To keep people from sitting in adjacent seats,

065

every other seat was covered with paper. But these papers were very
attractive and colorful, with designs based on the patterns of thecostumes for Bunraku puppets like Shizuka Gozen in Yoshitsune
senbon zakura. I asked about them and was told that this was theidea of one of the employees of the National Bunraku Theatre. Thisstrong desire by the people of the theatre to reduce the tension andmake it possible for the audience to relax and enjoy the performance was both reassuring and heartwarming.
With this performance breaking the ice, the next performance
was on August 28 in the small hall of the National Bunraku
Theatre with the Wakate sujoruri no kai, another concert performance of the narrative music of Bunraku, this time featuring
younger performers. The performance featured the Terakoya (TheVillage School) scene of Sugawara denju tenarai kagami (Sugawara
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BUNRAKU

and the Secrets of Calligraphy), performed by narrator Toyotake
Yoshihodayu and shamisen player Tsuruzawa Tomonosuke, andthe Kumi uchi (The One-on-One Battle) scene from Ichinotani
futaba gunki (A Chronicle of the Battle of Ichinotani), performed bynarrator Takemoto Yasutayu and shamisen player Tsuruzawa
Seishiro. The tickets for this performance also sold out quickly.
The first performances with puppets were in Tokyo, with theregular September performance of Bunraku in the small hall of the
National Theatre. The previous performances were in February,a hiatus of seven months. Several measures were taken to avoid
spreading the virus, including having four short programs withtotally different groups of performers to allow time to disinfect066

the theatre between programs and to try to ensure that only performances of one section would have to be canceled if a memberof that section possibly caught the virus. There were also measures to avoid the “Three Cs” (closed spaces, crowded places, andclose-contact settings) by ensuring good ventilation and reducing
by more than half the number of seats occupied. Nevertheless,the audience welcomed the performers with warm applause. The
audience could feel the joy of the performers on stage again in their
passionate performances, and that moved the spectators greatly.
However, even though on September 5, the first day of performances, the first program went smoothly, a member of the production had a slight fever. As a result, the second through fourth programs were canceled on the fifth and all performances werecanceled on the sixth. The member of the production tested negative with PCR testing, so performances resumed normally on theseventh. Also, for health reasons unrelated to COVID-19, Toyotake
Sakitayu did not appear on the opening day and Toyotake Oritayu
went on in his place. Sakitayu appeared beginning September 14
and finished the run. Toyotake Rosetayu had been absent from thestage since November 2019 but appeared again in September andperformed the Amagasaki scene of Ehon Taikoki Ehon Taikoki (APicture Book of the Taiko Toyotomi Hideyoshi, narrating very powerfully with the shamisen of Living National Treasure Tsuruzawa
Seiji. The program also included such plays as Komochi Yamanba(The Mountain Hag Becomes Pregnant) and Yari no Gonza kasane
katabira (Gonza, the Lancer).
In October, there was the usual tour of Japan. The program
included the Gappo sumika (Gappo’s House) scene of Sesshu Gappo067

ga tsuji (Tamate Gozen and Shuntokumaru) and the Jusshuko(Incense Burning) and Okuniwa (Inner Garden) scenes of Honcho
nijushiko (The Japanese Twenty-Four Examples of Filial Piety) andsuch top-notch performers as musicians Toyotake Rosetayu with
Tsuruzawa Seiji, Toyotake Rodayu with Tsuruzawa Seisuke, andpuppeteer Kiritake Kanjuro. Even so, there were only six venues,
including Sapporo and Kanazawa, a sad result of the pandemic.
There were also two days of Bunraku performances at the Hakataza
theatre in Fukuoka, Kyushu.
Performances of Bunraku puppet theatre proper in Osaka
began with the regularly scheduled Autumn performance at the
National Bunraku Theatre which started on October 31. These
were the first full performances since January, a hiatus of aboutnine months. There were three separate programs. The first
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program featured the Yabase, Chikubushima yuran (The Pleasure
Boat at Chikubu Island), and Kurosuke sumika (Kurosuke’s House)
scenes from Genpei nunobiki no taki (The Nunobiki Cascade andthe White Banner of the Genji Clan). The second program featured
the Nozakimura (Nozaki Village) scene of Shinpan utazaemon (ANew Ballad of Osome and Hisamatsu), and Tsuri onna (Fishing fora Bride). The third program featured sections of Honcho nijushiko,mostly from the fourth act. As in Tokyo, to prevent the spread of
COVID-19, the seats in front of the musicians’ platform were
blocked off, and audience members occupied every other seat.
The production as a whole combined popular plays and colorful plays with very enjoyable scenes to meet the expectations of
068

Bunraku fans. Living National Treasure Yoshida Minosuke, who
was appearing on stage for the first time since February, appeared
as Osome’s mother Okatsu in Nozakimura, delighting fans of
Bunraku. The masterful performance of Kiritake Kanjuro as themain puppeteer for Princess Yaegaki, the heroine of Honcho
Nijushiko, was particularly memorable with the beautiful yet very
powerful movements only possible with a Bunraku puppet.
In the fall, there were two happy events. Tsuruzawa Seiji wasawarded the Bunka Korosha Prize (“person of cultural merit”)
from the Japanese government, the first Bunraku shamisen player
to be so honored, and Yoshida Tamao received the Shijuhosho(“medal with purple ribbon”).
As winter began, the pandemic continued, and the number ofpeople infected continuously increased. With this as background,in December, the last regularly scheduled Bunraku performances

of the year were at the small hall of the National Theatre in Tokyo.
But on the seventh, it was found that one of the performers hadcaught the virus, and the second program was immediately
canceled that day. This event was another reminder of just how
difficult it is to continue with live performances during a pandemic
like this.
There were also memorable events and experiments aside fromthe regular performances of Bunraku. From August 13 to 20, as
part of the series to commemorate the opening of the newly refurbished Parco Theater, there was an encore production of the Mitani
Bunraku project that was first performed there in 2012, Sorenari
shinju (More or Less a Love Suicide), which in the publicity also
had the English title Much Ado about Love Suicides. It is very good069

that a new Bunraku play full of laughter, written and directed by
Mitani Koki, one of contemporary theatre’s top writers and directors, is gradually becoming an established part of the repertoire.
On October 25, there was another event at the Tomioka Silk Mill,a Meiji-era thread-spinning factory that was a significant site ofJapan’s industrial modernization and has been recently designateda World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The event was a collaboration
between the virtual singer Hatsune Miku and Bunraku puppeteer Yoshida Tamasuke. This was not a classical play, but an event
aimed at young audiences that can be seen as a good way to provide
a first encounter with Bunraku.
Meanwhile, narrators Toyotake Rodayu and Toyotake
Todayu have begun using Zoom to teach Gidayu chanting. Somepeople seem to find it much less threatening than the traditional
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one-on-one method of teaching. In the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, everyone is operating by trial and error to see what kindsof live performances are possible and how the art can be taught. I
hope that this experience can be used in positive ways to discover
new possibilities for the future.
Kameoka, Noriko
Special reporter and editor of the cultural section of the Osaka office of theSankei Shimbun newspaper, responsible for traditional Japanese performing
arts. Joined the newspaper in 1990. In addition to writing theatre reviews
and conducting interviews, also has continuing columns Riken no ken (Seeing
Yourself from the Outside), Koten no yume o miru (Dreaming of the Classics), andGeikon (The Soul of Art).

070(Translation: Mark Oshima)

Musicals

What Came Out
Instead of a Bumper Crop
Hagio Hitomi

The year 2020 was supposed to be a year for an unprecedented
bumper crop in the world of Japan’s musical theatre. Musical productions ranging from Japanese premieres of Broadway’s hit musicals to revivals performed by popular actors were scheduled
throughout the year. Fans were waiting eagerly for those produc-071

tions to open, but plans were blown off at a stretch because of
COVID-19. For a few months after the government imposed a voluntary ban on the nation, the musical scene became silent, likemany other fields.
Although many performances were canceled, looking back,the practitioners of musical theatre made quite a good effort. Some
productions were shifted to online streaming without live audiences or were changed to concert versions, and in some cases
incorporated “social distancing” in the staging; trying to be cleverand creative, they kept things going in the world of musicals. Many
excellent productions were born from these flexible approaches.
Even in the worst situation, those committed to musicals madegestures and showed love for their creations.

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Lost Musicals
In April, most of the theatres shut down due to the government’s
request for voluntary closure, and almost all performances until
July and August had to be canceled. Therefore, the audience did
not get a chance to see the Japanese premieres of epic musicals suchas Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Newsies, andHairspray. These were all hit musicals from Broadway and London
that were going to be performed in Japanese. The casting was
impressive and one could well imagine that it must have taken a
few years to book some of the actors.
West Side Story–Season 3 at IHI Stage Around Tokyo, where
the auditorium revolves 360 degrees, was among the epic musicals
072that got canceled. Season 1 and Season 2 that had already been presented in the previous year, but the musical fans were waiting for
Season 3 because of the casting. The revivals of Toho’s hit musicals
such as Elizabeth and Miss Saigon had stirred up an even bigger
sense of anticipation in the audience because of the fresh casting.
Going back a bit further in time, the COVID-19 pandemic hadalready begun to influence some theatres and companies around
mid-February. Some productions were suspended and thenresumed but were suspended again. There were other shows that
opened later than scheduled but were suspended straight away.
These kinds of confusions continued to increase. Takarazuka
Revue Company’s Tokyo leg of ONCE UPON A TIME IN
AMERICA was a typical case. A week after it opened, performances were suspended, and even after they resumed, it was suspended again after playing for three more days—although theyeventually managed to present the final performance.
It was an original production based on a gangster film written
and directed by Sergio Leone, and it was adapted into a musical by
the company’s director Koike Shuichiro. While following the storyline of the original film, Koike skillfully reshaped it around alove story, which is typical of Takarazuka’s shows. The lead actressNozomi Futo’s performance left a strong impression.
The opening of The Little Shop of Horrors was also delayed,
and then the show was canceled for a few days after it opened. The
musical itself had been revived several times, but this time it was a
new production directed by Ueda Ikko. The lead character was
double-cast, namely, Suzuki Hiroki and Miura Hiroki, and for thisreason, it attracted attention. While the show ran for a few days, I

073

was lucky enough to get to see both casts, who are talented young
musical actors carrying the future of Japanese musicals.
Anastasia, a Broadway musical, and Whistle Down the Wind, amusical that started off in London, also met the same end, andboth productions had bad luck. Whistle Down the Wind was scheduled to run for about a month in Tokyo and then go on tour, but it
was suspended after running for only eight days. To make things
worse, and much to our sorrow, Miura Haruma, who played thelead, passed away a few months later.
Miura drew attention in the world of musicals when hestarred in the Japanese premiere of Kinky Boots (2016), beautifully
playing the part of the drag queen Lola. When it was revived in
2019, his Lola had become even more appealing. Miura’s nextchallenge in musical theatre was to play the part of a runaway
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convict in Whistle Down the Wind, an Andrew Lloyd Webbermusical. He contained his feelings and sang with a clear voice tofully express the subtle nuances of the character, which was completely different from Lola. He was no doubt the first runner inJapan’s musical theatre scene. In my personal opinion, he was theclosest, among young Japanese musical actors, to succeeding at a
Broadway-class level.

Original Musicals Made with Great Efforts
Recently, original musicals have gradually increased their presencein the world of musicals. Soap Bubbles Flew, They Flew to the
Universe (Shabondama tonda Sora made tonda), which was pre074

sented at the very beginning of the year at Theatre Creation, wasoriginally premiered by Ongakuza in 1988. Since then, it has beenpresented throughout the years as a signature musical for thecompany. Toho acquired the rights, and it was performed by Inoue
Yoshio and other actors who regularly perform in Toho’s musicals.
I heard that the main actors in the show were fascinated by themusical and asked Toho to produce it. The production proved thatappealing original musicals could come to stay and carry on to thenext generation.
Shiki Theatre Company’s original musical A Robot in the
Garden was of great significance. Because of COVID-19, it was
postponed and opened in October. Shiki made a big gesture anddid a very good job, given the fact that Frozen, another of Shiki’s
feature musicals that was initially planned to open at around thesame time, was postponed to 2021. Moreover, unlike Frozen, whichis a replica (a production that follows the original staging anddesigns), A Robot in the Garden was a brand-new musical madefrom scratch.
Shiki has already produced original musicals as the “Showa
Trilogy (Showa Sanbusaku)” (Li Hsiang-lan (Ri Koran), Foreign Hill
(Ikoku no oka), and Southern Cross (Minami jujisei)), as well asfamily musicals. The major difference from Shiki’s previous original musicals was that for A Robot in the Garden, most of the creative staff members were outsourced. The original novel by the
British writer Deborah Install was adapted into a musical play by
Osada Ikue and staged by Koyama Yuna. You can say that it was
the first production in which Shiki crossed the border of a theatrecompany and opened a new dimension in their approach.

075

Although there was room for refinement, on the whole it was an
enjoyable production full of inventive ideas, such as using a puppet
to portray the robot.
I would like to mention another original epic musical, which is
FURIMUN Sisters, written and directed by Matsuo Suzuki (premiered at Theatre Cocoon in November). Matsuo Suzuki had
already been commissioned by the Theatre to write and direct
Beautiful – A Woman’s Rendezvous with God (Kirei – Kamisama to
machiawase shita onna), so it was, so to speak, the second round.
There are three characters who are smoldering in the corners of acity: a convenience-store clerk (played by Nagasawa Masami), an
actress (Akiyama Natsuko) who has not performed for ten years,
and a gay man (Abe Sadawo) who used to work as a drinking companion at a host club. In the story, they form a bond and lash back.
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A drama full of critical spirit was vividly portrayed by the attractive actors.

Young Talent in Action
From around July, the practitioners in the world of musicals
tentatively started to find ways to get through the pandemic.
Hakuhinkan Gekijo was one of the first theatres to reopen withBLUE RAIN, which was originally a Korean musical based on
Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. Ogita Koichi wrote thescript for the Japanese adaptation and also directed it. Acrylic
sheets to prevent aerosol infection were used in the set to express
the distances between the characters, which was an idea that came076

out of COVID-19.
“TOHO MUSICAL LAB,” presented at Theatre Creation in
July, was also an interesting attempt. Two newly written one-hourmusicals were performed and livestreamed with no audience:
Happily Ever After (written and directed by Nemoto Shuko) andCALL (lyrics, book, and staging by Miura Naoyuki). Both productions were interesting, but above all, the paean to theatre in CALL
was compelling.
From September on, the musical scene suddenly became very
active again. Chris Bailey, who was going to direct and choreograph the Broadway musical How to Succeed Business Without
Really Trying, starring Masuda Takahisa of Johnny & Associates,
could not come to Japan. However, they managed to create theshow through online communication and the efforts of Ogita
Koichi, who worked as the associate director.

The Producers, which is another Broadway musical adapted
into Japanese starring Inoue Yoshio, was directed by Fukuda
Yuichi. The production followed Suzan Stroman’s original choreography. They communicated remotely with the international staff,
but since the musical had been presented a few times in Japan,
there were members in the company who could teach the choreography, which helped the creation process to run quite smoothly.
The London musical Flashdance premiered in Japan in
September. The creative staff were Japanese; it was directedby Kishitani Goro (he also worked on the Japanese script andlyrics) and choreographed by Omura Shunsuke (SHUN) andJUN. Manaki Reika starred in the show. It was the first time forher to lead the company as the single-cast principal after she left

077

Takarazuka Revue Company, and her dance was magnificent.
The works of talented young creators also stood out this year;
notably Fujita Shuntaro, who directed Shakespeare in the 12th Yearof the Tenpo Era (Tenpo 12-nen no Shakespeare) (February), JerseyBoys (July), VIOLET (September), and NINE (November). Many
directors’ shows got canceled or suspended amid the pandemic,
but all of Fujita’s productions were presented in front of an audience as scheduled, although Jersey Boys was turned into a concert
version and VIOLET was performed only five times for three days,
half a year later than scheduled. Good luck must have been on his
side after all. It is often said that “luck is also one of your skills” butin Fujita’s case, it was not his only skill, because his productions
were indeed of high quality.
Shakespeare in the 12th Year of the Tenpo Era was originally a
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play written by Inoue Hisashi, and it has been directed by Ninagawa
Yukio and other directors before. In this version, the focus wasplaced on the protagonist Sado no Miyoji (played by Takahashi
Issei), who hurtles through life feeling angry about social inequalities. Fujita’s direction had an edge as he had captured the problemsof today’s society. As for VIOLET, it initially premiered in London
in 2019, and Fujita worked on the production, collaborating with
London’s local staff and cast. The Japanese version followed theconcept of the London production. The story is about a heroine,
who has a scar on her face, traveling around the American Southon a bus during the 1960s. After experiencing racial discriminationand other realities of the world, the heroine, who has been filled078with rage, frees herself. The heroine was double cast and played by
Yuga and Yuzuki Fuka. I was overwhelmed when I heard Yuga sing
the blues.
It was the fourth time that NINE was presented in Japan. The
musical is about a film director (played by Shirota Yu) who has
fallen into a slump. The drama depicts how he struggles throughlife, distressed about his creative work and his relationships withwomen. Using a set (designed by Matsui Rumi) that looked like acoliseum and the staging that took into account the eyes of thepeople watching from outside, such as through the live camera, theaudience were given an objective view of the foolish and yet
endearing nature of human beings, and it was turned into a brilliant human comedy.
Harada Ryo, who is of the same generation as Fujita, also
showed his skills in Takrazuka’s A Farce in Pigalle (Pigaru

kyosokyoku). His sophisticated choice of adapting Shakespeare’s
Twelfth Night into a romantic comedy set in Paris during the
Belle Époque period and being able to make the large cast smoothly
move around the stage showed that he already has his own unique
way of looking at the world. For Takarazuka Revue, Ueda Kumiko,
who is yet another director of the same generation, wrote anddirected FLYING SAPA. Her bold idea was intriguing.
Fujita, Harada, and Ueda Ikko, whom I have just mentioned,and Ueda Kumiko are around forty years old. The same goes for
Osada Ikue, who wrote the script for A Robot in the Garden, andKoyama Yuna, who directed it. The creators of this generation are
doing particularly very well. By the way, Ryogoku Fancy Sumo
Wrestlers (Ryogoku oshare rikishi) (December), which was initially079

not categorized as a musical but eventually turned out to be amusical-like production, was also created by producers who are
forty years old. They usually work for Toho, Meijiza, and Village,
and produce different types of works. Through this musical, thethree producers crossed borders and worked hand in hand tolaunch their “Three Musketeers Project.” The activities of young
creators and the trend of crossing borders are likely to boost Japan’smusical theatre.
Lastly, I would like to touch upon Billy Elliot (opened in
September), in which children, who are the youngest of theyounger generation, are the stars. Needless to say, it is a wonderfulmusical and it premiered in Japan in 2017. Initially, people thoughtthat it was going to be difficult to produce a Japanese version, as
they had to follow Stephen Daldry’s original staging and boys
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whose voice had not yet broken were required to play the lead.
Horipro lead the Japanese premiere of Billy Elliot to success andwas going to take on the challenge to revive it yet again, but was
directly affected by COVID-19. The foreign staff could not come to
Japan, the rehearsals were fraught with restrictions, and the biggest
worry was about the children appearing in the production.
Working under these unfavorable conditions spoiled their start,
but they postponed the opening for a couple of months and finallymanaged to put the production onstage.
It was not only Billy Elliot. In 2020, the worlds of musicals andspoken theatre were sustained by the creators’ and audiences’ love
for theatre and enthusiasm. It was a year in which I was reminded080

of the underlying strength of Japan’s musical theatre.
Hagio, Hitomi
A film and theatre critic. She started her career as a newspaper journalist
and writes theatre reviews for newspapers such as Asahi Shimbun, as wellas column series in musical magazines. She is the author of Take Me to theMusicals (Myujikaru ni tsureteitte) and A Hundred People Involved in “LesMisérables” (Re mizeraburu no hyakunin). She also wrote and edited
Broadway Musicals – All About the Tony Awards (Burodowei myujikaru − Toni
sho no subete) and Your First Musical Film Selected by a Professional: Hagio
Hitomi’s Top 50 (Puro ga eranda hajimete no myujikaru eiga: Hagio Hitomi
besuto serekushon 50).
(Translation: Sumida Michiyo)Contemporary Theatre

The Coronavirus Closed the Theatres.
But the Curtain Rises Again.
Yamaguchi Hiroko“Before March” and “after July.” With the spread of novel coronavirus infections in Japan, the theatre world was completely changed
after a three-month break.
Following the prime minister’s February 26 request for organizers not to hold events for two weeks, national and public theatres081

as well as major entertainment companies one after the other canceled performances of their productions. With disarray and confusion rife, many organizations nonetheless decided to go ahead withperformances. But when the State of Emergency was declared on
April 7, all performances were suspended.
While people were asked to show self-restraint by not holding
performances, no compensation was offered. People began tosearch for ways to survive. Various crowdfunding campaigns
were set up, including the Mirai Performing Arts Fund and Arts
United Fund, while the Japan Independent and Private Theatre
Association was founded, and the #WeNeedCulture campaign
launched alongside film and music industry peers with the aimof establishing a public recovery fund. The Japan Performing
Arts Solidarity Network includes over two hundred corporations,
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theatre companies, and public theatres, including large companies
like Toho, Shochiku, HoriPro, and Shiki Theatre Company, as wellas small and medium-size companies. New kinds of solidarity
emerged from collecting and sharing information, carrying out
fact-finding surveys, drawing up guidelines for restarting performances, offering advice on aid proposals, supporting subsidy
applications, and more.
Among the support that gradually became available, one
large source of funding was the Assistance Fund for Enterprises
Promoting Content Creation for Global Needs (also known as
J-LODlive) from the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Intended for organizers who canceled or postponed performances,
082

J-LODlive subsidized half the costs of mounting new performances
according to the number of performances canceled as long as
they were streamed online for audiences overseas. It provided a
big boost toward reopening. That said, the troubles for the industry were not over. Calculations from the PIA Research Instituteannounced on October 27 showed that the year’s ticket sales fortheatre and performance events amounted to ¥59.2 billion, lessthan 30 percent of the previous year’s.

Rapid Growth of Streaming
Video streaming increased rapidly.
Shizuoka Performing Arts Center shifted its World Theatre
Festival Shizuoka, held annually between April and May, to an
online format and renamed it the World Theatre Festival on the
Cloud. The artistic director, Miyagi Satoshi, described this as like

“inventing a ‘crab stick,’ since we cannot have the ‘crab’ that istheatre.” Video recordings of performances, talks between Miyagi
and overseas theatre artists, footage of rehearsals, poetry readings, and more were streamed, and when there would ordinarily
be a performance, they showed the empty outdoor theatre. The
Masterpieces by Phone Theatre (Denwa de meisaku gekijo) program,where actors gave live readings by telephone, was very popular.
On May 25, the State of Emergency was lifted. Honda Theaterin Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, restarted with DISTANCE, a solo performance streamed without an in-person audience, on June 1. On thefirst day, it attracted an audience of around two thousand.
Even though audiences were now allowed back inside theatres,
many performances incorporated livestreaming to cover the losses

083

incurred by reduced seating.
New forms of expression also appeared. The no meets companyof young theatre practitioners that carries out everything remotely,
from the planning through to the rehearsals and performance, hasgarnered attention. Its inaugural production, Never Allowed Out
Moratorium (Mongai fushutsu moratoriamu), written and directedby Komikado Yuichiro, portrayed young people whose college lives
take place entirely online. It attracted a total of five thousand
viewers. The Osaka fringe theatre Wing Field set up an online“virtual theatre” in May, whose “opening” production was HMP
Theater Company’s Subordinate Subordinate Boss Subordinate Boss
(Buka buka joshi buka joshi), written by Otake Masanori anddirected by Kasai Tomohito, featuring video footage superimposing
actors performing in different places, which worked in tandem with
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the surreal nature of the script to produce striking effects.
One remarkable production was Ghosts from the Performanceof “Lingering Ghosts and Monsters”—Setbacks (“Miren no yurei tokaibutsu” no joen no yurei—zaha) at Kanagawa Arts Theatre inJune, which filmed part of Lingering Ghosts and Monsters (Mirenno yurei to kaibutsu), a play written and directed by Okada Toshiki
whose creation was put on hold. Images of the performing anddancing actors were projected onto a small piece of paper on top ofa table by a window. A lost performance was resurrected like anapparition, watched by the audience as dusk gradually fell in thevista outside the window. It was an apt approach for a play portraying the present but based on mugen (dream) Noh.
084

The Doors to the Theatres Reopen
In July, the theatres started to reopen.
The newly rebuilt Parco Theater in Tokyo’s Shibuya district
had launched its Opening Series program of productions in March.
However, the first of these, Pizarro (Pisaro), had the majority of its
run cut short, while all the performances of the next production,
The Life of Sadojima Takichi (Sadojima Takichi no shogai), werecanceled. And finally, the new play written and directed by Mitani
Koki, Actors (Daichi, literally meaning “earth”), opened on July 1.
In a theatre with such preventive measures in place as wearing
face masks, disinfecting hands and the soles of shoes, temperaturechecks, ventilation, “checkered” seating with empty seats on eitherside of occupied ones, a ban on talking, and nurses stationed on
the premises, curtain-up was signaled by a resounding gong. Inhow he directed the play in the style of the Tsukiji Little Theatre,
which opened in 1924 as Japan’s first permanent Shingeki venue,
Mitani suggested a parallel between our thoughts about reopening
theatres and our predecessors who pioneered contemporary
theatre in Japan.
Set in a fictitious totalitarian state reminiscent of Eastern
Europe, the play depicts a camp where actors are imprisoned.
Though Mitani conceived the play several years ago, these characters, unable to go outside and having had theatre taken from them,
now seemed to mirror the actual theatre world since the spring.
Many of them are difficult, highly narcissistic types, but all love toperform and take pride in it. As such, when one actor is told hewon’t get his meal, he instead conjures up a sumptuous feast with085

only gestures to resist the unjust treatment. The radiance of thatscene symbolizes the power and joy of theatre that creates a wholeworld through the imagination. Dubbed a “Social Distancing
Version,” the conceit whereby the actors themselves stayed awayfrom one another was, according to Mitani, to be regarded as “oneway in which the play had become more interesting.” This showed
the spirit of this comedy writer who is not content to let restrictions be merely restrictions.
Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, located in the Ikebukuro districtof the city, reopened with a production of Red Demon (Akaoni),
written and directed by the theatre’s artistic director, Noda Hideki,
as part of its Tokyo Theatre Dojo training initiative for young
actors. (The play was performed from July to August at Theatre
East with four different casts.) A see-through curtain was set up
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between the stage and the audience seating that surrounded it on
all sides, though rather than obstructing the view when the lights
came up, it created a fantastical effect akin to peeping at the stage
through water. The various themes in the story of the foreigner
called the “Red Demon” who appears at a seaside village, including
discrimination, prejudice, intolerance, national borders, and refugees, have only grown more acute since the play’s premiere in 1996.
“I have a dream,” as the Red Demon says at one point, now resonated with the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States,
while the villagers in the play who exclude the foreigner connectedwith our present-day lives in which those infected with the coronavirus and healthcare workers suffer ostracism and attack. In the086

autumn, the Romanian director Silviu Purcărete’s production of A
Midsummer Night’s Dream, as “embellished” by Noda, enjoyed asix-city tour from October to December. Due to the restrictions on
international travel, though, the rehearsals were conducted
remotely for the most part. Able to come to Japan at the very end,
the director finally joined the production in person for the dress
rehearsal after his quarantine period was over. It was an impressive, richly subtle production.
At Theatre Cocoon in Shibuya, Furimun Sisters (Furimun
shisutazu), written and directed by Matsuo Suzuki—and his firstnew play since he was appointed the theatre’s artistic director—ran
from October to December. Set in Nishi-Shinjuku, Tokyo, it is amusical (composed by Watanabe Takashi) centering on threepeople: Chihiro, the convenience store clerk who lives her life
without a care; Mitsuko, the star actress in a slump; and Hideyoshi,

their gay best friend who has experienced his own fair share of setbacks. With a drag queen serving as a kind of master of ceremonies, and the living intermingling onstage with the dead, the black
comedy overflowed. But within this, Matsuo also conveyed his
fierce anger at discrimination and oppression. This theme wasencapsulated in the finale, where the performers sang that they
were “fed up with sacrificing their freedom.”
Having directed one of the most anticipated productions of
the year, The Cherry Orchard, which was canceled just as it was set
to open in April, Keralino Sandrovich wrote and directed a newplay, The Goddess of Basil Town (Beijirutaun no megami), a kind of
fairy tale about the female head of a major corporation who ends
up living in a slum. Running at Setagaya Public Theatre from

087

September to October, it filled up the venue with warm laughterthat seemed to unwind our spirits that had gotten so knotted up in
the gloomy reality.
Chong Wishing wrote and directed Crying Romeo and Angry
Juliet (Naku Romio to okoru Jurietto), which transposed
Shakespeare’s play to the Kansai region of Japan circa 1950 and
was performed by an all-male cast. It was a play bursting with thevitality of the common people, the wounds of the 1945 defeat, theemotions of ethnic Koreans in Japan, and abundant humor, butwhat stood out was the sorrow of lovers at the mercy of intolerance
and conflict. It is regrettable that its run, which started in February, was cut short. For the company Bungakuza, Chong also wrote
54 Eyes (Gojuyon no hitomi), which was directed by Matsumoto
Yuko and staged at Kinokuniya Southern Theatre Takashimaya in
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November. The play examined the postwar situation for Japaneseand ethnic Koreans at a Korean school on Shodo Island in the Seto
Inland Sea.

Watanabe Eri’s Tireless Efforts, and Plays by Women, about
Women
In December 2019, Japan received its worst gender equality rating
to date, ranking 121st out of 153 countries. In the theatre world,
the number of female artists is increasing, but men enjoy a deeprooted dominance among the award judges and critics. In aneffort to upset the status quo, Watanabe Eri organized a showcaseof the work of female playwrights in the summer. In the end, this088

Feminine Power Project could not happen due to the pandemic, but
she did manage to pull off a “prologue” to the series. This was threeplays: a new two-hander, Crape Myrtle—During the Coronavirus(Sarusuberi—korona no koro), written by Watanabe and directed
and performed by Watanabe and Kino Hana, portraying the reality
and fantasies of two old women; a stage reading of a Nagai Ai play,
Women Who Want to Tidy Up (Katazuketai onnatachi), which
Watanabe directed; and Betsuyaku Minoru’s You Must Go, Laura(Kienasai Rora), which Watanabe both directed and starred in.
Watanabe also played the lead role in KAKUTA’s People! (Hito yo),written and directed by Kuwabara Yuko. All of these were superb
plays that conveyed a sense of passion and maturity.
The up-and-coming Ichihara Satoko brought The Bacchae—
Holstein Milk Cows (Bakkosu no shinyo—Horusutain no mesu) to
Kanagawa Arts Theatre, written and directed by Ichihara andperformed by her own company, Q. This much-talked-about playpremiered in 2019 and won Ichihara the Kishida Drama Award.
Based on a Greek tragedy, its all-female cast of characters includes
a housewife, a half-human, half-beast born when the housewife
once injected human semen into a cow, and a chorus comprised ofcow souls. From sex to desire, reproduction, discrimination, andabuse, various themes piled up one on top of the other in this playthat rushed right at you like a torrent.
New light was also shone on past plays that depicted women.
Murderous Intent Striptease (Satsui sutorippusho), which ran at
Setagaya Public Theatre’s Theatre Tram in July, was a solo play inwhich a showgirl tells the audience her story. The play, written by
Miyoshi Juro and first published in 1950, was directed by Kuriyama

089

Tamiya. The woman, who coolly regards how male intellectuals
changed their views in the prewar, wartime, and postwar eras, wasplayed by Suzuki Anne in a performance of incredible concentration and overwhelming radiance.
At Shinbashi Enbujo Theatre in November, Otake Shinobu
played the lead role in Danta Yasunori’s revival of Life of a Woman(Onna no issho), written by Morimoto Kaoru (1912–1946). Hired asa live-in maidservant for a family that has accrued its wealththrough trade with China, the cheerful young girl shows promiseand marries the oldest son, eventually becoming the obstinate,
lonely mistress of the house. “No one chose it for me. It was thepath I chose.” This is a famous line, but what made her choose thatpath? The question, which is still relevant today, was posed to us
through Otake’s body.
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From October to November, Meijiza staged Love Burns (Koi,moyuru), directed and adapted by Ishimaru Sachiko from the television drama Osan’s Love (Osan no koi) by Akimoto Matsuyo(1911–2001). Originally the story of Osan Mohee, who was executed as an adulterer in the Chikamatsu Monzaemon play Daikyoji
Mukashigoyomi (The Old Almanac), Akimoto boldly changed theending so that Osan ultimately leaves to find Mohee, who has been
exiled to a remote island. Takahata Atsuko was excellent in the roleof the mother-in-law who watches over Osan as she chooses a newlife, embodying the female solidarity envisioned by Akimoto, awriter who continued to fight against male society.
At Setagaya Public Theatre from November to December,
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Contemporary Noh Plays / Eudemonics—inspired by Noh plays
Dojoji and Sumidagawa (Gendai nogakushu X “kofukuron”) saw
writer Osada Ikue and writer and director Setoyama Misaki carefully illuminate an image of the people living in Japan today
through the Noh plays Sumidagawa and Dojoji.

The Results of the New National Theatre, Tokyo’s TwelveYear Shakespeare Series
The year yielded a good harvest of translated plays.
The New National Theatre, Tokyo’s series of Shakespeare’s
history plays, directed by Uyama Hitoshi, concluded in Octoberwith Richard II. This marked twelve years since the Henry VI
trilogy was performed back to back in 2009. When the series
started, Uyama was the artistic director of the theatre, and hishope was surely to build a loose company with actors from various

places and form a single “core” for the theatre. Many actors andcrew members did continue to participate throughout the series, sothat aim was fairly well achieved, with the capabilities of Shingeki
company actors being particularly impressive. The consummate
directing was tidy and dynamic across the series, and the framingin Richard II whereby the power struggle among the aristocracy
developed in view of the commoners was especially effective. The
set by Norimine Masahiro, which included creative touches that
paid homage to the late Shima Jiro—who handled the stage designfor the previous four productions—was outstanding.
Mori Shintaro directed a very sharp production of the Stephen
Spender adaptation of Friedrich Schiller’s Mary Stuart at Setagaya
Public Theatre. In the role of Elizabeth, Sylvia Grab gave a masterly

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performance.
In December, Theater Fuusikaden in Shinjuku, Tokyo, staged
Kamimura Satoshi’s production of Mrs. Klein, Nicholas Wright’s
straight play set in prewar London and featuring three female
Jewish psychoanalysts. Obstinate, somber, and at times funny, Ise
Kayo, Urabe Fusako, and especially Nasu Sayoko were superb.
The two contemporary South Korean plays concurrently
staged by Theatre Office Natori—The Time of the Beast (Kemono
no jikan), written by Kim Min-jung and directed by Shirai Keita,
and The House Where Boy B Lives (Shonen B ga sumu ie), written
by Lee Bo-ram and directed by Manabe Takashi—from October
to November at the Small Theatre B1 in Shimokitazawa were also
accomplished.
Hirata Oriza’s Seinendan relocated from Tokyo to Toyooka in
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Hyogo Prefecture and presented the Toyooka Theater Festival in
September. Kinosaki International Arts Center is achieving resultswith its artist residency programs in the same city, while spring
2021 will see Professional College of Arts and Tourism open withHirata as university president. This is a place from which newthings will surely come.
Yamaguchi, Hiroko

092

Reporter for the Asahi Shimbun. Born in 1960, she joined the Asahi Shimbun
newspaper in 1983. Over the course of her career, she has worked at its
Tokyo, West Japan (Fukuoka), and Osaka offices as a reviewer and reporter for
cultural news, especially theatre. She has previously served on the paper’s
editorial board and as a culture and media editorialist. She also teaches parttime at Musashino Art University and Atomi University. She is the co-authorof Ninagawa Yukio’s Work (Shinchosha, 2015).
(Translation: William Andrews)

Children’s and Youth Theatre

Pondering How to Create
Encounters with Children
Ota AkiraPostponement of the 20th ASSITEJ World Congress inTokyo and International Performing Arts Festival forChildren and Young People
Just like other theatrical genres, the world of children’s and youth
theatre faced a variety of problems in 2020, due to the massive

093

impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Several years in the planning,the 20th ASSITEJ World Congress in Tokyo and International
Performing Arts Festival for Children and Young People / MIRAI2020 was due to take place in May 2020, but at the end of March,
we decided to postpone it. At the time, we had thought about goingahead even if only two or three countries could make it to Japan,
but looking back now, we can see that our ultimate decision was
the wisest move. The ASSITEJ World Congress was postponed
until March 2021, and we are now making preparations to hold it.
However, due to uncertainties over whether theatre companies
abroad will be able to come to Japan, given that the pandemic is
not yet showing signs of coming under control across the globe,
the event will be a hybrid international festival that combines
virtual and physical performances. While we have a mountain of
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issues to work on, from seating numbers to performance styles,
those involved in preparations are bringing together the wisdom ofa range of people, not only within Japan, but also worldwide, in aneffort to work out how we can create encounters between children
and artists.

Responding to the Tremendous Blow Dealt by the Pandemic
The pandemic dealt a huge blow to children’s and youth theatre, as
many performances in kindergartens and nursery schools had
been scheduled for the third semester (January to March 2020).
The stream of cancellations continued thereafter, with hardly any
performances in the first semester of the new academic year (April
094

to July 2020). As of July, the total financial loss suffered by membersof the Japan Union of Theatrical Companies for Children andYoung People stood at approximately 1.3 billion yen. With performances and almost all other theatrical activities suspended after
the State of Emergency was declared, theatre companies exploredperformances using virtual techniques. However, there are limits
to what can be achieved with such constraints, and the difficulties
are particularly acute when the audience members are children.
While the Agency for Cultural Affairs and others provided grants
and subsidies in various forms to support artists during the
COVID-19 crisis, there was nothing tailored to children’s andyouth theatre, to encourage virtual performances, for example. As
such, it would be fair to say that we spent the whole of the selfrestraint period racking our brains, pondering how we could createencounters with children again.
In addition, while the Agency for Cultural Affairs provided
generous subsidies for freelancers through its ongoing support
program funded by the second supplementary budget, salaried
theatre companies and their staff are ineligible, so quite a few
people in the children’s and youth theatre community missed out
on getting help. Thus, the tough situation in the children’s andyouth theatre world continued, with zero income from theatricalactivities in the first semester.
Once the State of Emergency was lifted, performances graduallybegan again. These were regional initiatives led by local organizations that promote an appreciation for the performing arts, such as

095

children’s theatres and parent-child theatres. Through the implementation of rigorous measures to combat COVID-19, performances gradually resumed in mid-June, although a cautious attitude toward performances in schools prevailed. Theatre companies
tapped into local knowledge and exercised their ingenuity toensure safety, by means such as staging performances outdoors
and performing for small audiences to avoid the infection risks
arising from closed spaces, crowded places, and close-contact settings (referred to as the “Three Cs”).
It was the second semester (August to December 2020) by thetime theatre companies began to return to schools. Following persistent negotiations between companies and schools, performanceswere able to go ahead while taking all possible care to prevent the
spread of infection. Whereas a company might have given two
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performances at a school under normal circumstances, theyswitched to giving as many as six so that they could reduce thenumber of people in the audience each time. Under its program tosupport the creation of opportunities for children to experience
culture and the arts, which formed part of the first supplementarybudget, the Agency for Cultural Affairs covered the cost of staging
theatrical performances in schools. We received an astonishingly
large number of applications between mid-July and mid-September.
It was a sign of teachers’ desire to provide their students with somesmall measure of enjoyment outside the regular curriculum at atime when almost all school events were canceled due to COVID19. We had envisaged receiving few applications, but it turned out
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that our worries about how to use our allotted budget were needless. Our resulting discovery of how many adults in schools werekeen for us to stage performances was probably the silver lining of
the pandemic for us. The Agency for Cultural Affairs offered its
backing, making a commitment to support multiple performancesin schools with at least one hundred students, to ensure rigorous
measures to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Issues Faced in Resuming the Theatre in Schools Program
In the second semester, our established Theatre in Schools program
resumed, albeit gradually. Again, in consultation with the schools
hosting us, we created opportunities to stage plays while implementing thorough infection prevention measures. We take all themeasures we can think of, such as keeping a distance of threemeters between the stage and the front row of seats, keeping all thewindows open during the performance to ensure good ventilation,
minimizing interactions with the audience, keeping our distancewhen the audience is leaving, and providing all students with faceshields for any scenes where the actors speak their lines while
standing amid the audience seating.
Reducing audience numbers to avoid the Three Cs is thebiggest challenge. All schools have limits on the number of people
who can fit in their gymnasiums and in some places, this is as low
as one hundred people or a single year group for one performance,
which is a big difference from the capacity we had envisaged for
Theatre in Schools performances in school gymnasiums until now.
Accordingly, schools are requesting that we give two or three performances, where previously we had given only one. However,097

there is no concomitant increase in the performance fee. This is
another major impact of COVID-19, but we have had to accept it,
as otherwise we would not have been able to give any performances
at all.
Due to this situation, we have gradually increased thenumber of performances at individual schools under the Student
Development Program through Culture and the Arts and theProgram to Create Opportunities for Children’s Arts and Culture
Experiences funded by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, and haveultimately accepted one hundred people per performance. Whileperformances like these that are funded by commitments frompublic funds are not a problem, theatre companies involvedin the Theatre in Schools program outside this scope had to
accede to schools’ requests, no matter how harsh the conditions.
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Nevertheless, the theatrical community is prioritizing efforts togive performances in some shape or form, due to our desire to get
face-to-face with children again. Everyone involved with children’s
and youth theatre is anxious to ensure that we receive some formof government financial assistance to support our activities if thissituation continues.
Another concern is the age groups eligible for public financial
aid, particularly aid provided by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.
Under the current circumstances, grants and subsidies to fund theperforming arts for children amid the pandemic basically only
focus on performances for students in compulsory education—that
is to say, elementary and junior high schools. However, we in the098

world of children’s and youth theatre focus on children from
infancy all the way up to the age of eighteen. In other words, as
nursery schools, kindergartens, and high schools are excluded
from the available support, it is hard for us to create opportunities
to get back in front of audiences in those age groups. Opportunities
to experience live stage performances are equally essential for children of all ages, not merely elementary and junior high school students, so we hope that similar support will be extended to age
groups outside those in compulsory education.

The Situation for Children
It is said that, before entering compulsory education, children
mostly learn and grow by watching and mimicking adults. During
the pandemic, children in some nursery schools who had not been
eating lunch properly began to do so after seeing their nurseryteachers take their masks off and eat.
However, having had to spend so much time cooped up at home
due to the closure of schools and other places where children usuallyspend time, such as children’s centres, libraries, and parks, anincreasing number of children are suffering from isolation and stress.

Baby Theatre Project Air (Kuuki)
The Japan Union of Theatrical Companies for Children and Young
People’s baby theatre project Air (Kuuki)—a work devised forbabies aged up to eighteen months—had a number of performances postponed from May to August. In a concession to theneed for measures to combat the spread of disease, we halved audience numbers to ten pairs of parents and babies from the initially099

planned twenty and increased the number of theatre staff on hand.
Baby theatre performances only fulfill their mission when
there is contact between the performers and the audience.
Although there was no direct physical contact, there were certainly
many situations that involved something very close to it. We took
the utmost care when staging Air (Kuuki). When audience
members expressed a preference to avoid all forms of contact, we
had them affix a sticker to their clothes to indicate that preference.
Other measures we devised to ensure the performances could goahead safely included deploying staff tasked with immediately disinfecting any objects that the babies had touched and providing
each family with its own cloth to sit on, to make it easier to judge
the spacing between seats.
While audience numbers were limited, we were nonetheless
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surprised to find that even the performances of Air (Kuuki) in
August and later more or less sold out. I am sure that some parents
and children were motivated to come by the desire for solace amid
the spatial restrictions resulting from the pandemic and the confined nature of parent-child life under those circumstances.
In the case of performances for high schools, with most school
events canceled and students lacking opportunities to go out with
their friends, some high school students told us that going to thetheatre to watch a play was their happiest memory of their final
year at high school. Now more than ever, we in the world of children’s and youth theatre need to make our voices heard, to ensurethat we can create opportunities for all children to encounter the100

performing arts.
As well as causing the cancellation of school events, the pandemic has dealt a blow to extracurricular activities. School drama
clubs have been unable to hold rehearsals, deemed one of the extracurricular activities most prone to involving the Three Cs. Amid
this situation, virtual drama festivals have taken place in someareas, including the Japan Online Student Theater Festival. With
all the usual contests canceled, the people involved have beendelighted to be able to bring initiatives such as this to fruition,
despite taking place without an audience.

Introducing New Works
Some theatre companies managed to create new works despite the
COVID-19 crisis. Kazenoko Theatre Company debuted Change:
From the Recesses of the Library (Chenji: toshoshitsu no sukima

kara) (written and directed by Oma Hiroyuki), a remake of a work
performed as part of the Japan Union of Theatrical Companies forChildren and Young People project Drama University 2019 (Shibaino daigaku 2019). This play depicting a child in search of a place
where they belong examines various contemporary issues.
In December, Puppet Theatre HITOMI-ZA performed its newwork, The Happy Foundling (Gokigen na sutego). Based on the
popular children’s picture book of the same name (written andillustrated by Ito Hiroshi), it was adapted and directed byKazenoko Theatre Company’s Oma, who also created the aforementioned Change. An emerging trend is the creation of works
that transcend the boundaries of theatre companies.
Staged by Tokyo Engeki Ensemble in September, Can You

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Whistle, Johanna? (Ojiichan no kuchibue) (written by Ulf Stark andadapted for the stage by Hirowatari Tsunetoshi) is a new work by
the theatre company’s young director Miki Genta. A stage version
of a picture book by a popular Swedish author, this unembellished,unsentimental production raises high hopes for Miki’s future as adirector. Other theatre companies that have succeeded in creating
new works despite difficult circumstances include Theater Urinko,
Puppet Theatre PUK, and Puppet Theatre Musubiza.
Although the future remains uncertain, artists whose work is
aimed at children will not give up under any circumstances. As I
said before, the world of children’s and youth theatre is continuing
to think only of how we can create encounters with children again.

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Ota, Akira
Since joining Tokyo Engeki Ensemble in 1996, he has produced most of thecompany’s productions. He has given many lectures and workshops as the
director in charge of developing human resources at Japan Union of
Theatrical Companies for Children and Young People. In 2004, he studied at
the youth theatre department (Unga Riks) of Sweden’s National Touring
Theatre (Riksteatern) for a short period under the Agency for Cultural Affairs
Program of Overseas Study for Upcoming Artists. Among his other positions,
he is currently the Secretary-General of the Japan-Korea TheaterCommunications Center.
(Translation: Eleanor Goldsmith)102

Japanese Classical Dance

Looking to the Future of JapaneseClassical Dance– A Time for Self-Reflection
Hirano Hidetoshi

1. About “A Japanese Version of Galapagos Culture”
Japan has a brilliant traditional culture which has seen a uniqueevolution. I have often described the worlds of traditional culture,especially the world of nihon buyo (Japanese classical dance), as

103

being a kind of “Galapagos-form” of culture. In other words, it
forms a kind of independent ecosystem that supports flora andfauna existing nowhere else.(1) But the digitalization of cultural
products of all kinds that occurred in 2020 in response to theimpact of COVID-19 on Japanese society shook up the core of thisGalapagos culture. And the impact on the world of Japanese classical dance showed how this Galapagos ecosystem exists within thelarger culture of Japan (which can be considered a kind of Galapagos culture as well). In other words, even within Japan, the reactionof Japanese to traditional culture is to treat it as something distantand exotic, like Western lovers of Japanese culture who simply
praise this culture as being “a precious heritage.” Or they talkabout how “wonderful” it is, without considering the contents ofthat culture and the real problems that it faces. This is true not only
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of mass media in Japan, but also of Japanese society as a whole andso-called people of culture.
The media should report on the much more pressing problemof the Japanese traditional performing arts, which is that it isgradually losing its essence and the things that should provide itscore. The reason the media ignores this situation is probably
because this is a key blind spot in Japanese people who are considered to be “cultured.”
The “cultured” people that make up the intelligentsia ofJapanese society are the elite that have studied modern Europeanand American culture and have continuously dominated the political and economic sectors in Japan. However, with the effects of the104

COVID-19 pandemic, the repressed frustrations of many ordinary
people who were forced to follow them started to be expressed. The
philosopher Uchiyama Takashi has written that:“In the age of the Internet, this structure began to change. On
the Internet, anyone can express themselves and can find a groupof people with similar opinions. People who once had to stay silent
and suffer the domination of the cultured class are now able tospeak.” (Tokyo Shimbun, October 11, 2020, morning edition)
So, when the traditional performing arts are presented to the
public through the Internet, the standards and delicate social relationships that govern the Galapagos culture of Japanese classicaldance are naturally also affected. Performances are now shown
online, and the Japanese mass media deals with whatever is presented
indiscriminately as something very “precious.” This uncritical praise
without examining the reality is the “Japanese Galapagos culture.”

The performance scheduled for June 2020 sponsored by thenonprofit organization Nihon Buyo Kyokai (Japanese ClassicalDance Association) of a new dance creation for Japanese classicaldance, 4th Nihon Buyo Mirai-za Sai: Yume ou ko (The Child Pursuing Dreams) had to be postponed due to the pandemic. But eventhough the performance was postponed, there was still a lot ofwork for the production committee to do. The production committee carried this out by email and online conferences. The riji (director) of the association in charge of Mirai-za was kabuki actor Matsumoto Koshiro, who is also the head of the Matsumoto school ofclassical dance and was the director of the performance. The association has several directors of varying status, who are prominent
dancers, often being the heads or iemoto (heads of schools) of Japa-

105

nese classical dance, Nihon Buyo. While the production commit(2)tee was busy carrying out the business of maintaining the project
online, Koshiro and the production team of the NHK Educational
TV program Nippon no geino (Japanese Traditional PerformingArts) decided to present Yume ou ko in the TV program as a dance
video instead of a live performance. Within kabuki as well, Koshiro
has pioneered many innovative productions. Koshiro used thespecial talents that he developed as part of the Galapagos ecosystem to change NHK, an institution dominated by the cultured
class and their way of thinking. This is a good example of the interaction of the Galapagos worlds of traditional arts and the cultured
class of Japan and how that interaction affects Japanese classicaldance.
The dance was presented in two programs, Yume ou ko – Hare
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no hi e no Michishirube (The Child Pursuing Dreams: The Road to
Its Formal Presentation), broadcast on July 3 with a rebroadcast on
the sixth, and Odore, ima koso – Koshiro to buyoka 47-nin nochosen (Precisely Because of the Situation: Now Dance! – Koshiro
and 47 Dancers Face the Challenge) broadcast on October 16 with arebroadcast on the nineteenth. Koshiro’s belief that “We can only
do this now, and let’s do something we can only do now!” was realized in “a single video composition performed by 47 Japanese classical dancers who never gathered in one place.” It included scenesof ordinary people selected by public audition dancing Koshiro’s
choreography. The result was about a 20-minute dance. The contribution of video director Muraoka Reiya was very important, and106

perhaps because the use of an animation of the Edo period pestilence-battling creature Amabie was so striking, it seemed to be
more of a video composition than a dance piece. Presenting thedance as a video made it look like the dancers were automatons ina peepshow, and the feeling of human presence disappeared.
I believe that although it is based on tradition, Japanese classical dance is fundamentally a live stage art. So, for me, a filmed
dance is not an artistic piece in its own right. It should be seen as
part of the archive of dance, a record that can be used as a clue tothe compositions of the past and a resource for composition in the
future. So, from this point of view, filmed Japanese classical dancemust always be seen as a necessary evil, something imposed by thenecessity of dealing with the pandemic. Instead of depending on
filmed performances, I think that what is necessary for a Japaneseclassical dancer now is to endure and use this time to consider theessence of the art as a live performance.
Of course, individual Japanese classical dancers are also
joining the trend of presenting works online. The group Goyokai,
which includes three directors of the association among its fivemembers (directors Nishikawa Minosuke, Hanayagi Motoi, andYamamura Tomogoro and non-directors Hanayagi Juraku, andFujima Ranko who are not directors of the association but are very
prominent within their dance schools), began presenting paid
broadcasting on November 8. The performance itself was a proper
performance of Japanese classical dance filmed in the small hall of
the National Theatre on October 6–7 without an audience. The
broadcasts continued until December 6.
After the declaration of a State of Emergency, there were107

only two performances of Japanese classical dance produced(3)by members of the Goyokai, Yamamura Tomogoro’s Dainikai
Tomogoro no Kai (The Second Tomogoro Recital) (August 23,
National Bunraku Theatre) and Fujima Ranko’s Nihon Buyo no
kanosei, vol. 3 (The Possibilities of Japanese Classical Dance, vol.
3) (November 3, Asakusa Kokaido). The Nihon Buyo no kanosei
performance featured a dance that could be described as a partof the repertory of the Goyokai, Ada yojin (Useless Caution), an
adaptation of Beaumarchais’s play The Barber of Seville, which isfamous from the Rossini opera, and Ranko performing a solo
su odori (dance with no stage set or costume in formal kimono)
adaptation condensed from Goethe’s Faust titled Magakami (TheGod of Misfortune). Both pieces were written, staged, and choreographed by Ranko himself. Ada Yojin was originally created as a
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su odori dance for a single male performer, and this performance
was an experiment in restaging the dance with five female dancers.
Neither of the two pieces was an entirely new composition, but they
showed a proper Japanese classical dance approach to coping withthe pandemic. Considering the fact that otherwise people would
not be able to see these things, in this particular case, it was a goodthing that people were able to see what was done in a video online.

2. The Death of Hanayagi Juo II and “Japanese ClassicalDance” as It Is Now Practiced
I would like to say a few words about the death of Hanayagi Juo II
and what it meant for Japanese classical dance.
108

At 8:00 p.m. on September 27, I received a fax from Hayagi
Jusuke V with the following obituary: “Hanayagi Juo II (legal name
Hanayagi Hiroshi) passed on at 6:52 a.m. on September 26 (aged89). We are informing all the people who have been supportive
over the years along with our profound gratitude for all that they
have done. In view of the COVID-19 pandemic and in accordancewith the wishes of the deceased, the funeral will be held with only
close relations.” It went on to say, “Time will be reserved at the
Hanayagi Studio for people who wish to say their final farewells,”
and specified that this time would be September 28 to October 1.
Jusuke was in charge of the funeral arrangements and also said
that “the general public will be informed through newspapers andother media after the funeral on October 3.” In response to thiscareful and polite message, keeping within the restraints of thepandemic, I went to Juo’s house, where his body was, and paid myrespects. However, despite all the precautions in this message, twodays after receiving it, I was surprised to see the death reported in
the morning newspapers on September 29. Despite all the care tocarry out the late Juo’s wishes and Jusuke’s desire to deal properlywith the pandemic, I could not help but feel that this disregard of
the wishes of the leadership of the Hanayagi school was reminiscent of all the sensationalism in the media in the past regarding thequestion of succession in the Hanayagi school of dance.
The Hanayagi school of dance is pivotal to the modern historyof Japanese classical dance. It began with the activities as a dancer
and choreographer of Hanayagi Jusuke I (1821–1903) and became
established as a dance school and gained prominence with his son
Hanayagi Jusuke II (1893–1970). The name “Hanayagi Jusuke”

109

became the name of the iemoto, but in 1963, when he passed on thename to his daughter, who became Jusuke III (1935–2007), Jusuke II
took the retirement name of Juo I.
The father of Hanayagi Juo II (1931–2020) was Hanayagi Yoshijiro IV, who was related to Jusuke I and later took the name of
Hanayagi Hodo. In 2007, Yoshijiro was about to take the retirement name of Kan’o when Jusuke III died suddenly. As scheduled,
he took the name of Kan’o, and the following day, at the funeral of
Jusuke III, he announced that he was becoming Jusuke IV. Although
this succession was decided by the top leaders of the Hanayagi
school, there were some members of the school who did not accept
it. In particular, there was opposition from Jusuke III’s nephew
Aoyama Takahiko, who said that before her death, Jusuke III had
designated him to succeed as Jusuke IV. These controversies even
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led to court cases. This dispute made the problems of the traditional hereditary succession and iemoto system obvious andbecame a media sensation. At this time, he was a director of theassociation and was active himself with the staging of classicaldances, new dance creations, and choreographing for the
Takarazuka troupe. As a director of the association, he brought a
new spirit, doing the essential work of bridging the gap between
Japanese classical dance and the general public. Hanayagi Juo I
made great contributions to the establishment of the association
and was also his uncle. I thought that his efforts were very fitting
for someone who had himself directly seen the activities of Juo I
and as such, I applauded his efforts.
110

When he succeeded as Hanayagi Jusuke IV, in view of hisachievements in dance and since this was all the private business ofthe Hanayagi school, I had assumed that the members of the school
had all agreed to this succession. But in 2016, when Juo II passedon the name of Jusuke to his grandson Hanayagi Sosuke (legal
name) as Jusuke V and himself took on the name of Juo II, thissurprising succession and name-taking revealed all the hidden tensions in the Hanayagi school.
But there was a particular objection to his succeeding to thename “Juo.” People said that this violated an unwritten law andthat the name was intended to be a term of honor and retirement
name for Jusuke II alone. Whatever the merits of this argument for
the Hanayagi school of dance, it had unintended consequences for
the Nihon Buyo Kyokai. One of the most important awards presented by the association for the recognition of young dancers hasbeen the Hanayagi Juo Prize (renamed “The Hanayagi Juo New
Performer Prize”), which had been awarded to thirty-nine dancers
was discontinued in 2017. It is important to consider the fact thatthe beginning of the association is intimately connected to Juo I in
both its emphasis on the twin tracks of classics and new creations
and the fact that the basic structure and concrete operations of theassociation depended on having Juo I in the center. The death of
Juo II must focus attention on the severe problems facing the association. There is not only the problem of supporting the administration and activities of the association, which depended so muchon Juo I and Juo II, but the problem of the extreme reduction in thenumber of members as well.
111

3. T
 he COVID-19 Pandemic and Individual JapaneseClassical Dancers
In the face of the force of the pandemic, with the declaration of aState of Emergency by the government in March, performances ofJapanese classical dance were canceled or postponed one by one. In
August, performances in general gradually began, but among them,
there were extremely few performances produced by individual Japanese classical dancers. Most Japanese classical dancers make theirliving by teaching and so, unlike the theatrical world that must
constantly have paid performances, classical dance recitals are more
like a cooperative effort by the teacher and students. So, without
hesitation, they could all cancel or postpone performances.
In a usual year, performances by individual Japanese classicaldancers are concentrated in the autumn for participation in the
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annual Arts Festival sponsored by the National Cultural Agency.
This year, the Arts Festival just barely managed to be held. For
example, in the field of Japanese classical dance for the Kanto
region, there were only four entrants. So, the only striking performances this year were the two held by organizations. These werethe 63rd Nihon Buyo Kyokai Performance (February 22–23, large
hall of the National Theatre) sponsored by the association and theMai no Kai–Keihan no Zashikimai (Mai Performance–Dances fromthe Banquet Chambers of Kyoto and Osaka) (November 21, small
hall of the National Theatre) sponsored by the National Theatre asa contributing event to the Arts Festival.
In the association performance, as is usually true, most of112

the dances were dominated by the directors of the association,
but seen in terms of the performances of individual dancers,
the acting of Fujima Etsuko as the bird peddler in the Kiyomoto
dance Yoshiwara Suzume (The Sparrows of the Yoshiwara Pleasure
Quarters) (performed by Wakayagi Juen and Fujima Etsuko) was
particularly memorable. In recent years, she has shown her skills
with su odori, and in this dance from the kabuki theatre, performed with a costume and wig, she splendidly displayed the same
powerful torso and unerring sense of form that she has presented
in su odori.
In Mai no Kai, the two themes of transmission of traditionand new creation were striking. In terms of transmission, the twodances were Kanawa (The Iron Crown) by Inoue Yachiyo and Sekai
The World) by Yamamura Hikari. Kanawa was an adaptation of
the noh play about a jealous, vengeful woman and was presented inthe distinctive style of the Inoue school of dance using a parasol asa prop and with no stage wig. The concentrated power of this dance
was extremely memorable. Sekai is choreography originating in the
Kitayamamura school of dance which has been preserved by
Yamamura Tomogoro in the associated Yamamura school ofdance. This solo dance was performed by Yamamura Hikari, andshe vividly showed the interaction of a patron and a courtesan in
the world of the pleasure quarters. In terms of new creation, there
was the new choreography for the dance Utou (Murrelet), based on
the noh play about the torment in Hell of a hunter of birds, and a
new piece choreographed by Tomogoro called Kakurenbo (Hideand Seek), danced by Yamamura Wakayuko, which was a shortpiece but was playful and witty.

113

4. The Position of Japanese Classical Dance in the Age of
COVID-19
In an age when everybody’s activities in society are curtailed by
COVID-19, and its influence has extended to cultural art forms as
well, isn’t it time to consider what the position of Japanese classicaldance in society should be? I think that setting the standard basedon the theatrical world, which is focused almost solely on commercial performances, is extremely dangerous. I think that this is precisely the time when we should reevaluate the people who are thefundamental support of the Japanese classical dance world, theindividual teachers of Japanese classical dance, especially in termsof their vital role in the education of children. As we carefully
examine the society brought on by the pandemic, we must consider
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what is necessary for the physical and emotional education of ourchildren, what needs to be done to carry that out, and where thetradition of Japanese classical dance fits in the process. I think that
this is a good opportunity for us to think about how to physicallyand emotionally communicate Japanese classical dance, whichforms the nucleus of the traditional Japanese performing arts andJapanese culture.
Struggling to cope with the 2020 pandemic, Japanese classical dance had very little presence. As mentioned above, the Arts
Festival was held, and the most prominent entrants in the fieldof Japanese classical dance were Fujima Mon’s Mon no Kai in the
Kanto division and the Shunju-za Young Performers Dance Recital114

by the Kyoto Arts University Stage Arts Research Center, Ichikawa
Ennosuke and Fujima Kanjuro in the Kansai division. Althoughthese both received the prize for excellence, neither seems worthyof discussion as an achievement in Nihon Buyo for the year. In
addition, both of the National Cultural Agency’s awards for dance– the prize for excellence and the prize for young artists – went toballet dancers. This had never happened before and is a sign of just
how much Japan has come under the domination of the music,
dance, and theatre of Europe and America since the beginning of
the modern period.
Japan suffered in the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, but in
2020, the pandemic threatened to destroy Japanese society. We
must learn from the example of our predecessors who faced similar
threats in the past to find a way to overcome these threats andsurvive in the future.

Translator’s Notes(1)	In Japan, “Galapagos-style” is a popular word. For example, until
recently, fold-out cell phones continued to be popular alongsidesmartphones and were called gara-kei (Galapagos-styled mobile).
(2)	In the modern period, Japanese classical dance has survived by beingorganized into schools, for example Hanayagi or Fujima, under ahead called an iemoto. The iemoto is responsible for granting artisticnames and licenses for teaching and collecting the associated fees
and, secondarily, for the artistic direction of what is performed by themembers of that school.
(3)	In Japanese classical dance, ticket fees do not cover the costs of aperformance. The costs of a dance recital are usually covered by thedance students who perform. If it is a recital to showcase the danceteacher, the teacher must cover the costs, and the teacher’s recital isoften paired with a performance by students. When a performance issponsored by a public organization like the Japanese Classical Dance
Association or the National Theatre, a substantial portion of the costs iscovered by the sponsoring organization.

115

Hirano, Hidetoshi
Nihon buyo (Japanese classical dance) critic. Born in 1944 in Sendai andgraduated from the theatre division of the literature department of Waseda
University, majoring in kabuki. Worked for a publishing house as an editor forsuch periodicals as Okinawa no geino (Okinawa Performing Arts), the quarterly
journal Minzoku geino (Folk Performing Arts), and the monthly magazine
Hogaku to buyo (Japanese Music and Classical Dance). To explore the art ofphysical expression, he became a critic and is a member of advisorycommittees for institutions including the Japanese Cultural Agency and theSociety for the Advancement of the Arts in Japan. In 2016, his book Hyoron
Nihon shintai hyogen shi: kodai, chusei, kinsei (Critique: History of JapanesePhysical Expression – Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Period) (Nihon Buyosha) was published.
(Translation: Mark Oshima)

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BalletA Spirited Response to the Pandemic
Urawa Makoto

Trials and Tribulations of the Ballet WorldIn 2020, the whole world was battered by the novel coronavirus,
and the ballet world in Japan is also facing a tough time. At the
beginning of the year, nobody expected anything like this tohappen, but at the end of February, various public facilities, includ116

ing the national theatres, closed one after another as people began
to realize the severity of the situation. Since the declaration of theState of Emergency in April, people have stayed home and worked
hard to avoid the Three Cs (closed spaces, crowded places, andclose-contact settings). In spite of this, the number of new casesand critically ill patients spiked dramatically at the end of the year.
Ballet productions were presented as usual until the end of
February. In March, we began to see a mix of postponements andcancellations. Theatres were completely closed from April to midJune and then reopened gradually, reducing capacity by fifty
percent. By September, most of the restrictions had been lifted.
Organizers took thorough measures to prevent the spread of thevirus and the number of productions slowly increased. But compared to previous years, the number of productions was very low.

Impact on the Ballet World and the Response
Without performing or training, dance companies and schools had
a hard time staying afloat and maintaining their artistic skills andstandards. Damage to the dancers’ mental health was severe. Balletproductions require a long rehearsal period, a large cast, and many
staff members. Artists need to work in close collaboration. Even
when the restrictions were lifted, organizers had no choice but totake matters into their own hands and devise thorough measures
to prevent the spread of the virus, which required a lot of moneyand effort.
The economic impact of this pandemic was immediatelyreflected in ticket sales, donations, grants, tuition fees, and training fees. Even though income drastically decreased for many ballet117

companies, fixed expenses still had to be paid. Dancers and teachers do not get paid unless they have jobs. The government andmunicipal bodies offered various programs in support of artists.
For example, the “Go To Event” campaign discounted ticket prices
with government grants, and the Tokyo government’s Support
Program for Arts and Culture scheme offered 100,000 yen for each
video submitted. But these schemes have not made up for the loss
incurred and can be very complex to apply for. Many artists arestill struggling to find a performance platform to make ends meet.
However, we are now seeing greater efforts to support artists, following the example of European countries. This offers a glimmerof hope; at least art is considered essential to our lives.

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Standstill and Restart
Let’s take a closer look at the ballet world of 2020. I divide thewhole pandemic into three separate phases based on my personal
view: “the beginning of the pandemic,” when productions wereforced to cancel or postpone; “the standstill phase”; and “theadjustment phase,” when normal activities resumed after the liftingof restrictions.

The Beginning of the Pandemic (January to March 2020)
2020 kicked off just like any other year. Performances went on as
usual until the end of February, when the national theatres closed
down.
118

The main highlight of January was Tani Momoko Ballet’s
performance commemorating its seventieth anniversary. Twoformer etoiles of the company, artistic director Takabe Hisako
and senior company member Ito Noriko respectively directed
and choreographed Lisette (Tani Momoko and Messerer’s versionof La Fille mal gardée) and the new work Fiorito. At the end of themonth, K-Ballet Company, led by Kumakawa Tetsuya, presented
Swan Lake.
The Tokyo headquarters of the Japan Ballet Association, which
supervises the ballet companies across the country, presented Le
Corsaire. The Kanagawa, Kansai, and Chubu branches of the same
association also held their annual performances in January andFebruary. In mid-February, NBA Ballet Company presented thefirst act of Dracula with the principal dancer of The Royal Ballet,
Hirano Ryoichi, and Homan Naoya’s new piece Werewolf (Okami

otoko) in a double bill called Horror Night. On February 26, allpublic cultural venues were shut down. The New National Theatre
canceled the remaining performances of Manon. Cancellations or
postponements of other productions and competitions followed.
I was particularly interested in the three performances inMarch, in the middle of this pandemic turmoil.
The first was Sadamatsu-Hamada Ballet’s Creative Works 31(Sosaku recital 31), presented on March 14. It had a limited audience and only invited people connected to the company. It featured
intriguing works including Alexander Ekman’s CACTI, a Japanesepremiere, and Mori Yuki’s new piece.
Next was Matsuyama Ballet’s Swan Lake, New Version (March
20). The new pairing of Morishita Yoko and Horiuchi Jyu attracted

119

a lot of attention. The venue was changed from Kanagawa KenminHall to the company’s own studio space, Museion. The audience
was limited to the people involved.
Lastly, The Tokyo Ballet’s La Sylphide was presented according
to schedule in Tokyo Bunka Kaikan on March 21 and 22. Masks
were distributed to those who did not have them, and outer andinner doors were kept open for ventilation during the breaks.

Standstill Phase (April to June 2020)
A State of Emergency was declared on April 7, and all performances and activities were canceled except for remote training andstreamed performances. In May, the restrictions were lifted gradually, and dancers resumed their classes and training while social
distancing. Performances were allowed to resume after June 19.
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Organizers were asked to reduce capacity by fifty percent or more
and to take thorough measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

Adjustment Phase (July to December 2020)
As I already mentioned, ballet productions require a long rehearsal
period and thorough planning. It is impossible for them to make aprofit if they have to reduce their capacity by fifty percent. Manycompanies are reluctant to present their works for just this reason.
Understandably, the first full-fledged ballet production toappear after the State of Emergency was the production by the New
National Theatre that started on July 24. The piece was RYUUGUU– The Turtle Princess, directed and choreographed by Moriyama
120

Kaiji. It was aimed at a young audience and based on an old
Japanese tale, featuring first-class ballet dancers from the National
Ballet of Japan. The seats in front, behind, to the left, and to theright of each audience member were all left vacant, in a staggered
arrangement. Audience members tore their own tickets on entering. The queue was arranged to avoid forming a crowd at theentrance, and after the show, the audience left in successive groups.
Programs were stacked flat and face up so that the audience could
take them themselves. Audience members were asked to wear
masks, sanitize their hands, check their temperatures, and not talkduring the performance or cheer the performers. The venue wasthoroughly ventilated and movement to and from the bathrooms
was regulated to avoid crowding. No merchandise, food, or drinks
were sold in the lobby. Everyone in the audience wrote down theircontact numbers and seat numbers in case of emergency. Thesebecame the standard COVID-19 measures for all theatres.
Ballet Chambre Ouest held Kiyosato Field Ballet at the end of
July and the beginning of August in Yamanashi prefecture.
Kiyosato Field Ballet has been held at this time every year. This
year, the company benefited from the outdoor nature of the performance, taking all necessary precautions. Ballet Chambre Ouest
presented Coppelia in October in their home ground, Hachijoji.
From August on, Asami Maki Ballet Tokyo and Akiko
Tachibana Memorial Foundation presented their rescheduled
productions with some revisions, including the school tours that
had been canceled in March. Asami Maki Ballet Tokyo presented
a gala Summer Ballet Concert, featuring their company dancers.
Matsuyama Ballet presented Swan Lake, New Version at the121

revamped LINE CUBE SHIBUYA, the former Shibuya Public Hall.
This was a special COVID-19 version of the production presented
to a limited audience in March. Summer Concert presented by
Yamato City Ballet led by Sasaki Mika drew a lot of attention: ananthology of various Japanese horror stories.
On September 11, the government announced that the
maximum number of people allowed in a venue would increase to
five thousand. Although most of the restrictions were lifted, manyorganizers still struggled. They voluntarily reduced capacity byfifty percent in view of poor early-bird ticket sales and public
safety. In September, The Tokyo Ballet presented Sleeping Beauty, apiece for young audiences that had been postponed in August, andDon Quixote.
In October, K-Ballet Company presented their signature piece,
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BALLETLe Corsaire, and the National Ballet of Japan presented Don
Quixote under their new artistic director Yoshida Miyako; her firsttime to open the season. Don Quixote replaced the Peter Wright–
choreographed Swan Lake, originally planned before the pandemic. The Tokyo Ballet’s M and Asami Maki Ballet Tokyo’s
Sleeping Beauty were also presented in October. Large-scale productions were prominent during this period. M was presented tocommemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the passing of the latenovelist Mishima Yukio; this piece was dedicated to Mishima by
Maurice Béjart. The Tokyo Ballet earned the Award for Excellencefrom the Agency for Cultural Affairs Arts Festival for this piece.
From mid-November, various companies presented their own
122

versions of The Nutcracker, beginning with Matsuyama Ballet andStar Dancers Ballet, and followed by K-Ballet Company, The Inoue
Ballet Foundation, Asami Maki Ballet Tokyo, The Tokyo Ballet,
National Ballet of Japan, and Ballet Chambre Ouest in December.
Tokyo City Ballet and Noriko Kobayashi Ballet Theatre presented
suites of excerpts from The Nutcracker.
At that point, everything was back to normal; various versionsof The Nutcracker were enjoyed at the end of the year. And ofcourse, all companies took thorough anti-COVID-19 measures.
The Inoue Ballet Foundation even revised their piece to make itshorter. Ballet companies, theatres, and audiences worked harderthan ever to keep the shows going. Some new pieces, created forpaid video streaming or livestreaming, replaced live performances,and some live performances were streamed simultaneously. I
understand that there was no other choice, and the pieces were well

thought-out, but I do feel that their impact was limited. It only
increased my appreciation of seeing ballet as a live performance.

Outside the Metropolitan Area
The first performance in the Kansai region after the lifting ofrestrictions, was Sadamatsu-Hamada Ballet’s La Primavera on July
26. The company were commendably active: they presented Don
Quixote in October followed by The Nutcracker in November.
Company Deco Boco, a unique company known for their fun
family shows and decorated theatre lobbies, presented La Fille mal
gardée, which had been postponed in April. In the Kansai region,
major companies canceled and postponed their performances one
after another. The only prominent production was Ballet Company

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West Japan’s Giselle, led by Sejima Satsuki and Andrew Elphinston
and featuring Nakamura Shoko.
In the Chubu region, Yukari Ballet’s anniversary concert andSumina Okada Ballet School’s Giselle were presented in October,
Setsuko Kawaguchi Ballet’s My Roman 2020 in December, andOchi International Ballet’s The Nutcracker at the end of the year.
Overall, the number of productions was very low compared to previous years.
However, the pandemic might not be the only reason for this;the death of director/choreographer Fukagawa Hideo may also
have had some effect. Fukagawa was a leading dancer throughout
the world in the 1960s and 70s. Back in Japan, he presented newpieces and reinterpretations of the classics in various regions. He
battled illness in recent years but didn’t stop working. Four or five
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companies in the Kansai and Chubu regions had planned topresent pieces choreographed and directed by him this year.
However, his health worsened during the pandemic and he finallypassed away on September 2. The companies had no choice but toabandon or postpone their productions. He was only seventy-three
years old. The contribution he made to the ballet world was huge,and he will be deeply missed.

Competitions and Foreign Participation
At any given moment in Japan, there is always some competition
going on. But this year, all competitions were of course canceled,postponed, or scaled down. Preliminary rounds were mostly
124

skipped. To avoid overcrowding dressing rooms, participants wereasked not to wear makeup. Many organizers skipped awards ceremonies altogether.
After the Ballet de l’Opera National de Paris production thatran at the end of February and the beginning of March, all foreign
productions were canceled, both individual- and company-based.
This had a huge effect on ballet companies planning to invite
foreign guest dancers and on ballet studios that regularly hired
foreign teachers. But it was a welcome opportunity for Japanese
dancers to get exposure and recognition.

A Critical Phase
Although some productions were affected when a staff or a castmember tested positive, we have been blessed that shows continued
during this difficult time. The situation in European countries

going through strict lockdown is even worse. Ballet dancers andballet companies always have to cope with financial and social
insecurity; they have worked harder than ever to survive this pandemic. Were things to get worse, our ballet world could be pushed
to the brink of collapse. This is a critical moment, and I sincerely
hope that society and the public sector understand the situationand support the artists who are forced to work ever harder tosupport themselves.
Urawa, Makoto
Urawa Makoto is the pen name of Ichikawa Akira. He is a former professor ofCulture Studies at Shoin University and a former advisor to The Associationof Public Theatres and Halls in Japan. He has written articles for newspapers
and magazines as a dance critic. He has been a member of various
committees such as the Agency of Cultural Affairs. He has also served on the
judging panels of various dance competitions and awards.

125(Translation: Ishikawa Mai, Donncha Crowley)

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Contemporary Dance and Butoh

Strengthening Ties
during the Coronavirus Crisis– Going Back to the Body
Tsutsumi Hiroshi

The terror of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) swept across theworld in 2020. The first wave lasted in Japan from April to May, thesecond from July to August, and the third began in November,126

with the number of cases rising each time. Especially in dance, it isa crisis of art form because it involves close contact such as touchand partnering. In this piece, I will look back chronologically at
how dance artists have dealt with the uncertainty.

Before the Pandemic
On January 16, the first case of the coronavirus was detected inJapan. And on February 3, a cruise ship, Diamond Princess,anchored in the Port of Yokohama with coronavirus-infected passengers onboard. February is an important month for Yokohama;
it is normally studded with big events.
Yokohama Dance Collection is the largest international contemporary dance festival in Asia. It marked its 25th anniversary
this year. In all, two hundred twenty-six groups from thirty-eight
countries applied to enter the competition. Yokoyama Ayano

received both the Jury Prize and the Porosus Endowment FundCamping 2020 Prize for her upbeat performance with her delicate
physical presence. Shikichi Osamu won The French Embassy Prize
for Young Choreographers for his conceptual work which evokes alive art event. Hashimoto Roma took home the Outstanding New
Artist Prize. Her work embraced theatrical elements, full of elegant
movement, with meticulously planned music and costume design.
Past winners such as Kurosu Ikumi and Tamura Koichiro also presented pieces, which were well worth seeing. The Third HOT POT
East Asia Dance Platform was also held, in collaboration with thedance festivals of Hong Kong and Seoul. Although two groups
from China were unable to come to Japan, the other artists presented their work as scheduled.

127

A string of ambitious works reflecting contemporary international issues was presented at TPAM (Performing Arts Meeting in
Yokohama). Among these were the world premiere of No. 60 byPichet Klunchun from Thailand and IBUIBU BELU: Bodies of
Borders by Eko Supriyanto from Indonesia. Performance Troupe
TAIHEN, a group of physically disabled people, led by Kim Manri,revived the Sandbox Bento (Hakoniwa bento) and shocked the foreigners in the audience. Dance Box from Kobe presented a revival
of Freeway Dance choreographed by Nakama Ayaka, which was
created as part of their local community project. Fieldworks, led by
Heine Avdal and Shinozaki Yukiko, presented three works that“defamiliarize” and “activate” the theatre space. According to theorganizer, 962 people from forty-six countries or regions (476 fromoverseas and 486 from Japan) took part in the festival, which
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attracted a total audience of 31,302.
Yokohama Dance Collection and TPAM featured a variety
of progressive works, and both completed their programs
successfully.

The Effects of the Pandemic
On February 15, there was a cluster of cases at a night club in
Osaka. On February 26, the government asked organizers tovoluntarily put a halt to all events. The live event sector had todecide whether to go on as scheduled, but with social distancing(avoiding the “Three Cs”: closed spaces, crowded places, andclose-contact settings); or cancel events altogether; or postpone; or128

livestream without the audience.
Teshigawara Saburo postponed the world premiere of
Triptych Night (Mitsuori no yoru), a collaborative work with violinist Shoji Sayaka, the day before opening night. But he later presented his previous works, The Idiot (Hakuchi) and Shirabe(Shirabe sho to dansu ni yoru), as part of a series commemorating
the inauguration of a new artistic director at Aichi Prefectural Art
Theater. In Theater χ (Cai), he performed new pieces: Night on the
Galactic Railway (Ginga tetsudo no yoru), based on the novel ofthe same title written by Miyazawa Kenji, and L’Année dernière(Kyonen), inspired by Alain Resnais’s film Last Year at Marienbad.
He also presented eleven works from the Update Dance Series#67–77. The creative appetite that stirred and grew within him
shone clearly through.
PUNCTUMUN, led by Seki Kaori, premiered Mukumeku-mu.

With the stage covered with powdery artificial snow, the pieceevokes the layout of a Zen garden and a black-and-white ink painting. The dancers contact each other through relaxed and minimal
movement. From time to time we hear a delicate wind chime, avoice, breathing, or a bomb exploding. The wind blows, the smellof tachibana orange lingers. The title Mukumeku-mu, almost a palindrome, recalls three Japanese words combined together, meaning“wriggle,” “sprout,” and “give birth.” It is a sensual piece delicately
depicting the transformation from winter to spring, the squirmingof the living and the cycle of nature.
Suzuki Yukio recreated his previous work Life Spins, Time
Flows (Jinsei wo tsumuguyoni tokino nagare wo kizamuyoni). His
solid direction involved frequent use of blackouts and avant-garde129

choreography. It was clear that his company had matured.
Onodera Shuji’s Company Derashinera premiered Wherever
the World (Dokomademo sekai). It is based on pantomime andnonverbal physical expression. It is a complex tapestry of absurd
and bizarre scenes and perspectives, peering through the looking
glass or out the window. He entertained the audience with his
playful and unique visual trickery.
Yasumoto Masako toured with her new work, Diagram of a
Fully Automatic Kleshas-Brain (Zenjidobonno zuizuizu). The
dancers make repetitive shaking movements similar to “twerking”
with their whole bodies. This is an expression of unending insatiable desire and greed, and it overwhelmed the audience.
OrganWorks, led by Hirahara Shintaro, premiered HOMO.
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performers narrate human history through dance, without any
ready-made dance method or vocabularies. Because both dancers
and choreographer were in the middle of a development phase,they were very active throughout the year. In addition to experimenting with their new piece ENEN, they also livestreamed theirperformances.
Kasai Akira presented A Gathering for a Duet (Duo no kai), an
anthology looking back at the duets he danced with his mentor,
Ohno Kazuo. Kawaguchi Takao played Ohno’s role, and Kasai
Mitsutake played Akira’s role, with projections of photos andfootage from Gigi (1963), The Foothills (Oka no fumoto, 1972), and
The Ailing Dance Mistress (Yameru maihime, 2002). It was as if the130

two dancers reunited beyond time and space in Kasai Akira’s Ohno
Kazuo (Kasai Akira no Ohno Kazuo). However, on March 26, when
the government requested all residents in the metropolitan area
stay at home, the rest of the performances were canceled.

Strengthening Ties within the Dance Community throughVideo Streaming
Although dancers were able to perform throughout March, thefirst wave hit Japan in April and May. Based on revisions made to
the Novel Influenza Special Measures Act, the government
declared a State of Emergency on April 7, targeting seven prefectures including Tokyo and Kanagawa. By April 16, the State ofEmergency had expanded to the rest of the country, and it continued until May 25. The theatres were closed for over a month and ahalf. During that period, many artists continued their work bylivestreaming or posting videos of their performances online.
Art collective KyukakuUshio, founded by Moriyama Mirai
and Tsujimoto Tomohiko, posted their new work on YouTube inMay. Working in a forest area and on an outdoor stage they madethemselves, they streamed Groundbreaking Performance (Jichin
performance) in September. The performance itself took place witha limited audience in the early hours of August 15.
Dairakudakan, led by Maro Akaji, created their own YouTube
channel and posted thirty-three videos throughout the year aspart of their series We don’t ask questions, we dance. We don’t
look for answers, we dance no matter what. (Kototowazu mai sorekotaezushite odoru). The annual outdoor performance Laughing
Blue Sky (Warau aozora), held in Hakuba village every August, was131

livestreamed without an in-person audience.
Sankai Juku had to cancel their tour. In May, one of their
young members, Matsuoka Dai, began posting new videos for apromenade-style event LAND FES, which he also directed. The
work is site-specific and involves a collaboration of dancers andmusicians. The performance is recorded without an audience, andonline viewers pay a fee.
The founder of Co. Yamada Un, Yamada Un, renovated her
own studio and launched a remote community center online called
Bunburyodo. The company posted two versions of her dance video
BODY GARDEN, an outdoor version and an installation version.
Migiwa, a piece created during their stay in Kanazawa, was performed in public and also made available as a video. Cosmos, aperformance filmed at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, is
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scheduled to go on a national tour in 2021. They actively embraced
the combination of live performance and video streaming.
The platforms for dance artists also had to make many
adjustments in order to stay afloat. Dance Base Yokohama (DaBY)
postponed their opening for two months until June 25. This platform is run by SEGA SAMMY Arts Foundation. Karatsu Eri, asenior producer at Aichi Prefectural Art Theater, was appointed
Artistic Director. Although some productions were postponed,
DaBY conducted artist-in-residence programs and workshops andtried out livestreaming.
Session House in Kagurazaka, Tokyo, launched online projects. Session Online Theater started in May, and Theater Wherever132

You Are (Dokodemo shiata) in October. They livestreamed twentynine productions altogether.
Small private theatres, important for supporting artists, got
huge support from artists and audiences during the pandemic, andthat led to a strengthening of ties within the dance community.
Both Session House and d-Soko raised money through crowdfunding; both reached their fundraising goals.

The Reopening of Theatres
The theatres reopened after the first wave died down, but thesecond wave followed from July to August. Event organizers were
kept on constant alert.
Moriyama Kaiji directed and choreographed RYUGU – The
Turtle Princess for The New National Ballet of Japan in July, but
because a staff member tested positive for COVID-19, twoperformances had to be canceled. One dance piece, Le Petit Prince(Hoshi no ojisama Saint-Exupéry kara no tegami), had its world
premiere in November. It featured prominent dancers such as
Yamada Aoi, Sakai Hana, Kojiri Kenta, and Shimaji Yasutake,
together with a talented artistic team. Moriyama’s creative genius
shone through this year.
Condors, led by Kondo Ryohei, had to cancel two new works
that were due to be presented in public theatres. However, they
managed to stay in touch with their fans by posting videos. They
presented Beautiful Dreamer, a piece organized by Condors themselves, at Shibuya Public Hall on September 5. They set their own
guidelines for COVID-19 under the supervision of a medical
expert, and they also had a nurse standing by. The venue could

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accommodate up to two thousand people, but they reduced thecapacity by 50 percent. The performance was shortened to one
hour to allow better ventilation. They gave two different performances on the day, while taking thorough measures to prevent the
spread of the virus. They blended powerful group dancing withloud rock music, comedy sketches, a puppet show, and guitar-accompanied singing. As usual, their energy and humor gave audiences hope.
Kondo also choreographed and starred in Hounding Hounds(Inubito), written and directed by Nagatsuka Keishi, for The New
National Theatre. This piece, which resembles a zombie film,
follows a dog-loving family who move into a town contaminatedwith Inubito (dog/human) disease. The ten contemporary dancers
who also played acting roles greatly contributed to the piece, physiTheatre in Japan

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cally expressing the process of humans transforming into dogs.
This was not the only theatre piece in which contemporary
dancers were prominent. Co. Yamada Un presented both thetheatre and the dance versions of NIPPON CHA! CHA! CHA!
during the same year. And for the musical theatre piece Night on
the Galactic Railroad 2020 (Ginga testudo no yoru 2020), directedby Shirai Akira, Yamada Un choreographed and her company
members starred. In the revival of Bacchae - Holstein Milk Cows
(Bakkosu no shinnyo Horusutain no mesu) of theatre company Q
led by Ichihara Satoko, Kawamura Mikiko played a thrilling andeccentric therianthrope (human beast).

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Going Back to the Body
From October to December, before the third wave hit Japan, many
artists focused on the themes of politics, social issues, everyday
life, and the value of life itself.
Dance Archive Network put on Me, Dancing in Japan (Odoru
nihon no watashi) by Project Oh!yama, led by Furuie Yuri. It features a modern interpretation of a trilogy, Japan (Nihon), which
was originally presented in 1940 during the war, to enhancenational prestige for the Tokyo Olympics that in fact never happened. Oh!yama showed videos of themselves running an Olympictorch relay and played rap music. It could be called a satire of theoriginally planned 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
We Assemble Together (Watashitachi wa sorotteiru) by
Momonga Complex had its world premiere at Festival/Tokyo 2020.
Each performer was confined in their own space, just like thequarantined life they were experiencing. The audience could walkaround freely and visit each space. The leader of the company,
Shiraga Momoko, manipulated the cameras to livestream the performance while also doing the live commentary through themicrophone. The scenes were constructed with detached and laidback direction but the singing and dancing combined to show that
we are all connected although we are apart.
Iwabuchi Teita BODY MAP premiered Gold Experience using
Iwabuchi’s own method called “the matrixed body”. The dancers
relax their whole bodies while forcefully inhaling to reaccess theroot of their own bodies. They moan and groan, developing theirsounds into movements. This method was inspired by the latebutoh dancer Murobushi Ko, by Mitsuoka Hidetoshi’s martial arts

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technique, and by Shirakawa Shizuka’s kanji ideograms in kinbun
characters (inscriptions on bronze wares) and kokotsu characters(inscriptions on oracle bones and carapaces), as well as by ancient
rituals and artworks.
Onodera Shuji’s Company Derashinera premiered Knife.
When one of the performers tested positive for COVID-19, allperformances were canceled and rescheduled. Onodera saw asimilarity between the quarantined life in the pandemic and that
depicted in Boule de Suif by Guy De Maupassant: an idle life withno one to blame.
Kaeru-P, led by Ozono Koji and Hashimoto Noriyasu, installeda temporary playground in Kichijoji Theatre and held an event
called PAP PA-LA PARK where families with kids could relax andhave fun.
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odoru kumagai hiroaki company deliberately used a lot ofcontact movements in their new work, Licking, Floor (Nameru,yuka), to convey the importance of human connection and communication in a world full of division and solitude.
Tanaka Min premiered Yo! Don Quixote (Mura no Don
Kihote). A man, who arrives at a village riding a horse, is nursed
by a villager and starts a new life farming. It seems to be basedon Tanaka’s personal experience. His longtime pupil Ishihara
Rin appears to play the role of Dulcinea. She lets out a strange
sound like a deranged woman and utters disquieting words suchas, “sacrifice, perjury, artificial legs, bribery scandal” (all words
starting with “gee” as in “geek”) like a word association game
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until she ends by repeating “Pseudo-country. That’s nothing new.”
The text, put together by linguistic director Matsuoka Seigo (aneditorial engineer), seems to be criticizing recent corruption in
the political world. Tanaka, carrying a long rod, rides the horseas though representing the people of Japan; he charges at the spinning curtain symbolizing a giant windmill.
Kasai Akira livestreamed Dancing the Constitution of Japan(Nihonkoku kenpo wo odoru) without an in-person audience. It isbased on the arguments surrounding the amendment of the constitution, which was a major topic at the time of its premiere in 2013.
It digs deep into themes of the separation of powers and humanrights issues like freedom, equality, and philanthropy. And theseriousness of these themes seems even deeper nowadays. Recently,
the Abe cabinet was harshly criticized for intervening in the
judicial branch; for repeating false statements in the Diet, whichis the legislature; for disrupting the separation of powers; and forinterfering with human rights. Kasai demanded that everyday life
would be free, equal, and safe under the law during the pandemic.
Dumb Type posted the video of their latest performance,
2020, which was canceled in March. It was filmed without anin-person audience. Using motifs prevalent in modern society
such as Sustainable Development Goals, artificial intelligence andsocial networking service, the group stressed the need to stopand think about the accelerated competitiveness of society today– a byproduct of globalization. Simultaneously, the number ofcases spiked. The Japanese government failed to declare a State ofEmergency at the right time because they didn’t want to give up
hosting the Tokyo Olympics as scheduled.

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Dance New Air, a dance festival held every two years, decided
to postpone their program until 2021. As a pre-event piece, Yuasa
Ema presented n o w h e r e. This was a documentary-style dance
piece done in collaboration with Kakizaki Mariko. The footage,filmed at home every day during the lockdown, was projected on a
split screen. The piece attempts to reinterpret the meaning of life,
with each day’s movements being affected by the weather or Yuasa’s
own physical state or mood. In the second part, Kakizaki, who waspregnant, starts to dance, and the reality of living in this moment
becomes clear. Kakizaki also experimented with her piece Wild
flowers as part of a spin-off event from Saitama Dance Laboratory
Vol. 3 in July. She shakes off the paralysis of the pandemic throughthe dance of the indomitable wildflowers blooming in the rain.
Kurata Midori’s akakilike presented a revival of the piece Like
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the summer sea glittering with so many fun things that it is a waste
to spend time sleeping, like a green garden flooded with sunlight, likea sky spreading to infinity so clear and blue as to drive you crazy(Nemurunoga mottainaikurai tanoshikotowo takusan motte,natsunoumiga Kirakira kagayakuyoni, midorinoniwani hikariafureruyoni, eienni tsuzuku kigakuruisona seitennoyoni), which originally premiered in 2019. Together with the members of Kyoto
DARC a home for drug addiction treatment and rehabilitation,
Kurata recreated their everyday lives like a documentary. Their
process of trying to accept who they are and acknowledge reality
highlights the difficulty and the weight of life. The piece was ahymn to humanity.
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In 2020, everybody in the world had to live a quarantined life.
Although the number of theatre productions was limited, it was
the culture and art themselves, including online videos and livestreaming, that healed division, solitude, and insecurity around theworld. Dance, which is based on the human body, reflected thispandemic in an actual, vivid way and demonstrated the body’s
own resilience. Dance created an opportunity for audiences toreacknowledge the importance of life and living, to turn theirattention to their own bodies and sharpen their senses.

Tsutsumi, Hiroshi
Born in 1966, in Kawasaki. He graduated in theatre studies in the Departmentof Literature at Bunka Gakuin. He worked as editor for art, entertainment,
theatre, and dance magazines before going freelance. He has covered awide range of performing art genres, including small theatre, shingeki-style(modern realism) theatre, underground (Angura) theatre, commercial
theatre, traditional theatre, and dance scenes. He has served as a selection
committee member for the Toyota Choreography Award, and on the jury for
Guardian Garden Theatre Festival and SAI International Dance Festival. He
edited The Flying Dangoro Party in The Sky “Rebirth of Acharaka” (Sora Tobu
Kumo no Ue Dangoro Ichiza “Acharaka Sai Tanjo”), Performing Arts in Germany
Today, and Peter Brook’s The Road to “Battlefield,” among other works.
(Translation: Ishikawa Mai, Donncha Crowley)

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Television Dramas

Messages Amid the COVID-19
Pandemic
Nakamachi Ayako

COVID-19 in Television Dramas
Television dramas were among the many social institutions forced
to adapt to COVID-19. Serials scheduled for broadcast starting in
April faced shooting cancellations and major broadcasting delays.
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Nevertheless, creators working under endless limitations in thistrying period managed to deliver some timely messages in “remote
drama” style.
The leader of the pack was Things Being as They Are Now, We
Made a New Television Drama (Ima da kara, shinsaku dorama
tsukutte mimashita) (NHK; May 4, 5, and 8). Advertised as “Thefirst 100% ‘telework drama’ on TV?!”, this series was prepared,
shot, and edited remotely. Generally speaking, actors performed
on individual sets with fixed cameras, interacting with eachother remotely. (Night 1: “Heart in Honolulu, peanut butter forhim” [Kokoro wa Honoruru, kare ni wa piinatsu bataa]. Scriptwriter: Yajima Koichi. Cast: Mitsushima Shinnosuke, Maeda
Aki. Director: Watanabe Kazutaka. Night 2: “Goodbye My Way!”[Sayonara My Way!]. Scriptwriter: Iketani Masao. Cast: Kohinata
Fumiyo, Takeshita Keiko. Director: Watanabe Kazutaka. Night3: “Exchange students” [Ten-ko-sei; this title pays homage to
Obayashi Nobuhiko’s 1982 movie Exchange Students, also known
in English as I Am You, You Are Me]. Scriptwriter: Morishita
Yoshiko. Cast: Shibasaki Ko, Muro Tsuyoshi, Takahashi Issei.
Director: Ono Michi.)
Before the main broadcast of the WOWOW series Love in May
2020 (2020-nen gogatsu no koi) (WOWOW Prime, June 2–5,
approx. 13 min. per episode), the channel streamed it as a free presentation online from May 28 to 31 (YouTube WOWOW Official
Channel and WOWOW Members on Demand). None of the castmembers met each other, or the director, in person during the creation of the series. The story follows Motoo (Oizumi Yo), who accidentally calls his ex-wife Yukiko (Yoshida Yoh) after finishing his

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remote work for the day. Yukiko has just come home from her job
at a supermarket and answers the call with some reluctance, but
the two end up speaking for quite some time. Hints of uncertainty
and loneliness soon appear in their fast-moving conversation. The
work depicts the emotions it evokes with kindness, warmth, andpathos. (Scriptwriter: Okada Yoshikazu. Director: Matsunaga
Daishi. Recipient of an “Excellent” Award from Tokyo Drama
Awards 2020, Single Drama category.)
The “remote drama” Living (NHK, May 30 and June 6) consisted of four stories woven together by an eccentric but talented
writer (Abe Sadao) as he muses on the strengths of humanity andhis thoughts about the future. The cast of each of those stories
included actual family members, all offering refreshing performances: sisters (Hirose Arisu and Suzu), brothers (Nagayama Eita
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and Kento), and two married couples (Nakao Akiyoshi and Naka
Riisa; Aoki Munetaka and Yuka in voice-only roles). (Scriptwriter:
Sakamoto Yuji. Directors: Kato Taku, et al.)This Is It for Summer (Korekkiri sama) (NHK Osaka, August
17–21, five episodes, approx. 2–3 min. per episode) told the story ofhigh school students finding their way through the COVID-19
pandemic with grace and determination. Baseball team member
Kaoru (Okamoto Kenshi) and classmate Kaoru (Minami Sara),
both left with nothing to do after the cancellation of the Koshiensummer baseball tournament and a rock festival respectively, run
into each other on the town embankments and begin to talk. Bothhave had something they were counting on taken away, but eventu142

ally they come to accept the reality of their situation, reaching a
humble but satisfying conclusion: “We’re lucky enough to live on
Earth, so I guess we’ll just have to adapt to how things are here.”
The work depicts the intersection of two young lives in the COVID19 pandemic with a fresh touch. (Scriptwriter: Kizara Izumi.
Director: Izunami Takamasa.)
The drama-documentary The World of Non-Essential and
Non-Urgent (Fuyo-fukyu no ginga, literally “Non-essential, nonurgent galaxy”) (NHK, July 23, expanded version broadcast
September 26) was a multilayered examination of the words“non-essential and non-urgent,” which have seen a great deal of use
during the pandemic. At a pre-shoot medical conference on May
15, director Inoue Tsuyoshi asked the doctor in charge of safety forthe project, “Do you think it’s okay to shoot a drama right now? Is
that the sort of thing you want to watch?” These questions probethe very necessity of televised entertainment. The story’s setting
is a family-run “snack” (small bar) called Snack Galaxy (Sunakku
Ginga). Snack Galaxy has curtailed its operations due to the Stateof Emergency, but are daily life and employment “unnecessary andnon-urgent” for this family? The question, posed from many different perspectives, resonates on multiple levels. (Story/Scriptwriter:
Matayoshi Naoki. Director: Inoue Tsuyoshi. Cast: Lily Franky,
Kaho, et al.)Fuji TV’s The World Is Made of Threes (Sekai wa 3 de dekiteiru)(June 11) was promoted as a “social distance drama.” Hayashi
Kento plays a set of fraternal triplets reunited after the State ofEmergency ends. Their conversations when they finally meet again
are depicted with all the frankness one might expect from brothers

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in such a situation. (Scriptwriter: Mizuhashi Fumie. Director/
Producer: Nakae Isamu.)

New Approaches to Office Romances and Domestic Dramas
During the January television season, An Incurable Case of Love
(Koi wa tsuzuku yo doko made mo) (TBS, Tuesday Drama, January
14–March 17) and The Kotaki Brothers and Their Woes (Kotaki
kyodai to shiku hakku) (TV Tokyo, Drama 24, January 11–March
28) attracted a great deal of attention.
An Incurable Case of Love was a romantic comedy that createdhuge amounts of buzz on social media due to unbearably charming
scenes sprinkled throughout every episode. At the same time,
however, it is a serious drama about love and work. This sense ofbalance made its heroine, Sakura Nanase (Kamishiraishi Mone),
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appealing. The story begins when Sakura, a newly qualified nurse,
is reunited with Tendo Kairi (Sato Takeru), a doctor she fell headover heels for five years ago. She makes many mistakes as she
settles into her new job, but her earnestness allows her to noticepatient issues that others overlook. Her coworkers cheer her on,
calling her “Little Miss Hero” (Yusha-chan). The series distinguishes itself from the tradition of dramaturgy that creates excitement by piling on the conflict, instead depicting the warmth ofhuman relationships. (Scriptwriters: Kaneko Arisa, et al. Directors:
Tanaka Kenta, et al. Original Story: Enjoji Maki. Theme Song: “I
LOVE…” by Official Hige Dandism. Recipient of an “Excellent”
Award from Tokyo Drama Awards 2020 in the Single Drama cate144

gory, along with awards for Best Performance by an Actor in a
Supporting Role for Sato Takeru and Best Theme Song.)
The Kotaki Brothers and Their Woes was a domestic dramaof a different color. The story begins with older brother Kotaki
Ichiro (Furutachi Kanji), single and living alone. Younger brother
Jiro (Takito Ken’ichi) comes to stay in Ichiro’s house after his wife
threatens to divorce him. The unemployed brothers decide to starta “Rent-a-Father” business, charging ¥1,000 per hour. Their clientele shows them the many forms family can take. They act as proxywitnesses for divorce papers, attend weddings pretending to berelatives, check in on a young person on the verge of dying alone,
and more. The story shows that the relationships within families
cannot be reduced to a single template. (Scriptwriter: Nogi Akiko.
Director: Yamashita Nobuhiro. Opening Theme: “Adults” [Otona]by Creepy Nuts.)

Messages in Dramas After Shooting Cancellations
For around two weeks from April 4 to 19, TBS canceled shooting
for all programs. Series that were postponed as a result included
the Tuesday drama My Housekeeper Nagisa (Watashi no kaseifu
Nagisa-san) (April 14 debut postponed to July 7–September 1), theSunday serial Hanzawa Naoki (April 19 debut postponed to July
19–September 27), and the Friday drama MIU 404 (April 10 debut
postponed to June 26–September 4).
My Housekeeper Nagisa’s promotional tagline was “Straighten
out my untidy heart too, mister!” The story follows Aihara Mei(Tabe Mikako) as the arrival of Shigino Nagisa (Omori Nao), a
50-year-old housekeeper, helps her work through some bottled-up
frustrations. Aihara devotes all her energy to her job as a medical

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representative for a major pharmaceutical company, while Nagisa
keeps her home in order and cooks her balanced meals. The ideaof outsourcing disliked tasks (in Mei’s case, housework) to anotherperson is simple, but this drama turns it around by showing a
different kind of lifestyle. This in turn gives viewers a refreshingview of the diverse ways to participate in society while refusing to
be bound by existing norms. In the finale, when Mei learns that
Nagisa is giving up housekeeping, she confesses her feelings to him
and forms a new type of family. Poignant scenes like this convey
how precious time spent together is. While not addressing COVID19 specifically, this series did reverberate in our time of widespreadloneliness. (Scriptwriters: Tokuo Koji, Yamashita Subaru. Directors: Tsuboi Toshio, et al. Original Story: Yotsuhara Furiko. Theme
Song: “Naked Heart” [Hadaka no kokoro] by Aimyon.)
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Hanzawa Naoki was a sequel to the original series about hero
Hanzawa Naoki aired seven years ago (2013), which gave rise tocatchphrases like “Take double the payback!” and buzzwords like“grovel.” Hanzawa (Sakai Masato), sent from his metropolitanbank to serve as Sales Planning Department Manager at a subsidiary brokerage, refuses to let others get the better of him, holding
fast to his motto of “If someone hurts you, hurt them back.” In the
new series, Kagawa Teruyuki (who plays Owada Akira, the bank’s
director, to whom Hanzawa is linked by fate) and the rest of thecast threw themselves into their roles, helping the interpersonal
confrontations stand out more sharply. Actors faced off with only
inches between them, raw emotion visible in their expressions.
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Ultra-close-ups of these scenes (visual direction) and lines delivered with something like the kuriage technique in Kabuki, where
the intensity of the words rises as the actor speaks, created an
unmissable experience. Lines like “This is . . . a dead end” (Owada)
and “Apologize! Apologize, apologize, apologize . . . Apologize,
Hanzawa!” (Isayama/Ichikawa Ennosuke) caused a sensation.
Having such a large cast confronting each other in close quarters,with no sign of social distancing due to the pandemic, added aunique pressure to the visualizations of tension. Women were also
particularly prominent in this series. When the eighth episode waspostponed at the last minute from September 6 to the next week
due to circumstances relating to the shooting schedule, it was
replaced with a live talk/variety show entitled Live!! Hanzawa
Naoki Returns a Favor (Nama hoso!! Hanzawa Naoki no ongaeshi)
in a highly unusual move that also attracted much commentary.

(Scriptwriters: Ushio Kentaro, et al. Directors: Fukuzawa Katsuo,
et al. Music: Hattori Takayuki. Original Story: Ikeido Jun.)
MIU 404 was originally planned as a depiction of the periodleading up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but its final episode sent astrong message by depicting Tokyo as it was amid the pandemic.
MIU is an abbreviation used by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police
Department for “mobile investigation unit,” which denotes a teamthat performs initial investigations of new cases. The story follows
one such MIU as its members Ibuki Ai (Ayano Go) and Shima
Kazumi (Hoshino Gen) race to solve their cases within 24 hours.
The events they investigate are rich in details drawn from real life,
including road rage, the plight of foreign exchange students, anddrug sales among young people. Ibuki and Shima’s efforts are sup-147

ported by their earnest thinking, expressed in lines like “We canstop people from falling into catastrophic situations. This is a fantastic job!” (Ibuki, Episode 1), “Who you meet, who you don’t—
what is the switch that changes where people go?” (Shima, Episode3), and “One by one, it’s all switches. Kind of like life, right? I wantevery one of them to count. I don’t want to give up on them!”(Ibuki, Episode 6). This earnestness means that when the two starta new case in face masks, it conveys the importance and bravery of
running straight toward things as they happen, whatever they may
be, and facing the implications head-on. (Scriptwriter: Nogi Akiko.
Directors: Tsukahara Ayuko, Takemura Kentaro, et al. Theme
Song: “Electric Shock” [Kanden] by Yonezu Kenshi.)
NTV’s #RemoteLove: Normal Love is Wrong (#RimoRabu: Futsu
no koi wa jado) (October 14–December 23) was the only serial
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drama starting in October in which the actors wore masks in character. The story begins with a scene set in an office on April 2, 2020.
Occupational health physician Ozakura Mimi (Haru) is goingaround the company giving guidance on anti-infection measures.
Her severe character is drawn with a comical twist, but the strain
she was under is touched on later. During the COVID-19 pandemic,
her views on love also change, and the awkward romance she begins
is depicted with tantalizing slowness but a heartwarming feel.
(Scriptwriter: Mizuhashi Fumie. Directors: Nakajima Satoru, et al.
Theme Song: “Heartsound” [Shin’on] by Fukuyama Masaharu.)
In KTV’s My Big Sister’s Lover (Ne-chan no koibito) (October
27–December 22), the setting is Tokyo in the period from just148

before Halloween to Christmas in 2020. At the end of each episodeis a caption that reads, “For artistic reasons, our actors do notwear masks, but shooting is performed under expert guidance
for safety.” The scene in the first episode at the home centre where
heroine Adachi Momoko (Arimura Kasumi) works recalls footageof people fighting over masks early in 2020 when they were in
short supply. (Scriptwriter: Okada Yoshikazu. Directors: Miyake
Yoshishige et al.)
To depict the reality of 2020 accurately, characters needed to bemasked. But how to convey their emotional life to viewers if theirexpressions cannot be seen? How will those of us in the real worldcommunicate in our own masked lives? What feelings are we
nursing? As the COVID-19 pandemic raged, these were the issues
television dramas faced.

Nakamachi, Ayako
Professor at Nihon University College of Art. Member of the Selection
Committee of the Executive Committee of the Agency for Cultural Affairs
National Art Festival Awards and selection committees for broadcast-related
awards, including a position as head of the International Drama Festival’sTokyo Drama Awards. Writes critical essays, mainly about television dramas,
for newspapers, including That Drama, This Line (Ano dorama, kono serifu) for
Nikkei Shimbun and Antenna for Yomiuri Shimbun. Author of books such as
Famous Lines from Twenty-One Japanese Television Dramas (Nippon no terebi
dorama nijuichi no meizerifu; Koubundou Publishers).
(Translation: Matt Treyvaud)

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Poster on how to protect oneself against infection from Spanish Influenza. “Spanish
Influenza,” published by the Hygiene Bureau of the Ministry of Home Affairs in March
1922 when the pandemic was beginning to subside.
Photograph provided by the Office of Information, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

Developments in Japan and Overseas

Japanese Theatre in the Time of
the Spanish Influenza 100 Years Ago
Goto Ryuki

On February 26, 2020, the publication of the “Basic Policies forPrevention and Control of the Novel Coronavirus” brought about
the unfortunate cancellation or postponement of numerous theatre
performances, exhibitions and the like. The declaration of a State

of Emergency, which was based on the Special Measures Act
enacted on April 7, effectively halted the functioning of almost all
cultural activities for several months. Historically speaking, thiswas an unprecedented event. The State of Emergency was relaxedon May 25, and performing arts started to return. As of December,theatres have once again begun opening their doors, taking extra
special care, but there has been no end to reports of people in theentertainment world contracting the virus. We are still far fromseeing an end to this situation.
The so-called Spanish Flu that rampaged over the world
roughly a century ago, between 1918 and 1920, is often mentioned
in the context of infectious diseases like COVID-19. It was in 1918
that the pandemic (thought to be a factor in ending the First World

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War) started to be called the Spanish Influenza in Japan. It took the
lives of about 3–5% of the world’s population, some 55 million inall. Approximately half the population of Japan (at that time some55 million) contracted the disease; around 1% of those died. Some
100,000 people perished in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.
The death toll from the Spanish Flu has been estimated at morethan five times that number.
Historical demographer Hayami Akira, author of The
Influenza Pandemic in Japan, 1918-1920: The First World War
between Humankind and a Virus (Fujiwara Shoten, 2006), the firststudy of its kind in Japanese, is the authority on this event. It is one
text that bears rereading now in light of COVID-19. This essay will
frequently cite it for its references to the Spanish Flu.
It is still not widely known what was the impact of the Spanish
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Flu on cultural circles, so it is worthwhile to draw on the historicalmemory of a century ago for insight into the past.

The Spanish Flu: A Three-Year Global Pandemic
In an essay called “A Sheaf of Influenza” published in the January
3, 1929 issue of Jiji Shinpo, Kishida Kunio wrote as follows:“Spanish Influenza: a strange but beautiful name, but thevillian that is this epidemic has snatched away the lives of ourmothers and fathers, our lovers, our children, our maids. This
“influenza” is different from cholera or the plague, other faces for
the God of Death. It is as if we could see her thin, white arm
holding up a jewel translucent behinda veil of thin gossamer.”154

Ten years after the pandemic, inwriting that “we have by now longgrown used to the name ‘influenza’ assomething forever intimate, close tous, but by the same token we cannot
grasp its true form,” Kishida underscores the menace of this disease. His
lyrical turn of phrase captures thedread of a disease whose identity
could not be defined.
In the study mentioned earlier,
Poster showing how to wear a mask. “Spanish
Influenza,” published by the Hygiene Bureau of
the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Photograph provided by the Office of Information,
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare

Hayami Akira describes how theinfluenza struck Japan in three waves.

The first wave, called “a spring portent,” started in May 1918
and was said to end in July. Though many were afflicted with a highfever, there were hardly any mortalities. Since a number of thesumo wrestlers in the May tournament came down with the flu, it
was called the “Sumo Cold.” As the disease spread, the virus hadtime to mutate.
Having survived the summer, the virus took on a new form,
ushering in its second wave from autumn into winter. What wascalled the period of the “pre-epidemic” stretched from October
1918 until May 1919, leading to the deaths of 266,000 people.
November 1918 was particularly severe, resulting in school closuresand seriously affecting transportation and the communication
environment. Mortalities peaked in January, leading to a backlog

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at crematoria across the country.
The third wave lasted from December 1919 until May 1920. As
many as 187,000 died in this so-called “post-epidemic.” The casefatality rate had been comparatively lower in the pre-epidemic, but
because so many had contracted the virus, total mortalities had
been higher. In the post-epidemic, fewer contracted the virus, butthere were more deaths proportionately. As many as 5% of those
who contracted the virus died.
The pattern was that the epidemic would subside in the summertime, only to mutate and come back with a vengeance in thefall and following spring. The Spanish Flu lingered a long time inJapan, striking the country in three waves, and even when it wasover, it took some months before the disease could be brought
completely under control.
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The Death of Shimamura Hogetsu While in Rehearsal at
the Meijiza Theater
Many notable people lost their lives during the pandemic, but oneof the most famous was theatre critic, playwright, and director
Shimamura Hogetsu.
This was in late October 1918, just as there were signs of theonset of the second wave. Shimamura’s Geijutsuza (Art Theatre)
Troupe had scheduled its November production at the Meijiza andwere in the midst of rehearsals when its feature actress, Matsui
Sumako, caught the virus. Hogetsu, who had left his wife and children to live with her, also contracted the disease.
So too did Akita Ujaku, who was inrehearsals at the Meijiza, and he records in156

his diary how the three of them—Ujaku,
Sumako, and Hogetsu—all came down withthe flu:
Caught the cold. A terrible temperature! I feel dreadful, and ache all over.
(October 26)
The cold is getting worse and worse. My
whole body aches. High fever. (It’s the flu.)(October 27. Dairy of Akita Ujaku, vol. 1,
Miraisha)
Shimamura Hogetsu (1871–1918) in his
study. A graduate of the Tokyo Senmon
Gakko (later, Waseda University). After
studying in England and Germany, heestablished the Literary Society (Bungei
kyokai) with his teacher Tsubouchi Shoyo.
Formed the Geijutsuza (Art Theatre)
Troupe in 1913 with Matsui Sumako.
Photograph provided by the Museum ofModern Japanese Literature

If Ujaku had caught the virus during
rehearsals or at a party, it was likely that
Sumako and Hogetsu got it the same way.
Ujaku seems to have caught a lighter

version of it, because hesoon recovered and went to
see Sumako and Hogetsu:“Master Hogetsu’s heart
is weak and he appears tohave difficulty breathing. I
was told they’d called on a

Funeral service for Shimamura Hogetsu held at the Geijutsu Clubin Ushigome, Tokyo, November 7, 1918. Matsui Sumako, Nakamura
Kichizo, writers, and other artists in attendance.
Photograph provided by the Museum of Modern Japanese Literature

doctor to check on him.
Sumako seems much better.” (October 30)
Ujaku recorded the following day that Hogetsu had taken aturn for the worse and was unable to go to the Meijiza.
Sumako, who had gradually recovered, returned to rehearsals, but a week after contracting the disease, Hogetsu came down157

with pneumonia and passed away shortly after 2:00 a.m. on
November 5. News that his condition had become critical did notreach the rehearsal space at the Meijiza until dawn. Sumako andthe rest of the company were too late; only the doctor and a nurse
were there at the end. Hogetsu’s teacher Tsubouchi Shoyo wrote inhis diary that day, “Shimamura Takitaro [Hogetsu] passed. On
the thirty-first of last month, he caught the disease when looking
after Sumako. They report that last night he suddenly had a heart
attack and died!” (A Collection of Unpublished Shoyo Documents,
Vol. 1. Shoyo Association)
After the death of Hogetsu, their artistic director, their production at the Meijiza opened only one day late. Sumako continued
to perform, but on January 5 the following year, while in production at the Yurakuza, she hanged herself, thus following Hogetsu in
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death. Her suicide was an important reason why Hogetsu’s passing
was so memorable.
Catching the Spanish Flu around the same time as Hogetsu,
Akutagawa Ryunosuke wrote to friends that he had taken to his
bed, and in a letter to Susukida Kyukin he referred to Hogetsu
as follows:“Please beware of the influenza. If you catch it, you mustn’t
overdo it, even a little. If you do, you’ll suffer a terrible relapse. I
tried to get up and work on my manuscript but with terrible consequences. I think it must have been the same with Shimamura-san.
I arose from bed only just yesterday.” (November 9. Collected
Works of Akutagawa Ryunosuke, Vol. 18. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten.)
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Akutagawa caught it again the following February, and in
March, he lost his father to the Spanish Influenza.
The tanka poet Yosano Akiko, writing in the November 10 issueof the Yokohama Boeki Shimbun, mourned the death of Hogetsu as agreat loss to the literary world, in an essay called “In Bed with theCold.” This piece is fresh in the memory because it became a subjectof lively discussion online during COVID-19 infections.
Akiko wrote that one of her own children had caught the flu at
school then passed it on to other members of the family. She could
not hide her fury against the government, writing:“Why did they not immediately order the temporary closuresof dry goods stores, schools, businesses, factories, exhibitions,
everywhere large numbers of people gather, in order to put a stop
as soon as possible to the spread of this virus? Instead, the publichealth section of the police department, using the media, merelyadvised people to stay away from places where people gathered.
School doctors told the children much the same.”
This was the cry of alarm of a worried mother of eleven children, directed at society at large.

Multiple Cases of Contagion in the Takarazuka Girls Revue
Let us turn back the clock to before Hogetsu’s death and examine acase in the theatre world early on in the pandemic. This occurredin the Takarazuka Girls Revue (present-day Takarazuka Revue
Company), which was founded in 1914.
The Takarazuka Girls Revue encountered the Spanish Flu
during the first wave of the pandemic, from late May to early June
1918, while on tour in Tokyo. Choreographer Umemoto Rikuhei,

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who was leading the troupe, wrote about the situation on May 29
as follows:“From the day we arrived in Tokyo (May 22), I’d heard news
that some kind of dreadful cold was going around, but today threeor four members of the company came down with it. After changing her kimono and putting on a hakama skirt to go out shopping,
Tsukuba [Mineko] was suddenly running a fever of 40 degrees
Celsius and Matsuyama [Namiko] similarly came down with thefever. Then two or three members of the orchestra came down with
it. Everybody was in an uproar for a time, but fortunately, thanks
to the swift attention of a physician, they soon recovered.”(“Account of the Tokyo Tour,” Kageki, issue 1, August 1918)
Although this tour (which included a preliminary performance at the Imperial Theatre [Teigeki] and shows at several other
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venues) ended without incident, if one consults the “Daily Recordof the Takarazuka Girls Revue Training Institute” printed in each
edition of their journal Kageki, one can see that cases of students
contracting the virus continued. For example, in the entry for
October 25, 1918:“The flu that is currently afflicting the whole world has struck
several members of the company. Kumoi [Namiko], Oe [Fumiko],Amatsu [Otome], Amano [Kakuko], Sekimori [Sumako], Wada
[Hisako], Uji [Asako], and others, one after the other, took ill.
Casting was badly disrupted for some time.” (Kageki, issue 3,
January 1919)
As the top stars of the company were infected with the virus,
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the company was suddenly thrust into assigning understudies intheir roles. In the midst of all this, Uji Asako, who was admitted to
Takarazuka Hospital, contracted pneumonia and passed away on
November 5, with her mother by her side. It appears she had a weak
heart. In a matter of only ten days since catching the virus, theSpanish Flu snatched away the future of this young girl, then only
eighteen years old.
More infections occurred during the May production at theImperial Theatre. The otokoyaku [actor specializing in male roles]
star from the first cohort of graduates from the Takarazuka School,
Takamine Taeko, claimed she couldn’t sing because of a sorethroat. But her music teacher and concert master Kane Mitsuko
said, “I can understand your concern as a singer, but I don’t care if
your throat bursts or you cough up blood. Today, just go out there
and act till you drop!” Takamine stifled her tears and put on her

makeup. Watching her, Kane Mitsuko also reported that “inside I
was weeping.” (Kane Mitsuko, “Record of a School Tour,” Kageki,
issue 5, August 1918)
The curtain opened. Their teacher Harada Jun managed toride out the scene of Mineko’s solo by bringing in the chorus before
she lost her voice. Once the show was over, Mineko was rushed tothe hospital, but her recovery was not easy, and Harada and theother members of the company were hard put dealing with one
actor after another coming down with the disease.
After that, one can read several accounts related to the
Spanish Flu in the “Daily Record of the Takarazuka Girls Revue
Training Institute,” but as cases began to fade, so also did thereports of the flu.

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Continuous Cancellations at the Imperial Theatre andKabukiza Theatre
Even while the Spanish Flu was spreading, theatres continued toopen as before. Yet at the Imperial Theatre, for example, where the
Takarazuka Girls Revue performed, a newspaper article reported
that intermissions had been increased because more than half ofthe stage carpenters had caught the flu (November 5, 1918,
Yomiuri Shinbun). There was no denying that the virus was
spreading backstage.
Kabuki actor and artistic director of the Imperial Theatre
Onoe Baiko VI contracted the flu toward the end of 1918 and due
to high fever could not participate in rehearsals for the January
production. Baiko canceled his performances on recommendation
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from his physician and the production had to get by with an understudy in his place (Tokyo Asahi Shimbun, January 3, 1919). Hatsuse
Namiko, the actress performing the role of Soga no Manko in thesecond play on the bill, Horai Soga, also caught it, but performed
the role in spite of being ill as she considered it an honor to standin for Baiko (Yomiuri Shimbun, January 5, 1919).
Around the same time as Baiko, Kataoka Nizaemon XI, alongwith his wife, also took to bed with the flu, running high fevers
over the New Year holiday. The opening of the January production
at the Kabukiza had to be postponed (Yomiuri Shimbun, January
5, 1919).
Nizaemon absented himself from the Kabukiza in February
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due to the flu, no doubt concerned about his own prognosis.
Baiko’s own state of health did not improve and, convalescing in
Yokohama, he caught pneumonia and became very ill (Yomiuri
Shimbun, February 11, 1919). He had no choice but to cancel hisplanned appearance in the February production at the Kabukiza.
His recovery took longer than expected.
In 1920, the playwright who oversaw scripts at the Imperial
Theatre, Migita Nobuhiko, contracted the virus, then pneumonia.
He was admitted to the hospital on January 8 but died three days
later. It is said that his entire family caught the disease. That awhole family could catch it from a single member is indicative ofjust how contagious the flu was.

Promoting the Wearing of Masks and Quarantining the Ill
At the beginning of 1920, when the disease was still raging, adocument called “Influenza” issued by the Central Sanitary Bureau
attached to the Home Department of the Imperial Japanese government recommended measures to prevent the spread of thevirus, including the use of masks, quarantine for those who had
contracted it and, depending on the situation, the postponement of
events and closure of schools. It urged members of the audience intheatres, yose (small playhouses for kodan, rakugo, and other storytellers), and movie houses to wear masks during the pandemic andensure that restrooms were properly cleaned. In some circumstances, theatres were even urged to postpone performances. (Inany event, theatres and movie houses did not close.)
As essential items to prevent the spread of infectious droplets,
masks became a symbol of the current conditions. “Stay away from163

the ill. You can catch it from coughs and droplets. The Spanish
Influenza is at its peak.” (Tokyo Asahi Shimbun, October 25, 1918)
From the beginningof the pandemic, headlines like this appeared
regularly in the newspapers. The January 11,
1920 issue of the Tokyo
Asahi led with warnings
like “See the terrifying
mortality rate—influenza
ushers in an age ofterror—if

you

cough

even once, stay home!”

Article on the hazards of airborne contagion. (Tokyo Asahi
Shimbun, October 25, 1918)

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followed by exhortations like “Don’t forget to wear a surgical mask,”
and “Hurry and get inoculated.” The February 8 issue of the Yomiuri
Shimbun ran with the headline “1,600,000 infected to date, 47,000
deaths in five days, the worst now in Osaka and Miyagi,” reporting
that, while the rate of infections in the capital had begun to subside,
the spread of the virus had reached the entire country.
The painter Kishida Ryusei, who had been living in
Kugenuma, recorded his impressions on entering Tokyo on
January 17, 1920:“Fearful of catching influenza, I prepared by gargling andputting on a mask. I saw somebody wearing a mask aroundFujisawa. There used to be in Tokyo one out of a hundred who was
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infected, but now everyone is wearing a mask on the assumptionthat as many as one in twenty have caught the disease. A truly
disturbing sight.” (Journal of Ryusei, Abridged [Tekiroku Ryusei
Nikki], Iwanami Bunko)
One of the purposes of Ryusei’s visit to Tokyo was to see financier and collector Shibakawa Terukichi. Shibakawa was Ryusei’s
first important backer and, though not seriously ill, was laid up
with the virus. Tokyo, now a city of masked faces, had turned into
something “disturbing” in Ryusei’s eyes, adding another dimension to our own image of the city during the spring of 2020.
The work of fiction that best captures this state of affairs is a
short story by Kikuchi Kan called “Mask” (Kaio, September 1920).
Kikuchi, who had a weak heart, was especially apprehensive, nodoubt because his friend Akutagawa Ryunosuke had contracted
the disease not once, but twice, even going so far as writing hisdeath poem. His descriptions of the city and the protagonist’s
anxious state of mind, believing that catching the virus was tantamount to a death sentence, are very vivid.
The protagonist, who seems very much like a stand-in for
Kikuchi himself, avoids going out on pain of death, obsessively
gargling morning and night, and whenever he is absolutely forced
to leave the house, he makes sure he is wearing a mask packed withgauze. His spirits rise and fall with every fluctuation in the death
rate reported in the papers. As the threat of the pandemic begins to
subside in spring and the number of people wearing masks
decreases, still he keeps his on. As the third wave of the disease isbeing brought under control by the middle of May, his desire towear the mask begins to fade. By comparing Kikuchi’s rough165

sketch and Kishida Ryusei’s observations, we are able to form a

Article reporting the third wave of the Spanish Flu. (Tokyo Asahi Shimbun, January 11, 1920)

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picture of how life in the city changed over thecourse of several months.
Even after the three great waves of thepandemic had passed, its influence remained.
One example is how kabuki actor Ichimura
Uzaemon XV, who had earlier caught the flu,
performed at the Shintomiza in January
1922, despite having a high fever and being
racked with coughs. Over his doctor’s advice

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Po s te r s t re ssin g t h e p r a c t i ce o f“c o u g h i n g e t i q u e t t e .” “ S p a n i s hInfluenza,” published by the Hygiene
Bureau of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Photograph provided by the Office ofInformation, Ministry of Health, Labourand Welfare

to rest, Uzaemon continued to perform,saying it was auspicious to do so in the first
production of the year (Tokyo Asahi Shimbun,
January 8, 1922).

I am sure one can unearth many more accounts of this kind.

What I could not find was any comprehensive study on the effectthat the Spanish Influenza had on cultural activities during thistime. From that standpoint, I believe recording a variety of reports
on how the novel coronavirus has impacted cultural life is of greatsignificance right now.
Note: This essay is a revised version of an essay that appeared in the
December 2020 issue of Tokyojin, a journal issued by Toshishuppan, Inc. The
text in square brackets in citations is added by the author.

Goto, Ryuki
Assistant Professor at the Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum at Waseda
University. Born in 1981 in Shizuoka. PhD in Japanese Literature from the
Graduate School of Arts at Rikkyō University, Tokyo, specializing in modern
Japanese literature, theatre, and culture. Publications include Takayasu Gekko
and Theatre Reform in the Kansai Region during the Meiji Era (A Study of Takayasu
Gekko: Meijiki no keihan engeki no kakushinsha). Responsible for the online
exhibition “Lost Performances: Records and Memories of Theatre under
COVID-19” at the Theatre Museum at Waseda.
(Translation: Cody Poulton)

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2020

Photo: Fukunaga Kazuo

168

Developments in Japan and Overseas

Plurality of Senses – for Dumb TypeUchino Tadashi

It was a strange sensation that was both nostalgic and fresh.
Perhaps that was because, despite a sense of déjà vu, it had beenquite a while since so many sensations and thoughts had been
evoked in the here and now of theatre, even though this was just avideo image. It was a video screening of Dumb Type’s new work,
2020, which was to be performed in March 2020 but was canceled
due to the spread of the novel coronavirus. It was a documentary

film edited from recordings made in a no-audience performance inMarch 2020; the video was then screened for the general public in
the South Hall of Rhome Theatre Kyoto, the original site of thephysical performance, from October 16 to 18, 2020.(1)Formed in 1984, Dumb Type is a loose artist collective thatis frequently referenced in the context of contemporary art. In
2019, the thirty-fifth anniversary of its formation, the Museumof Contemporary Art Tokyo held an exhibition entitled “DumbType｜Action + Reflection” (November 16, 2019 to February 16,2020). In this exhibition, a large number of written materials,
video materials, and installation works were displayed, making it
an impressive retrospective. I was reminded that the last time awork was performed in a theatre as Dumb Type – categorized asa “performance” in Dumb Type 1984 2019

(2)

169

– was Voyage, which

premiered in 2002, eighteen years earlier. The members of Dumb(3)

Type are quite fluid, and each of them engages in other work as
an individual artist. What is more important, however, is thewell-known creative method of Dumb Type, that is, the method ofcreating works through consensus-building in a completely democratic fashion.
No matter what process is involved in the creation of a work ofart, the audience is unable to evaluate it based on anything otherthan the “strength” of the finished work, and so they unconsciously
assume a competitive power structure is necessary to make a groupa group. In other words, they expect “strength” from the “authorship” that can be reduced to a single unique name. Dumb Typebroke this “common sense.” Democratic collective creation tends
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to be aspirational, but Dumb Type refuses to give up on it. With
this in mind, I think we should appreciate with a strong sense ofamazement the fact that a performance work like 2020, which
requires a fairly complex collective consensus, could still be createdafter a long gap of eighteen years.
The reason I am writing about such a visible topic is because I
believe that the plurality of perceptions in 2020 should be the focus
of our discussion. This plurality of senses is the opposite of thekind of plurality that cannot be reduced into a single “authorship”
without diffusing its “strength.” Indeed, in the credits of 2020, thenames of the eighteen members of Dumb Type involved are listed
in alphabetical order without any indication of their roles. The
170

integrated yet plural totality of the performance is achieved andfostered by the individual contributions of each artist and disclosed through the performance.
2020 consists of seven scenes (called “chapters” in “DumbType 2020”)(4). There is a square hole in the center of the stage(depending on the scene, the hole may look circular due to lighting
effects) and a white screen behind it. Sometimes there are one or
three black, almost square screens that look similar to the hole inthe center, and various images are projected on them. Sometimes
they are nautical charts, sometimes images from surveillancecameras. Or it could be live footage of the action happening on
stage. For example, in Chapter 5, the following is used:
During a light prelude, two performers appear, and dance
left and right away from each other. The shadows of the two
performers are reflected on a screen behind, where their

2020

Photo: Fukunaga Kazuo

silhouettes overlap, push away, and join hands. The two
performers dance, as “L-O-V-E” by Nat King Cole plays. Words
that begin with L, O, V, and E are projected on three screens
behind them. (“Dumb Type 2020,” p. 24)

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Here, three screens come down in the middle of the performance, but in Chapter 6, where two people in swimsuits are lying
down and communicating with the blinking of their eyes, thenumber of screens goes back to one.
Their faces are alternately projected on the screen behindas they start a conversation with a blink. Words of theconversation are projected on the screen, and gradually otherwords related to the meaning of their words are induced, asfinally countless words fill up the space. Eventually, these words
get masked and become unreadable. (Ibid.)

The phrase “countless words fill the space” refers to the way
these words are projected as if they are floating on the entire stage
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space, including the background screen as well as the square black
screen.
And finally, in Chapter 7, there are three screens again.
In sync with the sound composed of sine waves, glitches,
and white noise, countless English words float on the screen,virtualizing the invisible universe of words that fills this world. (Ibid.)

In the opening Chapter 1, the textbook cited was First Lessons
in Geography, an American textbook written by James Monteithand published in 1856. The textbook asked, “What is Geography?
What is the Earth? Where does the sun set?”(5) The work begins
with such macroscopic questions and perspectives and ends in
172

Chapter 7 with an image that gives us a sense of scale, “the invisible universe of words that fills this world.”
A performer in white body tights lies beneath the screen, anda line of a light is scanning the body. As the sound surges, themovement accelerates and the heat increases. The image also
quickly transitions to the movement of a city and a marine
chart. In the silence that arrives shortly after, facing thequestion Where does the sun set?, that was asked 160 years
ago at the start, she finds herself rotating backwards, and falls
backwards into the hole. (Ibid.)

The performers who appeared on stage included Sunayama
Norico, Tanaka Mayumi, Hirai Yuko, Yabuuchi Misako, YamadaAoi, and Yamanaka Toru, all of whom have been involved with
Dumb Type in various ways. In other words, there are participantsfrom the very beginning, such as Yabuuchi, and some who are participating for the first time, like Aoi.

2020

Photo: Inoue Yoshikazu

Each chapter is placed between the “macro perspectives” and“sense of scale” of the opening and closing of the curtain. Chapter

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1, with its sharp images that give the impression of a serious theme,
performance space woven with light and the body, and loud sound,gives the audience an expectation of such an out-of-body experience. Then, a black screen, similar in shape to the hole, comes
down on top of the kurokos who appear in the middle of the loudsounds and place chairs around the hole, and Chapter 2 begins.
In Chapter 2, the faceless, black-clad “powers that be” are contrasted with surveillance camera footage, which eventually converges on Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump. As aresult, the film seems to take on a rather simplistic political character, and a “meaningfulness” that could be simplistic in its own
strange way.
In Chapter 3, the black-clad figures who seemed to be “powerful” take off their suits and “transform into colorful outfits” (ibid.).
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Perhaps it is only here thatthe “macroscopic perspective”(the“surveillancestate”!) seems to slowly but
steadily transform into
2020

Photo: Inoue Yoshikazu

something more personaland intimate.
This is underscoredby the solo gestures ofthe performers who have“transformed into colorful
outfits,” while Yamanaka
Toru appears and “plays”

174

the role of a DJ in a rather
comical scene with “the2020

Photo: Fukunaga Kazuo

Conductor” (Tanaka), who
decides when and how far

to play an analog record, shouting “Stop!” and “Go!” Nevertheless,the “colorfully dressed people” are still trapped under the controlof “the Conductor.” This is because their bodies are moved by themusical works that are arbitrarily selected one after another, andthey move their bodies to the music. Eventually, however, “thesurface of record administered by the Conductor, becomes unplayable as it is gradually covered with masking tape, and finally turns
into noise.” (ibid.). Yes, it is as if the dictatorial power itself has
somehow been dissolved.
In Chapter 4, after all the participants from the previous

2020

Photo: Fukunaga Kazuo

chapters had left, the only remaining
performer (Yabuuchi) ran around theabyss and shouted the following words:“If there was a bomb inside me,
I want to eat it again, digest it,
and flush it down a toilet!” “Ifthere was a rabbit inside me,a gap would develop rapidly,
taking away the fun, so I want
to go back for a bit and run
with a turtle!” (Ibid.)

While occasionally stopping todrink water, a total of nine sentences,including the above, are shouted out at

175

the top of their lungs in the form of “Ifthere was . . . inside me, I want to . . . ,”without any indication of where theselines come from, but those of us wholisten to these cries, which could bethematized as “hope for symbiosis,”or at least me personally, feel that we have come into contact with apersonal yet fundamental subject such as “human/humane existence.” It is not a “body in crisis” or a “posthuman body,” but a“body with the lived experience” or a “body of the concerned.”
In Chapter 5, which I have already cited, two performers(Sunayama and Aoi) dance away from each other across the darkness of the hole to Nat King Cole’s “L-O-V-E,” and it is only theirshadows that “overlap, push away, and join hands” (ibid.). This does
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not last long, and as the music slows down to an extreme level, thelights begin to flicker violently, finally leading to darkness.
In Chapter 6, which I have already mentioned as well, a performer (Tanaka) in a swimsuit, who in a way suddenly seems to bemarked by vulnerability – while at the same time evoking a senseof a “comfortable life,” such as a vacation – talks through a tin-can
telephone. A second performer in a swimsuit (Yabuuchi) answers
the call on the phone, climbing up a ladder over a hole in the stage.
This can be understood as an attempt to create a dialogue througha new circuit of communication, the blink of an eye, on a personallevel. From the communication between the two, “other words
related to the meaning of their words are induced, as finally count176

less words fill up the space. Eventually, these words get masked andbecome unreadable” (ibid.).
Thus, after two chapters in which the attempt at communication seemed to end in failure, the final chapter, Chapter 7, arrives.
Here, after a series of “competitions” between higher-order digital
images and analog high-speed body movements (performed by
Aoi), we finally get to the opening question (“Where does the sunset?”). In response to the same question as the one at the beginningof the piece, “she finds herself rotating backwards, and falls backwards into the hole” (ibid.).
As we have seen, 2020 makes various references to the contemporaneous state of “human/humane existence” while foregrounding the issues of technology and communication, which arebecoming ever more radical. And as I have shown in my previous
descriptions, in Dumb Type, not only is articulation a subject, the2020

Photo: Inoue Yoshikazu

process of articulation itself is also made a subject.

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Of course, Dumb Type doesn’t enforce anything. It does notsend any didactic messages. It only brings us the various possibilities and impossibilities of communication through various“digital” and “analog” circuits. I have already called it “the plurality of senses”; how we react and respond to any of them, or notreact and not respond to any of them, depends on the subjective
desires of each audience.
(1)	The “documentary film” was later screened at the Yamaguchi Center for
Arts and Media (YCAM) and was also distributed free of charge via the
Rhome Theatre Kyoto YouTube channel from December 25 to 28.
(2)	Dumb Type 1984 2019 (Tokyo: Kawade Shobo Shinsha), 2019.
(3)	Of course, the work had been repeatedly performed, and according to
the record in Dumb Type 1984 2019, the last time was in 2009.
(4)	“Dumb Type 2020.” This commentary was written by Hashimoto

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Yusuke, Chief Director of the Kyoto STEAM Executive Committee andProgram Director of Rohm Theatre Kyoto, and Dumb Type for inclusion
in “Kyoto STEAM – World Cultural Exchange Festival – 2020 Project
Report” (p. 24). Dumb Type and Hashimoto Yusuke collaborated towrite a commentary on each scene of 2020 in Japanese and English forinclusion in the report. Yoko Takatani of Dumb Type provided the text
to me for this article. (It is now available online at https://kyoto-steam.
com/img/download/2021/archive/report_2020_en.pdf.)(5)	This book is still available and can be read online at Project Gutenberg
and elsewhere.

Uchino, Tadashi

178

Uchino received his PhD in Performance Studies from the University of Tokyoin 2002. He was a professor at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at
the University of Tokyo and is currently a professor at Gakushuin Women’sCollege. Uchino’s major writings include: The Melodramatic Revenge (1996),
From Melodrama to Performance (2001), Crucible Bodies (2009) and The
Location of J Theatre (2016).
(Translation: Uchino Tadashi)Ah, Yes, but Still ... (2018) Theatre Office Natori © Sakauchi Futoshi

179

Developments in Japan and Overseas

Obituary: Betsuyaku Minoru“Under the Influence of Beckett:Betsuyaku, Pinter, Stoppard”
Tanioka Takehiko

I had heard quite some time ago that he was in poor health, so thenews wasn’t totally unexpected. Still, it did come as a shock. There
was a flood of obituaries when he died. This giant of Japanesetheatre, who wrote as many as 144 plays over the course of his life,
died on March 3, 2020, at the age of 82.
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It is common knowledge by now that Betsuyaku began his
career as a playwright writing under the powerful influence ofSamuel Beckett. When critiquing his style, you could say it is anestablished gambit to begin by referencing Beckett’s own work. But
there have been so many studies of Betsuyaku’s work along thoselines that it would be difficult to say anything fresh about his workby simply comparing the two writers.
So here I would like to draw another line of inquiry. Besides
Betsuyaku, there are plenty of other playwrights in the world who
have come under Beckett’s influence. Can we not shed some lighton Betsuyaku’s work from a slightly different angle, by comparing
him with some of these other playwrights? Fortunately, in the180

modern British theatre I study, the works that can be said to bevariations on Waiting for Godot are not rare, among them Harold
Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter and Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and
Guildenstern Are Dead. Taking these two plays as points of reference, I would like to show how Betsuyaku has skillfully assimilated
Beckett so as to create his own inimitable style.
Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter was first staged in 1960. The play
begins with two hit men, Ben and Gus, in the basement of a building, chatting about nothing in particular, like the weekend footballgame, while waiting for the order to do another “job.” Midway
through the play, the dumbwaiter, located in the wall behind them,suddenly starts to move. No doubt this basement room was once
the kitchen of some restaurant. It’s amusing to watch how the twoof them run around flustered over orders for dishes to be deliveredon the dumbwaiter. When Gus goes to the washroom, Ben finallygets the order they were expecting. The curtain closes as we realizethat the target for the job is in fact Gus, who had been opposed tocarrying out the dumbwaiter’s orders in the first place.
As is clear from this brief synopsis, while borrowing thepremise of two men waiting for something from Waiting for Godot,
Pinter has moved the setting to somewhere with a greater sense ofreality. Whereas Beckett’s stage directions note only “A countryroad. A tree,” Pinter has situated his stage space into somewherewith a greater sense of specificity, true to the daily life of the contemporary English. In adding a greater sense of reality to the scene,
the play’s political import—workers who dare to stand up to theruling class are crushed—comes into sharp focus. I would like tofurther point out that the relationship between Ben and Gus isn’t

181

the same, mutually supportive one we see in Waiting for Godot, but
is built on a tension, an antagonism so strong that one character isready to take the life of the other.
My other example is the 1966 play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, where Stoppard has reconstructed Hamlet out of acouple of minor characters from Shakespeare’s play. Sent by
Claudius to divine Hamlet’s hidden intentions, the two courtiers
who are outwitted by Hamlet and sent to their deaths in England
instead become the heroes of this play. The two are unaware of thesituation they’re in; nor do they have the authority to order othersaround, so they can only stand idly by and watch things happen. In
having no choice but to gamely wait things out, they are just like
Vladimir and Estragon in Waiting for Godot. But, unlike Godot,
where nothing of significance seems to happen, Hamlet’s powerful
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Betsuyaku Minoru (1937–2020)182

drama unfolds around the two title characters. One could say that,
where Pinter has injected a sense of everyday reality into the blankspace that is Beckett’s empty stage, Stoppard has inserted a fictive
world from another play altogether.
In his debt to Beckett, Betsuyaku likes to use a device similar
to Stoppard. The easiest illustration of this would be Story of Two
Knights Travelling around the Country (Shokoku o henreki suru
futari no kishi), a work Betsuyaku wrote for Nakamura Nobuo
and Mitsuda Ken in 1987. As is obvious from the play’s subtitle,“Taken from Don Quixote,” it is based on Cervantes’s novel, but
Betsuyaku’s intent wasn’t really to stage an adaptation of thisclassic Western masterpiece. Aside from the two knights and theirattendant squires, the disposition of stage characters and the plotof the play are totally removed from Quixote’s world. In effect, Betsuyaku places Godot’s two tramps in a wasteland with a windmill.

In the closing scene, where only the two are left onstage, Knight 2asks, “Is anyone coming to end our lives, then?” Knight 1 replies,“Wait ... ” One hears an echo to Beckett’s play in the pause that
follows this line. Besides this work, Betsuyaku would frequently
base his absurdist plays onliterary works and fairy tales
both ancient and modern,like Snow White inside an
Egg (Tamago no naka no
Shirayukihime, 1988), The
Wind Salesman (Kaze noserusuman,2009),

andAbsurd: Yotsuya Ghost Story(Fujori:Yotsuya183

kaidan,2013). Stoppard certainly
doesn’t have a monopoly

Snow White inside an Egg (1988) Theatrical Group En
Photograph provided by Theatrical Group En

on literary allusion. I am
not aware of Betsuyaku
ever making reference to
Stoppard in his lifetime, but
to the extent that the twoboth enjoyed playing intellectual riffs on older material, the two playwrights
shared surprisingly similardispositions.
But, when considering

The Wind Salesman (2014) Tom Project © Shionoya YasuhiroFirst staged in 2009.

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what is unique about Betsuyaku’s dramaturgy, it may be more
worthwhile to compare his method to Pinter’s. Like Pinter,
Betsuyaku forged a unique sensibility by fleshing out his work inreal-world settings. In constrast to Pinter’s policy of constructing
dialogue that vividly captured the verbal tics and specificity of his
characters, what gave Betsuyaku’s plays the scent of life as it is lived
was the superb skill of his actors.
In 1974 Betsuyaku wrote a work called A Story Told in
Numbers (Suji de kakareta monogatari) for the Bungakuza theatrecompany. The play is based on an actual event, the mass suicidesof a prewar cult called the Let’s Die Group, but its construction
displays the sort of twist that Betsuyaku was so good at. At each184

juncture in the play, a character called The Interpreter enters andprovides a detailed commentary on the circumstances surrounding the event, while those who appear to be the cult members
amuse themselves in completely irrelevant activities like playing
with balloons. There’s a scene in the play where they are all gathered together for a meal. Betsuyaku paid special attention when
watching this scene being performed. In taking note of the exact
timing of eating a pickle or drinking their miso soup, the act ofeating was performed so naturally that an aura of reality emerged
from an otherwise totally absurdist set of circumstances.
Drawing on a statement by Pinter that “the theatre is a large,energetic, public activity,” Betsuyaku often said that in the act ofmaking theatre the author is consciously responsible for no morethan 20% of the product, the other 80% being an adherence to tradition. The act of writing for a playwright is something private, but

no matter how free orradical the methods heemploys, as soon as the
director and actors havebrought the work to thestage, it becomes difficult
to change the time-tested
practice of theatre making

Kanauchi Kikuo acts as The Interpreter.
A Story Told in Numbers (1974) Bungakuza theatre company Atelier
Photograph provided by Bungakuza theatre company

in any substantial way. I
feel that, with the Bungakuza production, Betsuyaku discovered
the richness inherent in the 80% of the theatre as a public activity
that he couldn’t revise.
Betsuyaku himself once related that, in contrast with the185actors at the Haiyūza, who always asked questions about the
script’s theme on first reading, actors at the Bungakuza never asked
about the theme. Bungakuza actors didn’t start their rehearsals bytrying to analyze the play’s structure, but rather by doing exercises
like “this is how you normally eat a pickle” or “you drink yourmiso soup normally this way” (Okamuro Minako and Umeyama
Itsuki, eds., Reconsidering the Underground Theatre of the 1960s[Rokujunendai engeki saiko]). This “normally” was probably a judgment based on standards established by generations of actors in the
Bungakuza theatre company. Aligning himself to this tradition ofacting, which is based on what clearly cannot be verbally expressed,enriched the plays that Betsuyaku wrote. The Beckett-like dramaturgy he employed no longer appeared to be an imported product.
We can probably say that, in his collaborations with the Bungakuza
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on such productions as A Story Told in Numbers or Thirty Days
Hath September (Nishi muku samurai), Betsuyaku was able to plant
absurdism in the soil of Japanese theatre and make it take root.
I would like to add a further point where Pinter and Betsuyaku
are kindred spirits. Where Betsuyaku’s first play A and B and a
Certain Woman (A to B to hitori no onna, 1961) is more obviously
influenced, not by Beckett, but by Edward Albee’s Zoo Story, thefirst time we encounter people likethe two tramps in Waiting for Godot
is in his play Elephant (Zo), 1962).
Two bystanders unrelated to themain plot of the play make anentrance. Though they are complete

186

strangers to each other, Bystander 1
suddenly

demands

Bystander

2

strike him with his stick. While
Bystander 2 is thoroughly nonplussed by this demand, Bystander 1
strikes and kills him with his own
stick. He’s of the opinion that if you
don’t want to get killed, you have tofight. Like Ben and Gus in Pinter’s
The Dumb Waiter, Betsuyaku has put
these two characters into a disquietening relationship where one is
A and B and a Certain Woman (2007) SCOT
Photograph provided by SCOT

obliged to destroy the other. Both
Pinter and Betsuyaku turn their

Elephant (1962) Free Stage (Jiyu Butai) Photograph provided by SCOT

attentiontosituations

where what is absurd frequently erupts into reality
in the form of violence.
To follow this line ofthinking I think we cansafely say that Betsuyaku’s
work staged by Theatre
Office Natori in 2018, Ah,
Yes, but Still ... (Aa, sorena no ni, sore na no ni)
consummates Betsuyaku’s career as a playwright. Here too, like
Stoppard, Betsuyaku draws on another work for inspiration. As is187

evident from the play’s subtitle, “A dumbwaiter with many orders,”
Betsuyaku is using the famous short story by Miyazawa Kenji,“Restaurant of Many Orders” (“Chumon no ooi ryoriten”) as akind of borrowed landscape into which he throws two men like thekillers in The Dumb Waiter.
Betsuyaku took Vladimir and Estragon from Waiting for Godot
to which he added a palpable sense of tension in the dynamic
between his two bystanders in Elephant, but strangely one doesn’tfeel the same sort of apprehension in the two hit men in Ah, Yes, but
Still .... While being aware that he is Man 2’s next target, Man 1 tells
him to make sure he does the job properly. He is calm in the face ofdeath, no doubt because he has been told by his doctor that he has
only another month to live. What’s more, he believes that his voice
will live on in the ears of the living after he dies. The play doesn’t
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make clear what he believes is true. But it would surely be no
mistake to say that, this play included, Betsuyaku’s work will continue to deliver its message to audiences long after his own death.
Tanioka, Takehiko
Born in 1965. Professor at the Institute for Liberal Arts at Tokyo Institute ofTechnology, specializing in contemporary British theatre. His publications
include Notes on Contemporary British Theatre (Gendai Igirisu engeki dansho,
Camomilesha). Responsible for the translation of David Greig’s The Events for
the New National Theatre of Tokyo, 2019. A member of the Association of
Haiku Poets (Haijin kyokai), he is the author of the collection Youthful Writings(Wakagaki, Honami Syoten).
(Translation: Cody Poulton)

188

«Appendix» Translations and Overseas Presentations ofWorks by Betsuyaku Minoru
Compiled by the Editorial Team
●Translated Works

1979 The Move

Original title 移動 (Ido) Language English Translated title The Move Translator Ted T. Takaya
Included in Modern Japanese Drama: An Anthology (Modern Asian Literature Series)
Publisher Columbia University Press (USA)1986 The ElephantOriginal title 象 (Zo) Language English Translated title The Elephant Translator David G. Goodman
Included in After Apocalypse: Four Japanese Plays of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Publisher Columbia University Press（USA）

1988 Toilet This Way Please

Original title トイレはこちら (Toire wa kochira) Language RussianTranslated title Сто йен за услугу Translator Татьяны Юрковой

189

Included in Современная драматургия, 1988, No.5
Publisher Союза театральных деятелей СССР (Russia)

1990 The Story of the Two Knights Travelling Around the Country

Original title 諸国を遍歴する二人の騎士の物語 (Shokoku wo henrekisuru futari no kishi
no monogatari) Language English
Translated title The Story of the Two Knights Travelling Around the Country
Translator Masako Yuasa
Included in The Story of the Two Knights Travelling Around the Country
Publisher Leeds: Alumnus (UK)1992 The Little Match Girl

Original title マッチ売りの少女 (Matchiuri no shojo) Language English

Translated title The Little Match Girl Translator Robert N. Lawson
Included in Alternative Japanese Drama: Ten Plays
Publisher University of Hawaii Press (USA)The Legend of Noon
Original title 正午の伝説 (Shogo no densetsu) Language English
Translated title The Legend of Noon Translator Robert T. Rolf
Included in Alternative Japanese Drama: Ten Plays
Publisher University of Hawaii Press (USA)

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The Cherry in Bloom
Original title 木に花咲く (Ki ni hana saku) Language English Translated title The Cherry in Bloom
Translator Robert T. Rolf Included in Alternative Japanese Drama: Ten Plays
Publisher University of Hawaii Press (USA)1994 The ElephantOriginal title 象 (Zo) Language English Translated title The Elephant Translator David G. Goodman

Included in After Apocalypse: Four Japanese Plays of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Publisher East Asia Program, Cornell University (USA)* Paperback version of the book with the same title published in 1986.

Toilet This Way Please
Original title トイレはこちら (Toire wa kochira) Language Chinese (Simplified)

Translated title 廁所在这儿 Translator 山崎理惠子 Included in 新剧本Publisher 北京市文化局新剧本编辑部 (China)

2001 Toilet This Way Please

Original title トイレはこちら (Toire wa kochira) Language Chinese (Traditional)

Translated title 廁所在這裡 Translator 山崎理惠子 Included in 日本當代劇作選

190

Publisher 唐山出版社 (Taiwan)

You Can Sleep Here
Original title 寝られます (Neraremasu) Language Chinese (Traditional)

Translated title 可以睡覺 Translator 山崎理惠子 Included in 日本當代劇作選
Publisher 唐山出版社 (Taiwan)

2002 The Story of the Two Knights Travelling Around the Country

Original title 諸国を遍歴する二人の騎士の物語 (Shokoku wo henrekisuru futari no kishi
no monogatari) Language RussianTranslated title История двух странствующих рыцарей
Translator Синъити Мурата, Ларисы Жилиной
Included in Сборник современных японских пьес, Книга 1
Publisher Омский государственный университет (Russia)

2004 Sick

Original title 病気 (Byoki) Language English Translated title Sick Translator M. Cody Poulton
Included in Half a Century of Japanese Theatre VI Publisher Kinokuniya Co. Ltd. (Japan)

2005 The Story of the Two Knights Travelling Around the Country

Original title 諸国を遍歴する二人の騎士の物語 (Shokoku wo henrekisuru futari no kishi
no monogatari) Language Korean Translated title 세상을 편력하는 두 기사 이야기Translator 송선호 Included in 세상을 편력하는 두 기사 이야기 Publisher 성균관대학교출판부 (Korea)

2007 Sick

Original title 病気 (Byoki) Language Russian Translated title Болезни Translator Мацукава Наоко
Included in Драма на углу улицы: японский театр абсурда
Publisher Три квадрата (Russia)

A Place and Memories
Original title 場所と思い出 (Basho to omoide) Language RussianTranslated title Места и воспоминания Translator Мацукава Наоко
Included in Драма на углу улицы: японский театр абсурда
Publisher Три квадрата (Russia)

2011 Godot Has Come

Original title やってきたゴドー (Yattekita godo) Language French Translated title Godot est arrivé

Translator Corinne Atlan Included in Recueil de pièces de théâtre japonaises

contemporaines traduites en français 3
Publisher Association japonaise des dramaturges (Japan)

2014 The Little Match Girl

Original title マッチ売りの少女 (Matchiuri no shojo) Language English

Translated title The Little Match Girl Translator Robert N. Lawson

191

Included in The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Drama
Publisher Columbia University Press (USA)2017 The Information Desk

Original title 受付 (Uketsuke) Language Chinese (Traditional) Translated title 掛號Translator 山崎理惠子、林孟寰 Included in 掛號 Publisher 亞戲亞 (Taiwan)

2019 Bubbling and Boiling

Original title あーぶくたった、にいたった (Abukutatta, niitatta)

Language Chinese (Traditional) Translated title 起泡泡了 水滾滾了 Translator 山﨑理恵子、鴻鴻Included in アジア戯曲エクスチェンジ＠2019 Publisher 亜細亜の骨 (Japan)

2020 The Incident of the Salad Murder

Original title さらだ殺人事件 (Sarada satsujin jiken) Language Chinese (Traditional)

Translated title 沙拉殺人事件 Translator 山崎理惠子 Included in 嘉義小劇場節 亞洲專題小冊
Publisher 阮劇團 (Taiwan)

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DEVELOPMENTS IN JAPAN and OVERSEAS●Overseas Presentations

1972 Landscape with a Hospital

Original title 病院のある風景 (Byoin no aru fukei) Translated title Landschaft mit Krankenhaus
Broadcast date Unknown Broadcast location Cologne (West Germany)

Translator Siegfried Schaarschmidt Director Hirano Atsuko
Organizer Westdeutscher Rundfunk, Köln

* Radio drama commissioned by NHK (First aired on October 3 1970, NHK FM)

1987 Kangaroo

Original title カンガルー (Kangaru) Translated title Kangaroo Date December 1−4

Venue Workshop Theatre, University of Leeds Location Leeds (UK)
Translation Yuasa Masako Director Yuasa Masako
Organizer Workshop Theatre, University of Leeds

1988 I Am the Father of the Genius Idiot Bakabon

Original title 天才バカボンのパパなのだ (Tensai bakabon no papa nanoda)

Translated title I Am the Father of the Genius Idiot Bakabon Date November 8−12
Venue Workshop Theatre, University of Leeds Location Leeds (UK)

192

Translator Yuasa Masako Director Yuasa Masako
Organizer Workshop Theatre, University of Leeds

1989 A Corpse with Feet

Original title 足のある死体 (Ashi no aru shitai) Translated title A Corpse with Feet
Date June 13−16 Venue Workshop Theatre, University of Leeds
Location Leeds (UK) Translator Yuasa Masako Director Yuasa Masako
Organizer Workshop Theatre, University of Leeds

1990 The Story of the Two Knights Travelling Around the Country

Original title 諸国を遍歴する二人の騎士の物語 (Shokoku wo henrekisuru futari no kishi
no monogatari)
Translated title The Story of the Two Knights Travelling Around the Country
Date November 27−December 1 Venue Workshop Theatre, University of Leeds
Location Leeds (UK) Translator Yuasa Masako Director Yuasa Masako
Organizer Workshop Theatre, University of Leeds

1991 Toilet This Way Please

Original title トイレはこちら (Toire wa kochira) Translated title Сто йен за услугу
Date December 24−25 Venue Theater Miniatures “Experiment”
Location St. Petersburg (Russia) Translator Tatiana Yurkova
Director Horiguchi Hajime (Theatre Seinen Gekijo)
Organizer

Theater Miniatures “Experiment”

1992 The ElephantOriginal title 象 (Zo) Translated title The Elephant Date July 28−August 16

Venue New End Theatre Location London (UK) Translator David G. Goodman
Director Tim Keenan Organizer Wave Theatre Company

1993 A Corpse with Feet

Original title 足のある死体 (Ashi no aru shitai) Translated title A Corpse with Feet

Date January 4−17 Venue Buzz Goodbody Studio, The Other Place

Location Stratford-upon-Avon (UK) Translator Yuasa Masako Director Ron Cook
Organizer Royal Shakespeare Company

1998 Toilet This Way Please

Original title トイレはこちら (Toire wa kochira) Translated title 廁所在這兒 Date July 17−19

Venue China National Experimental Theatre Location Beijing (China)
Translator Yamazaki Rieko Director Wu Xiaojiang
Organizer Committee for Promoting Performances of Works by Betsuyaku Minoru(a group of Japanese study-abroad students at the Central Academy of Drama)

You Can Sleep Here
Original title 寝られます (Neraremasu) Translated title 可以睡觉 Date July 17−19

193

Venue China National Experimental Theatre Location Beijing (China)
Translator Yamazaki Rieko Director Bokuda Hitomi
Organizer Committee for Promoting Performances of Works by Betsuyaku Minoru(a group of Japanese study-abroad students at the Central Academy of Drama)

1999 Toilet This Way Please

Original title トイレはこちら (Toire wa kochira) Translated title 廁所在這兒 Date June 19−22

Venue Fringe Theatre, Fringe Club Location Hong Kong (China)
Translator Yamazaki Rieko Director Wu Xiaojiang
Organizer Committee for Promoting Performances of Works by Betsuyaku Minoru(a group of Japanese study-abroad students at the Central Academy of Drama)

2001 Toilet This Way Please

Original title トイレはこちら (Toire wa kochira) Translated title 撒尿的代價 Date February 1−5Venue McAulay Studio, Hong Kong Arts Centre Location Hong Kong (China)
Translator Yamazaki Rieko Director Ho Ying-Fung Organizer Theatre Fanatico

2002 The Information Desk

Original title 受付 (Uketsuke) Translated title 痴痴呆呆坐埋一台 Date August 28−31

Venue Fringe Theatre, Fringe Club Location Hong Kong (China)
Translator Yamazaki Rieko Director Tsang Man-Tung Organizer Thunderous Firework

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2003 Peter Pan, Kidnapping

Original title さらっていってよピーターパン (Saratte itte yo pitapan)

Translated title Can you still fly, Peter Pan? Date August 1−2
Venue Bagley Wright Theatre Location Seattle (USA)

Director Ishimoto Koji Organizer Piccolo Theatre Company of Hyogo Prefecture2005 The Story of the Two Knights Travelling Around the Country

Original title 諸国を遍歴する二人の騎士の物語 (Shokoku wo henrekisuru futari no kishi
no monogatari) Translated title 세상을 편력하는 두 기사 이야기: 돈키호테로부터
Date March 24−April 10
Venue Small Art Theater, Korean Culture and Arts Foundation
Location Seoul (Korea) Translator Song Son-Ho Director Song Son-Ho
Organizer /Company Korean Culture and Arts Foundation, Cultizen

The Cherry in Bloom
Original title 木に花咲く (Ki ni hana saku) Translated title 나무에 꽃 피다 Date November 17−20
Venue National Theater of Korea Location Seoul (Korea) Translator Ishikawa Juri
Director Lee Yountaek
Organizer/Company Yeonhuidan Georipae, Korea-Japan Theatre Exchange Council

194* Staged reading

A Scene with a Red Bird
Original title 赤い鳥の居る風景 (Akai tori no iru fukei) Translated title 빨간 새가 있는 풍경
Date December 2−4 Venue Munhwa Ilbo Hall Location Seoul (Korea)
Simultaneous interpreter Myung Jin-sook Director Kiyama Kiyoshi
Organizer Kiyama Theatre Productions

2006 The Incident of the Salad Murder

Original title さらだ殺人事件 (Sarada satsujin jiken)

Translated title 沙律殺人事件
Date January 12−15

Venue McAulay Studio, Hong Kong Arts Centre
Location Hong Kong (China)
Translator Yamazaki Rieko, Vee Leong
Director E-RUN
Organizer office30

Photo: Cheung Chi Wai

A Small House and Five Gentlemen
Original title 小さな家と五人の紳士 (Chiisana ie to gonin no shinshi)

Translated title Une petite maison et cinq gentilhommes Date July 7−29 (odd days)
Venue Théâtre le Funambule Location Avignon (France)
Director Emoto Akira Organizer Company Tokyo Kandenchi

A Scene with a Red Bird
Original title 赤い鳥の居る風景 (Akai tori no iru fukei) Translated title A Scene with a Red Bird
Date October 13−15 Venue American Theatre of Actors Location New York (USA)
Simultaneous interpreter Takase Kazuki Director K. Kiyama (Kiyama Kiyoshi)
Organizer Kiyama Theatre Productions

Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
Original title 不思議の国のアリスの帽子屋さんのお茶の会 (Fushigi no kuni no arisu no
boshiyasan no ocha no kai) Translated title The Hatterʼs Tea-Party
Date October 14−15 Venue The Lady Wardle Performing Arts Centre
Location Perth (Australia) Director Hirai Kumiko
Organizer Piccolo Theatre Company of Hyogo Prefecture2007 A Place and Memories

Original title 場所と思い出 (Basho to omoide)

Translated title Места и воспоминания
Date July 9−10

Venue Meyerhold Theatre Centre
Location Moscow (Russia)
Director Matsumoto Osamu
Organizer Piccolo Theatre Company of

Hyogo Prefecture

195
Photo provided by the Piccolo Theatre
Company of Hyogo Prefecture

Toilet This Way Please
Original title トイレはこちら (Toire wa kochira) Translated title 廁所在這裡 Date July 17−19
Venue To Kwa Wan E-Rehearsal Space Location Hong Kong (China)
Translator Yamazaki Rieko Director E-RUN Organizer office30

Bubbling and Boiling
Original title あーぶくたった、にいたった (Abukutatta, niitatta) Translated title 泡泡起了 滾滾水了
Date November 7 Venue To Kwa Wan E-Rehearsal Space Location Hong Kong (China)
Translator Yamazaki Rieko Director Chan Ming-Fung Organizer office30* Staged reading

The Information Desk
Original title 受付 (Uketsuke) Translated title 掛號 Date November 14
Venue To Kwa Wan E-Rehearsal Space Location Hong Kong (China)
Translator Yamazaki Rieko Director Chen Kuan-Hao Organizer office30* Staged reading

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Toilet This Way Please
Original title トイレはこちら (Toire wa kochira) Translated title 廁所在這裡
Date November 23−24 Venue To Kwa Wan E-Rehearsal Space
Location Hong Kong (China) Translator Yamazaki Rieko
Director Chen Kang Organizer office30* Staged reading

2008 Giovanni’s Journey to His Father

Original title ジョバンニの父への旅 (Jobanni no chichi eno tabi)Translated title 죠반니-죠반니의 아버지로 가는 여행 Date October 7−November 2
Venue Sanwoolim Theater Location Seoul (Korea)
Translator Kimura Noriko, Sung Kiwoong Director Kim Kwang-Bo
Organizer /Company Theatre Company Chungwoo, Sanwoolim Theater, Moa Entertainment

You Can Sleep Here
Original title 寝られます (Neraremasu) Translated title 可以睡覺 Date October 21−23
Venue Experimental Theatre, Department of Drama, National Taiwan University of Arts
Location Taipei (Taiwan) Translator Yamazaki Rieko Director Wang Zhi-Ren
Organizer Department of Drama, National Taiwan University of Arts

196

2010 You Can Sleep Here

Original title 寝られます (Neraremasu) Translated title 可以睡覺 Date April 10−12

Venue Multifunctional Theater, Rongyu Campus D203 Location Tainan (Taiwan)
Translator Yamazaki Rieko Director Weng Yumei
Organizer Department of Drama Creation and Application, National University of Tainan

SickOriginal title 病気 (Byoki) Translated title La Maladie Date May 28−29
Venue Maison de la culture du Japon Location Paris (France)
Subtitles translator Oku Kaori Director K. Kiyama Organizer Theatre Office Natori

Sick
Original title 病気 (Byoki) Translated title Больной Date May 22−23
Venue Near the House of Stanislavsky Theatre Location Moscow (Russia)
Subtitles translator Omori Masako Director K. Kiyama Organizer Theatre Office Natori

You Can Sleep Here
Original title 寝られます (Neraremasu) Translated title 可以睡覺 Date July 16−31
Venue Star Theatres Location Beijing (China) Translator Yamazaki Rieko et al.
Director Zhao Rui-Ning Organizer Star Theatres2012 Godot Has Come

Original title やってきたゴドー (Yattekita godo)

Translated title Voilà Godot!
Date December 14−15

Venue Maison de la culture du Japon
Location Paris (France)
Subtitles translator Oku Kaori Director K. Kiyama
Organizer Theatre Office Natori

Photo: Matsumoto Kazuyuki

Godot Has Come
Original title やってきたゴドー (Yattekita godo)

Translated title Godot has come (Yattekita Godot) Date December 19−20
Venue Deutsches Theater Berlin Location Berlin (Germany) Subtitles translator Saito Taro
Director K. Kiyama Organizer Theatre Office Natori2013 You Can Sleep Here

Original title 寝られます (Neraremasu) Translated title 可以睡覺 Date August 23−25

Venue Guling Street Avant-Garde Theatre Location Taipei (Taiwan)
Translator Yamazaki Rieko et al. Director Hu Tzu-Yun
Organizer Wonder Taiwan Theatre Company

197

You Can Sleep Here
Original title 寝られます (Neraremasu) Translated title 可以睡覺 Date September 27−28
Venue Tainaner Drama Garden Location Tainan (Taiwan) Translator Yamazaki Rieko et al.
Director Hu Tzu-Yun Organizer Wonder Taiwan Theatre Company

2014 Godot Has Come

Original title やってきたゴドー (Yattekita godo) Translated title Godot has comeDate February 14−15 Venue Samuel Beckett Theatre Location Dublin (Ireland)

Subtitles translator Hori Mariko Director K. Kiyama (Assistant Director: Ogasawara Kyo)
Organizer Theatre Office Natori

Godot Has Come
Original title やってきたゴドー (Yattekita godo) Translated title Godot has comeDate February 19−20 Venue Granary Theatre Location Cork (Ireland)

Subtitles translator Hori Mariko Director K. Kiyama (Assistant Director: Ogasawara Kyo)
Organizer Theatre Office Natori

Godot Has Come
Original title やってきたゴドー (Yattekita godo) Translated title Годо пришёл

Date February 25−26 Venue Near the House of Stanislavsky Theatre
Location Moscow (Russia) Subtitles translator Omori Masako Director K. Kiyama(Assistant Director: Ogasawara Kyo) Organizer Theatre Office Natori

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DEVELOPMENTS IN JAPAN and OVERSEAS

Godot Has Come
Original title やってきたゴドー (Yattekita godo) Translated title Iată-l pe Godot Date June 5

Venue Teatrul Naţional Eugene Ionesco Location Chișinău (Moldova)

Subtitles translator Ramona Taranu (Romanian), Omori Masako (Russian)Director K. Kiyama (Assistant Director: Ogasawara Kyo) Organizer Theatre Office Natori

Godot Has Come
Original title やってきたゴドー (Yattekita godo)

Translated title Iată-l pe Godot! (Godot Has Come!) Date June 8
Venue Colegiu Național Octavian Goga Location Sibiu (Romania)
Subtitles translator Ramona Taranu (Romanian), Hori Mariko (English)
Director K. Kiyama (Assistant Director: Ogasawara Kyo) Organizer Theatre Office Natori

Godot Has Come
Original title やってきたゴドー (Yattekita godo)

Translated title Iată-l pe Godot! (Godot Has Come!) Date June 12
Venue Teatrul Odeon Location Bucharest (Romania) Subtitles translator Ramona Taranu
Director K. Kiyama (Assistant Director: Ogasawara Kyo) Organizer Theatre Office Natori

198

Toilet This Way Please
Original title トイレはこちら (Toire wa kochira) Translated title Сто йен за услугу
Date July 5, 19 Venue Odessa Regional Puppet Theater Location Odessa (Ukraine)Translator Tatiana Yurkova Director Gennady Skarga
Organizer Odessa Regional Puppet Theater

2016 Broken Scenery

Original title 壊れた風景 (Kowareta Fukei)

Translated title 일그러진 풍경
Date April 5−10
Venue Mary Hall Small Theater,

Sogang University
Location Seoul (Korea)
Translator Jeong Sang-Mi
Director Bam Moo-Sub
Organizer The 30th Anniversary Project of

Photo provided by Troupe Small Mythology

the Troupe Small Mythology

Broken Scenery
Original title 壊れた風景 (Kowareta Fukei) Translated title 일그러진 풍경 Date July 21−28
Venue Hyehwa-dong Small Theater Location Seoul (Korea)
Translator Jeong Sang-Mi Director Bam Moo-Sub
Organizer Korea-Japan Theater Exchange Festival of Hyehwa-dong Small Theater

I Am Not the Person
Original title その人ではありません (Sonohito dewa arimasen)
Translated title I am not the person Date October 24
Venue Abhimanch, National School of Drama Location New Delhi (India)
Translator Miyazaki Masako, Jason Arcari Director Miyazaki Masako, Jason Arcari
Organizer Asia Pacific Bureau Theatre Schools Festival, Toho Gakuen College ofDrama and Music

The ElephantOriginal title 象 (Zo) Translated title 코끼리 Date November 3−13
Venue Theater Laboratory Hyehwa-dong No. 1 Location Seoul (Korea)
Translator Jeong Sang-Mi Director Khoo Jahye

Organizer Autumn Festival “Green Theater” of Theater Laboratory Hyehwa-dong No. 1

2017 The Information Desk

Original title 受付 (Uketsuke) Translated title 掛號 Date August 26−27

Venue Taipei Community Building Center (Union Hospital) Location Taipei (Taiwan)
Translator Yamazaki Rieko, Lin Meng-huan Director Peng Hao-Chin Organizer Asian Rib* Staged reading

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The Information Desk
Original title 受付 (Uketsuke) Translated title 掛號 Date August 31−September 1

Venue Woolloomooloo西門店WOW Location Taipei (Taiwan)

Translator Yamazaki Rieko, Lin Meng-huan Director Peng Hao-Chin

Organizer Asian Rib* Staged reading

Godot Has Come
Original title やってきたゴドー (Yattekita godo) Translated title Godot Has Come / Voilà Godot
Date November 28−December 2 Venue Espace Knox, Infinithéâtre

Location Montreal (Canada) Subtitles translator Hori Mariko (English), Infinithéâtre (French)
Director K. Kiyama (Assistant Director: Ogasawara Kyo) Organizer Theatre Office Natori

Godot Has Come
Original title やってきたゴドー (Yattekita godo) Translated title Godot Has Come

Date December 5−6 Venue Stoll Thrust Theatre, University of Minnesota
Location Minneapolis (USA) Subtitles translator Hori Mariko
Director K. Kiyama (Assistant Director: Ogasawara Kyo) Organizer Theatre Office Natori

Godot Has Come
Original title やってきたゴドー (Yattekita godo) Translated title Godot Has Come
Date December 9 Venue Factory Theatre Location Toronto (Canada)
Subtitles translator Hori Mariko Director K. Kiyama (Assistant Director: Ogasawara Kyo)
Organizer Theatre Office Natori

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DEVELOPMENTS IN JAPAN and OVERSEAS

2018 The ElephantOriginal title 象 (Zo) Translated title слон Date June 2−3Venue Tovstonogov Bolshoi Drama Theater Location St. Petersburg (Russia)
Subtitles translator Sato Takayuki Director Manabe Takashi Organizer Theatre Office Natori

The ElephantOriginal title 象 (Zo) Translated title слон Date June 6−7
Venue Satirikon Arkady Raikin Russian State Theatre Location Moscow (Russia)
Subtitles translator Sato Takayuki Director Manabe Takashi Organizer Theatre Office Natori

The ElephantOriginal title 象 (Zo) Translated title Elefantul / Az elefánt Date June 12−13
Venue Sala Studio, Teatrul Maghiar de Stat Cluj Location Cluj-Napoca (Romania)
Subtitles translator Mihai Popa Director Manabe Takashi Organizer Theatre Office Natori2019 Bubbling and Boiling

Original title あーぶくたった、にいたった (Abukutatta, niitatta) Translated title 滾湯冒泡煮鍋鍋
Date August 16, 18 Venue Moon Romantic Taipei Location Taipei (Taiwan)

Translator Yamazaki Rieko, Hung Hung Director Huang Yu-Ching

200

Organizer Dark Eyes Performance Lab* Staged reading

Bubbling and Boiling
Original title あーぶくたった、にいたった (Abukutatta, niitatta) Translated title 滾湯冒泡煮鍋鍋
Date October 18−19 Venue Chiayi Performing Arts Center Location Chiayi (Taiwan)

Translator Yamazaki Rieko, Hung Hung Director Huang Yu-Ching Organizer Our theater* Staged reading2020 The Incident of the Salad Murder

Original title さらだ殺人事件 (Sarada satsujin jiken) Translated title 沙拉殺人事件

Date October 17−18 Venue Chiayi Performing Arts Center Location Chiayi (Taiwan)
Translator Yamazaki Rieko Director Chen Ya-Rou Organizer Our theater* Staged readingThis list was created based on archive searches of the National Diet Library and other libraries,
information provided by the various hosting organizations, Yoichi Uchidaʼs Kaze no engeki: Hyoden
Betsuyaku Minoru (Theater of the Wind: An Autobiography of Betsuyaku Minoru , 2018, Hakusuisha)and other related works, and information found on the internet.
If any readers are aware of translations or overseas presentations of works by Betsuyaku Minoru notincluded in this list, please contact the Japanese Centre of International Theatre Institute(mail@iti-j.org).

S P EC I AL F EATURE  “Theatre Born in Conflict Zones 12”

SPECIAL FEATURE

From The Murder of Isaac (from the left: Konno Kenta, Fujii Bin)

202

Special Feature

Theatre Born in Conflict Zones 12
A Staged Reading Performed Full Out
Kono Takashi

The Murder of Isaac (Isaac is pronounced “Izhak” in Hebrew),
written by Israeli playwright Motti Lerner, is the dramatization ofa terrorist incident: the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin (1922–1995),
who twice served as Israel’s prime minister and was still in officewhen he was murdered.
Lerner was born in 1949, and in most of his plays, he deals withpolitical and moral issues related to Israel and the Jewish people.
He wrote The Murder of Isaac in 1998. In December 2020, it
was presented as a dramatic reading in Japanese at Atelier West ofTokyo Metropolitan Theatre in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. The play wastranslated by Murai Hanayo and directed by Kobayashi Nanao of
Ryuzanji Company. The reading was performed three times. It wasalso recorded and streamed for a charge.
The play is set at a state-run PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)
rehabilitation centre under the auspices of Israeli Ministry of
Defense. One early evening in 1998, the patients perform their own
play before their family members, the centre’s staff, and other
patients. The play they present is about the assassination of Rabin,

203

Israel’s former prime minister.
From the context, those who are well-acquainted with theatre
might recall The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat
as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the
Direction of the Marquis de Sade (Die Verfolgung und Ermordung
Jean Paul Marats dargestellt durch die Schauspielgruppe desHospizes zu Charenton unter Anleitung des Herrn de Sade) (usuallyshortened to Marat/Sade), which is a play written in 1964 by theGerman playwright Peter Weiss. For this reason, The Murder ofIsaac is referred to as the Israeli version of Marat/Sade.
As a side note, the Russian company Taganka Theatre’s production of Marat/Sade directed by Yuri Lyubimov was presented inJapan back in 2002 at Shizuoka Arts Theatre and it was truly
outstanding.
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On November 4, 1995, then prime minister Rabin was shot todeath in front of citizens attending a peace rally. He was killed byYigal Amir, a twenty-five-year-old right-wing extremist, who
believed in far-right Jewish Orthodoxy and opposed the peace planwith Palestine (he was sentenced to life and is still in prison). The
incident occurred just when Israel and Palestine had signed theOslo Accords, and people thought that the long-awaited peace
would finally come.
Let us look back on the process that led to the Oslo Accords.
The Labor Party won the 1992 general elections and Rabin became
Israel’s eleventh prime minister. From 1993, Rabin began secretnegotiations with the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) in
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Oslo through the mediation of Norway’s foreign minister Johan
Holst, who had been his long-held close associate.
As a result, both sides agreed to accept the other as negotiating
partner, upon which US President Clinton admitted PLO as theone and only legal representative of Palestine, and in September
1993, at the White House in Washington DC, Prime Minister
Rabin and Yasser Arafat, the Chairman of the PLO, signed the
Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements. From then on, “Oslo Accords” became the conventionalname for the peace process, as the agreements were reachedthrough negotiations in Oslo.
Why did this tragic assassination occur? Binder, a retired veteran,wrote the play-within-a-play and directs the group of patients. He
also plays the role of Rabin. He is tossed around by the patients,

who keep on changing the contents of the play without his permission, but after going through twists and turns, he manages to getthings going.
The profiles of the inmates make it obvious that Israel is a wartorn region.
Binder is set as a sixty-seven-year-old man. He was injured in
the War of Independence in 1948 (the First Arab-Israeli War) andhad his leg amputated. He is constantly suffering from severe anxiety,thinking that someone is trying toassassinate him. Nevertheless, he has
maintained his intellectual capacity,and the other patients respect him

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and accept his leadership role.
Rabin’s Wife is played by a sixtyseven year old widow called Lola,
whose two sons died in the Yom
Kippur War of 1973 (the Fourth

Binder (Fujii Bin)

Arab-Israeli War). Later on, herhusband also died, and she began
volunteering as a dormitory matron
at the rehabilitation centre.
The fifty-three-year-old Natan isblind. In 1973, he was injured in abombing while serving in a homefront unit, and he has been at thecentre for twenty-five years. In the

Lola (Inoue Kanako)

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SPECIAL FEATURE

play-within-a-play, he plays the Headof the Security Services and a
Bereaved Father.
Avner is thirty-five years old
Natan (Ueda Kazuhiro)

and is wheelchair-bound. He was a
military medic in an infantry unit.
He started suffering from PTSD
due to air strikes during the 1982
Operation Peace for Galilee (theLebanese Civil War). He is constantly dozing in order to cope withsevere anxiety. He plays the Attorney
General, a Mourner, and a Poet.

206
Avner (Tsuji Kyota), Talia (Yamazaki Kaoru)

The Prime Minister’s Murdereris played by Yigal, who has the same
name as the young man who killed
Prime Minister Rabin. In 1988, he
was injured by a roadside bomb in
Lebanon and came to the rehabilitation centre. Since then, he has
become more religious, but at thesame time, he is filled with anxiety

Yigal (Konno Kenta)

that God might abandon him. Yigal
feels hostile toward Binder, who is anatheist, thinking that Binder looks

down on him. Yigal is wearing a yarmulke (the Yiddish word for theplate-like cap worn by Jewish men; it is called a “kippah” in Hebrew)and carries around a prop gun.
Mendel is a fifty-five-year-old
ex-colonel in the Armored Corps.
He performs the parts of an Activist
in the ruling National Party and a
Settler. He was taken prisoner andtortured in the 1973 war but was
released after becoming seriously
disabled, both physically and men-

From the left: Avi (Yamashita Naoya) and
Mendel (Sato Masahiro)tally. He has been staying at thecentre since 1974 and has not been intouch with his family for years.
Eliahu, playing the part of a

207

Settler Rabbi, is an ultra-Orthodox
Jew. He served in a special unit,
working as a gravedigger, and was incharge of looking for severed bodyparts of the casualties of war andEliahu (Katsumata Minoru)

terrorist attacks. However, he wasaffected by a terrorist attack himself
and has been staying at the centre
since 1996, suffering from the psychological trauma.
Yuda is fifty-one years old.
He was injured in the Battle for
Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day
War (the Third Arab-Israeli War)

Yuda (Ito Toshihiko)

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SPECIAL FEATURE

and is suffering from PTSD. He plays
the Leader of the Opposition. He isa ladies’ man, who gets very scaredwhenever he hears people weeping
or shouting. He is considered adangerous patient and cannot beallowed to go out.
There are also other patients
Shulamit (Araki Rie)

who

are

from

different

back-

grounds, representing each stratumof the Israeli society. One of themis Shulamit, playing a Settler. She
has fallen mentally ill because her

208

husband and children were killed byterrorists. There is also Boris, who is
an immigrant from Russia working
as a guard at the centre.
Boris (Hayashi Hideki)

The patients are gnawed byanxiety, each in their own way, andon many occasions, the play-within-a-play is suspended when they become overwhelmed with anxiety.
However, when they go off course due to problems and interruptions, the situation actually becomes quite comical, thereby creating an ironic effect.
At the end, Yigal grabs a handgun from the guard Boris andshoots Binder with real bullets. The curtain falls when the playwithin-a-play and reality overlap.

For extreme Jewish fundamentalists, Rabin was nothing but atraitor who ceded the Promised Land to the Gentiles. Someultra-Orthodox Jews do not acknowledge the founding of the stateof Israel, based on their belief that Israel should be founded again
with the arrival of the Messiah – not through man’s own judgment.
As some of its people do not recognize the establishment of theState of Israel, it makes it difficult to control them by Israeli law.
The ultra-Orthodox Jews have a high birthrate for reasons
related to their beliefs, and the number of believers in Israel isincreasing. According to a 2020 survey conducted by the Israel
Democracy Institute, believers of ultra-Orthodox Jewism now constitute 13% of the population (approximately 1.1 million people).
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The staged reading was presented during the pandemic, when thereported number of COVID-19 cases was rapidly increasing inJapan. The venue was a long, narrow room, and a transparent vinyl
curtain was hung between the performers and the audience to separate the space. There was also an interval to provide ventilation
during the performance.
The cast of the reading consisted of capable actors: Fujii Bin(playing Binder), Inoue Kanako (Lola), Sato Masahiro (Mendel),Tsuji Kyota (Avner), and others. It was not merely a reading; theactors moved around and performed at energy levels that could be
upgraded to a full-scale production. It was written in the script thatthe character of Talia, an ex-opera singer who had serious burns,
exposed parts of her body from time to time, and the actress
Yamazaki Kaoru played those moments symbolically and sensually.
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As the Japanese audience would not be familiar with the characters in the play performed by the patients, each actor wore a card
indicating which part they were playing.
The music played in the reading was composed by Suwa So of Ryuzanji Company and was of high quality. Some of the songs sung in
the play sounded Brechtian.
Soon after the show starts, Lola, the dormitory matron, starts
conducting the patients to have them sing in chorus. They sang:“We are the living dead / Faces that are invisible / From the war of
forty-eight, from the war of fifty-six / We’re all afraid of death, butmore terrified of living . . .” (from the script). These lyrics probably
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explain the feelings of the people of Israel, a state where war andterror never cease.
There was an interesting play on words—“peace” and “piss”. Binder(Rabin), who is trying to achieve peace, greets Rabbi and says,“Peace unto you.” The word “peace” sounds like “piss” when it ispronounced with a Yiddish accent. In the eyes of the dogmatic
ultra-right Jewish people, peace may appear to be piss.
The playwright specifies how the play should be performed:“The show needs a stylized theatrical language which will enable
the actors to expose the inner worlds of the characters in their full
dimensions.”
In the staged reading, the agonies, anxieties, conflicts, hatred,
and other inner emotions were expressed full out through the way
the actors delivered their lines, which was as powerful as if it were

The chorus scenea fully staged production. I look forward to seeing the play developed into a full version using a set.

211

By the title, you may notice that this play actually has anotherhidden structure. It is the “Sacrifice of Isaac” in the Book of Genesis.
The name Izhak (Isaac) means “he laughs,” and it is based on
Abraham, aged as he was, laughing in the back of his mind when
he thought about whether it was possible for himself and Sarah tohave a child. Their child was given exactly the name that God,
Yahweh, had ordered.
However, one day, a messenger of God appears in front of
Abraham and says to him, “Take your son Isaac to the land of
Moriah and sacrifice him to me up in the mountain there.”
Abraham does what God told him to do, takes his son there, and isabout to sacrifice him.
At that moment, God sends a messenger again and stops
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Abraham, saying, “Do not kill Isaac.” God had tested Abraham tosee whether he would obey God’s words, and because he did obey,
God made Abraham the forefather of many tribes. Yahweh ordered
Abraham to sacrifice a lamb instead of his son. Isaac lived until he
was 180 years old.
Prime Minister Rabin was killed despite the origin and historyof his first name Yitzhak, and in a way, his assassination was anincident against the will of God who had intended to keep Isaac/
Izhak alive.
What Yigal did was a human act defying God. The assassin
Yigal is a descendant of Cain, who is mankind’s first murderer.
Prime Minister Rabin, who was murdered, can also be regarded as a
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Christlike figure who was sacrificed to atone for humankind’s sins.
At any rate, to perform “the assassination of Rabin” as a playwithin a play gets Israel’s national pathology out on the table. The
play was premiered in Germany in 1999 and also performed in the
United States, where it got great responses. However, in Israel, it
has not been fully staged at a professional theatre yet due to thepolitically and morally evocative nature of the content, which isunderstandable. In other words, it is a controversial play that is
likely to arouse strong criticism.

Kono, Takashi
Born in Tokyo in 1950. He graduated from the Arabic Language departmentof Tokyo University of Foreign Studies in 1974 and joined Nihon Keizai
Shimbun. After working as a foreign correspondent in Tehran, Cairo, andLondon, he was assigned to the Cultural Affairs Division of the Tokyo Head
Office in 1995 and worked there as a member of the editorial board (incharge of religion and theatre). He left the company in 2015 and has been
writing articles for newspapers, magazines, and websites as a theatre critic
and cultural journalist.
(Translation: Sumida Michiyo)
Photos: Ishizawa Chieko (including the photographs on page 201)

About the “Theatre Born in Conflict Zones” series
The centres of the International Theatre Institute (ITI) around the world
have been carrying out projects called “Theatre Born in Conflict Zones”
as an attempt to foster peace through theatre. The Japan Centre of ITI
embarked on the “Theatre Born in Conflict Zones” project in 2009 aspart of the study and research process for the publication of the Theatre
Yearbook. The series has continued for twelve years, and twenty-sevenprominent plays not yet known in Japan have been introduced throughtranslation, reading performances, lectures given by the authors andexperts, exhibitions, and so on. The plays have been published since
the third year of the series.
If you wish to get hold of either the latest issue of the Theatre
Yearbook, which comes with the Japanese translation of The Murderof Isaac, and/or back issues, please contact the Japanese Centre of ITI.
Furthermore, a report on Israeli theatre written by Professor Murai
Hanayo, the translator of The Murder of Isaac, appears on pages 78–88
in Theatre Yearbook 2020: Theatre Abroad, published last year. We hope
you have a chance to read through it.

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Theatre Yearbook 2021

SPECIAL FEATURE

Performance Record“Theatre Born in Conflict Zones 12”
The Reading of The Murder of Isaac
December 11 (Fri) – 13 (Sun), 2020
Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre Atelier West (B1)*Pre-recorded streaming (paid): D ecember 18 (Fri) 10:00 –December 24 (Thu) 23:59, 2020
Written by Motti LernerTranslated by Murai Hanayo
Directed by Kobayashi Nanao (Ryuzanji Company)
The Cast: F ujii Bin (WonderPro), Inoue Kanako (Aru Company), Ueda Kazuhiro(Ryuzanji Company), Tsuji Kyota (infini), Yamazaki Kaoru (J.CLIP), Ito
Toshihiko, Araki Rie (Ryuzanji Company), Yamashita Naoya (RyuzanjiCompany), Sato Masahiro (WAHAHA Hompo), Katsumata Minoru,
Konno Kenta (THEATRE MOMENTS), Hayashi Hideki

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Music by Suwa So (Ryuzanji Company)

The Japanese translation of The Murder of Isaac has been
published as a special supplementary volume of Theatre
Yearbook 2021. If you would like to read the play or obtain acopy, please contact Japanese Centre of ITI (mail@iti-j.org).

Japanese Centre of International Theatre Institute
President

Nagai Taeko

Vice-Presidents

Abiko Tadashi
Yoshiiwa Masaharu

Managing Director Sota Shuji
Directors

Ataka Risako
Ito Hiroshi
Ozasa Yoshio
Odagiri Yoko
Kasuya Haruo
Kida Yukinori
Sakate Yoji
Shindo Yoshikazu
Nakayama Kaori
Nomura Mansai
Hayashi Hideki
Bando Tamasaburo
Hishinuma Yoshiaki
Matsuda KazuhikoMiwa Elica
Wazaki Nobuya

Auditors

Kishi Masato
Kobayashi Hirofumi

Advisers

Otani Nobuyoshi
Kawamura Junko
Sakomoto Jun’ichi
Tanokura Minoru
Nagae Iwao
Nomura Man
Hatano Yoshio
Hori Takeo
Matsuoka Isao215

(As of March 27, 2021)

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Companion Volume
Theatre Abroad 2021
(Japanese)
These articles do not appear in
Theatre in Japan 2021.

216

World Theatre Day Message by Helen Mirren

Theatre in Asia and Africa
China

Attempts at Online Theatre and the Reopening of Theatre Venues---------------- Tamura Yoko

Hong Kong, Facing Two Unprecedented Threats, How Can Theatre Respond?---------- Cheung Ping Kuen
China
TaiwanAs Unwavering As Water---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yao Lee-chun

South Korea Challenges for Theatre Ushered in by the Coronavirus Pandemic---------------- Lee Seung-gon
Pakistan

Theatre for Empowering Women------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sheema Kermani

Egypt

Theatre Still Speaks to Us------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mohamed Khamis

Theatre in the Americas and Oceania
CanadaToward New Creative Possibilities------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Kanzaki Mai

USA

The Divisions That the Pandemic Brought to the Fore:
Seeking Dialogue (and Its Impossibility)------------------------------------------------------------ Tonooka Naomi

Chile

Until We Meet Again---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carmen Romero Quero

Australia

A Remarkable Epic about a Refugee Family----------------------------------------------------------- Sawada Keiji

Theatre in Europe
UK

Black Lives Matter and the Pandemic------------------------------------------------------------- Motohashi Tetsuya

Germany / Imagination and Creativity at the Height of Adversity: Theatre Endeavors Premised
Austria /on a New Understanding of Physical Distance, Time, and Space------------------- Hagiwara Ken
Switzerland
FranceRethinking the Public Role of Theatre Amid the Despair and Hope of the Pandemic--- Fujii Shintaro

Italy

Reconsidering the Role of Theatre after COVID-19-------------------------------- Yamanouchi Haruhiko

Spain

When Actors Are (and Are Not) Physically Onstage------------------------------------------------ Tajiri Yoichi

PolandOnline Activities and the Impact of the Coronavirus,#MeToo and the Catholic Church, and Women--------------------------------------------------------- Iwata Miho

Hungary

A Time of Conflict: The Pandemic, Theatre Policies and#MeToo, and Political Unrest at the University of Theatre and Film Arts--------- Iwata Miho

SwedenSwedish Theatre during the Coronavirus:
Applauding Those Who Confronted the Difficult Circumstances------------------------- Komaki Yu

RussiaA Sudden Digital Revolution and an Uncertain Restart for Theatres-------- Shinozaki Naoya

217

Developments in Japan and Overseas
Round-Table Discussion: Leading Figures from Shochiku, Toho, and Shiki
Theatre Company on the Post-Coronavirus Future for Large Theatres———————————————————— Abiko Tadashi, Ikeda Atsuo, Yoshida Chiyoki (Moderator: Nagai Taeko)

Theatre in Japan

Theatre Yearbook 2021

ITI Centres (as of 27th March, 2021)

218

Americas

AfricaArgentina
BrazilColombia
Cuba
MexicoPuerto Rico
USA
Venezuela

Algeria
Benin
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Central African Rep.
Chad
Congo Dem. Rep. (Kinshasa)
Congo Rep. (Brazaville)
Egypt
Ghana
Ivory Coast
Madagascar
Mali
Mauritania
Morocco
Niger
Nigeria
SenegalSierra Leone
South Africa
Sudan
Togo
UgandaZimbabwe

EuropeArmenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belgium (Flanders)Belgium (Wallonia)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Croatia
CyprusCzech Rep.
Denmark
Estonia
Faroe Islands
FinlandFranceGeorgia
Germany
GreeceHungary
Iceland

Italy
KosovoLatviaLuxembourg
North Macedonia
MonacoMontenegro
Netherlands
Romania
RussiaSerbiaSlovakia
Slovenia
Spain
SwedenSwitzerland
TurkeyUK

ArabAlgeria
Egypt
Iraq
JordanKuwaitMoroccoOman

Palestine
Saudi Arabia
Sudan
Syria
UAE (Fujairah)
UAE (Sharjah)
Yemen

Asia PacificArmenia
Azerbaijan
Bangladesh
China
Georgia
India
Indonesia
Iran
IsraelJapan
South Korea
Mongolia
Philippines
RussiaSri Lanka
TaiwanVietnam

219

The list of ITI Centres is updated as needed on the ITI website below.
International Theatre Institute ITI / Institut International du Théâtre ITI
Office at UNESCO UNESCO, 1 rue Miollis, 75732 Paris Cedex 15, France
Headquarters in Shanghai 1332 Xinzha Road, Jing’an, Shanghai 200040, China Tel: +86 (0)21 6236 7033
info@iti-worldwide.org / www.iti-worldwide.org

Theatre in Japan

Theatre Yearbook 2021

東宝演劇

https://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/

紛争地域から生まれた演劇シリーズ

Theatre Born inConflict Zones series
since 2009
The Theatre Born in Conflict Zones series is a response to the Theatre in Conflict Zones project
organized by the ITI headquarters and Cultural Identity and Development Committee.
Launched in 2009, it has now introduced 27 plays from various countries and regions
around the world, conveying the raw reality of conflict zones andattracting great interest in the local theatre scene.

Scripts of plays in the

Theatre Born in Conflict Zones series (2021)
The Murder of Isaac by Motti Lerner (Israel)

Rabbit, Red Rabbit by Nassim Soleimanpour (Iran)2017 White
Djihad by Ismaël Saidi (Belgium)
Taiha (Lost Horses) by Adnan Alaoda (Syria)
2018 Khail
Lilac Duhaa (Death in the Era of Da’ish) by Ghannam Ghannam (Jordan/Palestine)
Ground by Yael Ronen (Israel/Germany) & Ensemble
2019 Common
This Is War by Hannah Moscovitch (Canada)

2020 Liberian Girl by Diana Nneka Atuona (UK)

Searching for New Plays

mail@iti-j.org

ITI Japanese Centre accepts new submissions for plays in
the Theatre Born in Conflict Zones series. Please contact us
at mail@iti-j.org.

Tel: +81-(0)-3478-2189

ITI is expanding its on-line contents!

http://iti-japan.or.jp

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itijapan@itijapan

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