Theatre
Yearbook

国際演劇年鑑 2024

2024

日本の舞台芸術を知る

NOH and KYOGEN — KABUKI — BUNRAKU — MUSICALS — CONTEMPORARY
THEATRE — CHILDREN’S and YOUTH THEATRE — JAPANESE CLASSICALDANCE — BALLET — CONTEMPORARY DANCE and BUTOH — TELEVISION DRAMAS
公益社団法人 国際演劇協会日本センター
ITI / UNESCO

Theatre Yearbook 2024
Theatre in Japan
Published in March 2024
Japanese Centre of International Theatre Institute (ITI/UNESCO)
c/o Kokuritsu Nohgakudo (The National Noh Theatre)
4-18-1 Sendagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 151-0051, JAPAN
Tel: +81-(0)3-3478-2189 / Fax: +81-(0)3-3478-7218
admin@iti-japan.or.jp / http://iti-japan.or.jp© Japanese Centre of International Theatre Institute 2024
All rights are reserved. Requests for permission to reproduce material
from this work should be sent to the Japanese Centre of International Theatre Institute.

Supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs,
Government of Japan, through the Japan Arts Council

Editor-in-chief Niino Morihiro
Director in charge Sota Shuji
Editors Kakihana Rieko, Goto Ayako, Konishi Michiko (Office Miyazaki),Sentoku Miho, Tada Shigefumi, Nakajima Kana
Editorial staff Iki Terumi, Sakamoto Yasuko, Sakurai Takumi, Nakamura Miyabi,
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Proofreaders Tada Shigefumi
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Foreword
The Japanese Centre of International Theatre Institute is a public interest incorporated foundationthat belongs to the international network of National Centres and professional organizations in approximately eighty 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 the realization of peacein Japan by deepening mutual understanding and facilitating the creation and exchange of theatre
and dance, based upon the purpose of the UNESCO Constitution.”
The Japanese Centre has published the Theatre Yearbook since 1972. Starting in 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. The yearbook’s publication has been commissioned and funded by the Agency for Cultural Affairs since 2011, and the Centre began publishing
an online edition in 2014.
Under the same Agency for Cultural Affairs program, we have staged readings every year since2009 to introduce remarkable plays from around the world as part of our research activities topromote international theatrical exchange. In 2023, we marked the fifteenth consecutive yearof the “Theatre Born in Conflict Zones” series by staging a rerun of a play from Israel that was
highly acclaimed at its premiere in 2020. Dealing with the topic of the 1995 assassination of Prime
Minister Yitzhak Rabin, this play happened, by strange coincidence, to mirror the reality of 2023.
Just as we appeared to be heading out of the pandemic, Russia invaded Ukraine, and conflict
escalated between Israel and Palestine. The world today thus seems poised to regress into a century
of war.
I wonder how the performing arts will reflect these turbulent times.
This year’s Theatre Yearbook again features many reports from members of the global theatre community, both within Japan and overseas. It is my sincere hope that the Theatre Yearbook will provea useful aid for learning about the world through the prism of the performing arts and deepening
mutual understanding.
We look forward to your continued support and cooperation with the activities of the JapaneseCentre of ITI in the years to come.
March 27, 2024
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 2023

The Japanese Performing Arts in 2023
038 Noh and Kyogen Oda Sachiko

046 Kabuki Kodama Ryuichi

053 Bunraku Kameoka Noriko

060 Musicals Nakamura Masako

067 Contemporary Theatre Yamaguchi Hiroko

075 Children’s and Youth Theatre Ota Akira

081 Japanese Classical Dance Hirano Hidetoshi

089 Ballet Urawa Makoto

096 Contemporary Dance and Butoh Tsutsumi Hiroshi

104 Television Dramas Kimura Takashi

Developments in Japan and Overseas in 2023
112 «The Theatrical Experiments of Abe Kobo on the 100th anniversary of his birth»
113 Abe Kobo and the Theater / Takahashi Nobuyoshi
125 The Abe Kobo Studio and Its Western Contemporaries / Gianluca Coci
142 Mokuami and the West – On the 130th anniversary of Kawatake Mokuami’s death / Yanai Kenji

Special Feature
153 “Theatre Born in Conflict Zones” The Murder of Isaac in October 2023 / Murai Hanayo
163 Companion Volume “Theatre Abroad 2024” in Japanese
166 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 2023

Noh and Kyogen

Hosho Kinya in Danpu (The Holy Wind),
40th Anniversary of National Noh Theatre:
Special Feature Program of Noh Performance
Photo courtesy of the National Noh Theatre

Katayama Kurouemon in Matsukaze (Pining Wind)
Ohstuki Noh Theatre Independent Performance Noh Series:
Ohtsuki Bunzo Explains the World of Noh
Photo: Moriguchi Tokuko

Tomoeda Takehito in
The Attractive Aspects of Noh -Sumidagawa(The Sumida River) Photo: Ishida Yutaka

Tsujii Hachiro in
Nagara (Nagara Bridge) old-style variant
SQUARE Troupe Photo: Tsujii Seiichiro

Noh and Kyogen
Mikata Shizuka in Ikarikazuki – Funadashi no Narai(The Anchor Draping – Ghost Ship variant)
The 46th Theatrenoh Tokyo Recital
Photo: Watanabe Shinya

Nomura Mansai in
Noh-Kyogen Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba©Gotouge Koyoharu / Shueisha©Gotouge Koyoharu / Shueisha /OFFICE OHTSUKI Photo: Seno Masashi

Aoki Ryoko in Contemporary Music x Noh
10th Commemorative Performance
Photo: Minamoto Tadayuki

Nomura Mannojo in Sakka (Sakka the Leech)
Flat Kyogenkai Photo: Ogishima Ray

KabukiNakamura Hayato as Lin Chong in Shin suikoden (The New Water Margin), Kabuki-za, August 2023. ©Shochiku

Ichikawa En’o II (left) as Sato Tadanobu (actually the fox Genkuro) and Ichikawa Danshiro IV (right) as Hayami no Toda in the
Yoshinoyama scene from Yoshitsune senbon zakura (Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees), Kabuki-za, July 2002. ©Shochiku

Ichikawa Danko as Taira no Tomomori inFushicho yo hato o koete (Phoenix, Cross the Waves),
Meiji-za, May 2023. ©Shochiku

Kataoka Nizaemon as Yosaburoin the Genyadana scenefrom Yowa nasake ukina no yokogushi(Scarfaced Yosaburo),
Kabuki-za, April 2023. ©Shochiku

KabukiOnoe Matsuya as Mikazuki Munechika in
Touken Ranbu (Swords Boisterous Dance).
Shinbashi Enbujo, July 2023.
©NITRO PLUS . EXNOA LLC /Touken Ranbu Kabuki Production Committee

Onoe Ukon as the shirabyoshi dancer Hanako in
Kyoganoko musume Dojoji (The Maiden at Dojoji Temple),
Kennokai, Onoe Ukon independent performance, vol. 7.
©Kennokai, Photo: Taguchi Masami

Bunraku

Curtain call on the final day of the National Theatre Farewell Performance. Photo courtesy of the National Theatre

Terakoya (The Village School) scene from Sugawara denju tenarai kagami (Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy).
From the left, Yoshida Bunshi, Yoshida Bunsho, Kiritake Kanjuro (all puppeteers), Toyotake Rosetayu (chanter)at Bunrakusai Tenchikai (Bunraku Festival, “upside down” event). Photo: Ogawa Tomoko

Bunraku

Ninokuchimura (Ninokuchi Village) scene from Keisei koi bikyaku (The Money Courier of Love) at Theatre1010,
Discover Bunraku December performance. Photo courtesy of the National Theatre

Fuingiri (Breaking the Seal) scene from Meido no hikyaku (The Courier for Hell), November Bunraku
Performance, marking the 300th anniversary of Chikamatsu’s death. Photo courtesy of the National Bunraku Theatre

Yoshida Tamao in
Nagamachi ura (The Back Alley at Nagamachi)
scene from Natsu matsuri Naniwa kagami(The Summer Festival in Osaka),
from Summer Vacation Bunraku Performance.
Photo courtesy of the National Bunraku Theatre

Yoshida Tamasho as the ghost of Taira no Tomomori
in the Tokaiya (Shipping Office) scene from
Yoshitsune senbon zakura(Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees),from Bunraku muso keishoden(Bunraku Dreams: A Tale of Succession) event.
Photo: Katsura Hideya

Musicals

Moulin Rouge! The Musical Toho Co., Ltd. Photo courtesy of Toho Theatrical Division

Le Rouge et le Noir Takarazuka Revue ©Takarazuka RevueColorful
Amuse Inc. ×
Setagaya Public Theatre
Photo: NAITO

Ragtime Toho Co., Ltd.
Photo courtesy of
Toho Theatrical Division

Spy × Family
Toho Co., Ltd.
©Endo Tatsuya / Shueisha inc.

Musicals

Pacific Overtures Umeda Arts Theater Co.,Ltd. Photo: Oka Chisato, courtesy of Umeda Arts Theater

School of Rock Horipro Inc. Photo: Tanaka Aki, courtesy of Horipro inc.

Contemporary Theatre

University of Laughs PARCO Theater Photo: Hosono Shinji

Prisoners of the Occupation Theatre Office Natori Photo: Sakauchi FutoshiContemporary Theatre

The Window of Spaceship “In-Between” Chelfitsch
Photo: Maezawa Hideto

Measure for Measure
New National Theatre, Tokyo
Photo: Hikiji Nobuhiko

Jazz Daimyo KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre Photo: Hikiji Nobuhiko

Football Time Kani City Cultural Creation Center ala Photo: Hattori Takayasu

Contemporary Theatre

A Rabbit Rides the Waves NODA MAP Photo: Shinoyama Kishin

Sometime SIS Company Photo: Miyakawa Maiko

Parasite Bunkamura Theatre Cocoon Photo: Hosono Shinji

Momonba’s Tie Trap iaku Photo: Kimura Yoichi

Children’s and Youth Theatre

Tell Me Where You Want to Go Akita Ujyaku & Hijikata Yoshi Memorial SEINEN-GEKIJO

Sleeping Rabbit Theatre KOORO Photo courtesy of Theatre KOORO

Cat Runs Puppet Theatre PUK ©H. Nakamura

Cherry Blossom Blizzard: The Rice Bowl Siblings Go on a Trip Produced by Puppet Theatre Toramaruza

Children’s and Youth TheatreWind’s Dream to R mansion Photo: Kaneko Manaho

Knitting Nana Shoshinz Photo: Lilly Lenz

Japanese Classical Dance

National Theatre August Buyo Presentation,
Masterpieces of Traditional Japanese Dance III:
Onoe no Kumo, Shizuhataobi(The Journey of the Woman Driven Mad by Grief)
Inoue Yachiyo as Kyojo (a mad woman) andInoue Yoko as Santaro.
Photo courtesy of the National Theatre

Recital of the Tokyo Mizuki School,
Kiyomoto Narrative Music:
Neko no Koi Musundari ya Nehoregami(A Cat’s Love; No Sooner Consummated Than
I Awake with Tangled Hair),Mizuki Yuka. Photo: Kotobuki Shashin

Japanese Classical Dance

Umewaka Kanjiro Special Recital Tsubakihime Dojoji (The Lady of the Camellias at Dojoji Temple) Umewaka Kanjiro.
Photo: Video Photo Saito

Yokohama Noh Theatre, Special Performances Part 3: Nihon Buyo by Artists Closely Related to the Yokohama Noh Theatre, Nagauta
Lyrical Music: Tsuna Yakata (Watanabe Tsuna’s Battle Camp), Fujima Etsuko as Tsuna’s old nurse Mashiba, who is actually thedemon Ibaraki, and Hanayagi Motoi as Watanabe Genji Tsuna. Photo: Ogata Misako, courtesy of the Yokohama Noh Theatre

BalletThe Sleeping Beauty Asami Maki Ballet Tokyo Photo: Shikama Takashi

The Sleeping Beauty Sadamatsu-Hamada Ballet Photo: Furuichi Eiji (TES Osaka)

BalletThe Sleeping Beauty K-BALLET TOKYO ©K-BALLET TOKYOThe Sleeping Beauty The Tokyo Ballet Photo: Matsuhashi ShokoGiselle and Albrecht Matsuyama Ballet ©A.I. Photo: Iijima Naoto

Le Corsaire Ochi International Ballet Photo: Okamura Masao (TES Osaka)

Contemporary Dance and Butoh

The third act of Kaguyahime dir. Kanamori Jo / Tokyo Ballet Photo: Matsuhashi Shoko

Rimbaud Poems: From A Season in Hell to Illuminations Teshigawara Saburo Photo: Abe Akihito

Pop Life Condors Photo: HARU

Please applause when the conductor appears Kurata Midori (Art Saitama 2023) Photo: Maruo Ryuichi

Contemporary Dance and Butoh

Jankenpon Ito Kaori ©Odawara Art Foundationf Macbeth Nakamura Yo Photo: Maezawa Hideto

Alien Mirror Ballism Iwabuchi Teita Body Map Photo: Maezawa Hideto

Mi toto matatakima iremono Seki Kaori Punctumun Photo: Matsumoto Kazuyuki

Contemporary Dance and Butoh

jactynogg zontaanaco contact Gonzo and yang02 Photo: Takano Yurika

Totem: Void and Height Sankai Juku ©Sankai Juku

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 2023

NOH and KYOGENNoh and Kyogen

Deepening and Expanding
Oda Sachiko

A strong sense of a further generational shift in the world of noh and kyogen was
felt in 2023. Kamei Tadao of the Kuzuno school of otsuzumi (hip drum), who had
long led the entire noh musical repertoire, passed away on June 3 at the age of 81,
and Yamamoto Noritoshi of the Okura school of kyogen, whose booming voice
and stunning performances were characteristic of his work, died on November 2
also at the age of 81. They each left talented sons to succeed in their roles. Overall,
the depth of artistry shown by the veterans, the fine activities of the mid-career
performers, and the growth of the young kyogen performers were in evidence,038

and there were notable performances that broke new ground based on noh andkyogen. (The performance dates in 2023 are listed along with the titles, program
titles, and venues.)

Maturity and Challenging at the Age of 58
The noh performer and theorist Zeami (c. 1363–c. 1443) said that a noh actor
begins training at the age of seven and reaches his peak of maturity in skills andfame around the age of 34 to 35 (Fushikaden, Style and the Flower, “Items concerning the practice of noh in relation to the age of the actor”). Applying thismodel to the present day, he would be perhaps around 58 years old. The reason I
thought about this was that I noticed that many of the performers who have been
active this year were born between 1964 and 1967. This means that they arearound 58 years old, an age where they have accumulated their skills. They
possess both the position and practical capabilities to stage productions, as wellas enjoying sufficient energy and physical strength to make their unique stage
performances blossom. The following lists some of them, with “maturity” and“challenging” as keywords.

As an example of maturity, I would like to give Hosho Kinya (1967–) of the
Hosho school of waki players, who was designated a living national treasure at an
exceptionally young age in the noh and kyogen world. On May 30, as part of a
special program commemorating the 40th Anniversary of National Noh Theatre:
Special Feature Program of Noh Performance, he premiered Danpu (The Holy
Wind) in which the waki General Ajari (Acharya) played an outstanding role,continuing his tradition of debuting secret and major pieces. Kinya’s stage performance had a sense of confidence, demonstrating his strong knack for getting
inside the work. And even when he appeared quietly, he created superb scenes. At
the beginning of the piece he introduces himself, inviting the audience into thestory. After that, responding to the shite’s intentions, he empathizes with himwith great sincerity, and he is relied upon by all the accompanying players.
Among lead performers, Katayama Kurouemon (1964–), who is also thepresident of the Kyoto Kanze-kai, is top of the list in terms of maturity. For
several years now, he has been challenging himself in various shite roles not onlyin his home base of Kyoto but also in the Kansai and Tokyo areas as well as on a039

nationwide scale through such activities as the “Japan Nationwide Nohgaku
Caravan!” and other events. I have never seen a performance in which he hasrelaxed even for a moment. Rather than employing his accumulated skills to givea safe performance, he throws in all the physical and mental energy he canmuster in the instant, producing an unanticipatedly high level of passion andexcitement.
For example, in Ohtsuki Bunzo Explains the World of Noh (December 16,
Ohtsuki Noh Theatre), the second half of Matsukaze (Pining Wind), and in
Tawamure no mai (Playful Dance variant), the actor entered the stage in thesecond part like a gust of wind dancing on a bridge. Having embraced a pine tree
in the noriji monosyllabic rhythmic section, “pines bending in the seabreeze,” hemoved to the stage and cried out “I mourn the pine tree!” as if it were his
deceased lover. He then exclaimed, “I have missed you so!” and completed theperformance of the “madness of love” in which the pine tree appears to be theimage of his deceased lover. There were also reckless moments. In Nonomiya(Shrine in the Fields) ogamidome (prayer-ending variant) (June 29, The 17th
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Theatre Yearbook 2024

NOH and KYOGEN

Nikkei Nohgaku Appreciation Society, the National Noh Theatre), he took a large
stride out of the Torii shrine gate at the pause in the “ha-no-mai” dance, suddenly stood still, took a few steps backward, and collapsed with his hands outstretched. Although this may have been an expression of the despair of trying toovercome the “something” that was binding him, symbolized by the Torii gate,
and finally not being able to do so, the movements were too “raw.” This, however,is not a major flaw. He has the power to involve the audience with his singing,which seemed to swell on various waves. He is also an excellent chorus leader.
Tomoeda Takehito (1967–) of the Kita school took on the challenge ofstaging Sumidagawa (The Sumida River) (October 20, The Attractive Aspects ofNoh, Cerulean Tower Noh Theatre) with a rare kogaki (variant version) “with aboat, without a child, and without a grave mound.” This is a masterpiece in which
a mother encounters what may be interpreted as the ghost of her child, or inother variants shown as merely the mother’s vision, so the child does not appear.
Takehito did not present the child’s grave mound either, the visual focal point of040

the stage picture, but instead presented a boat as a vehicle that leads from “thisshore of hope to the other shore of despair.” These two variant aspects were probably the first of their kind in the modern era. The mother’s despair was powerfully expressed, beginning with the sympathetic waki (boatman) (Hosho Kinya),
the chorus, led by Kagawa Seiji, the flute (Takeichi Manabu), the kotsuzumi
shoulder drum (Narita Tatsushi), the otsuzumi (Okura Keinosuke), and even thestage assistant. This year, Takehito performed Nonomiya (Shrine in the Field),
Kinuta (The Fulling Block), the special Kiyotsune netori variation (the flute player
comes forward to face and accompany the ghost of Kiyotsune), and other pieces,
all imbued with a desire to construct a unique theatrical world by devising his
own chants and forms.
Narita Tatsushi (1964–), a kotsuzumi shoulder drum player of the Kouryu
school, won the Encouragement Prize for Upcoming Artists at the Cultural
Art Festival in 2016 for his work in Obasute (The Abandoned Woman) andother works. He often performs with Takehito, as in the above-mentioned
Sumidagawa and Kinuta, and performed in Higaki (Cedarwood Fence)(September 18 at the Noh and Music Retirement Commemorating Performance

of Noguchi Denosuke, the Ohstuki Noh Theatre). In recent years, he has added
a bold flamboyance to his solid and elegant style. His stage performances havealso increased.
The 26th performance of SQUARE Troupe, founded in 1998 by Takahashi
Shinobu, Tsujii Hachiro, Yamai Tsunao, and Inoue Yoshiaki of the Komparu
shite school, featured the fukkyoku (revived) noh play Nagara (Nagara Bridge)(July 17, the National Noh Theatre). The main character is an old man who
was erected as a human pillar for the construction of a bridge. Tsujii Hachiro(1966-), who played the shite, reexamined the chant score and staging of thepiece since the time of the Meiji Restoration and presented a script and staging
that were close to the original as an “old style variant.” The forms were polished,
and the performance had a realistic and powerful feel. Once the basic style of arevival is completed at its debut performance, it is difficult to alter. The generosity of the people involved, which permitted the re-staging of this revival, andthe support of the accompanying cast, including waki player Hosho Tsunezo,
contributed to its success. Tsujii has been making a name for himself as chorus

041

leader in recent years.
A similar case can be seen in Mikata Shizuka’s (1966–) Ikarikazuki (TheAnchor Draping) Funadashi no Narai (Ghost Ship variant) (The 46th Theatre noh
Tokyo Performance, July 8, Hosho Noh Theatre), an “old performance” ofIkarikazuki that was first performed at the Ohstuki Noh Theatre in 1999 (shite,
Asami Masakuni). However, rather than following the original script, Mikata
used it as base for his own interpretation of the direction and acting. The final
scene in which shite Taira no Tomomori, who has witnessed the downfall of the
Heike clan, submerges himself in the water with a huge anchor raised above hishead is both vivid and lyrical, leaving a deep and lingering impression. The precisely constructed stage of Mikata, where logic is often the primary concern, washere characterized by the sudden appearance of a dreamlike world, which wasutterly fascinating.
Other noteworthy performers included Kano Ryoichi (1967–) of the Kita
school, who has a proper artistic method, and Shirasaka Nobuyuki (1965–) of the
Takayasu school of otsuzumi strongly supporting the foundation of a piece.
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NOH and KYOGEN

Fukata Hiroharu (1967–) of the Izumi school kyogen, with his straightforward
personality, made a steady step forward with his performance of the major debut
piece Hanago (Mistress Hanago) (May 4, The 18th Kyogen Zazanza, the Hosho
Noh Theatre).

Moving beyond Noh and Kyogen
Nomura Mansai (1966–) of the Izumi school of kyogen is at the forefront ofactivities that aim for a wider range of performing arts while energetically utilizing the techniques of noh and kyogen. He is armed with a wealth of experience inboth noh-kyogen and contemporary theatre, and his ideas concerning themethod of connecting the two have been further refined. His new kyogen play
Ayu (Sweetfish, premiered in 2017), incorporates meta-theatrical techniques to
depict the desires and frustrations of youth with scenes from nature. And Mansai
Bolero (premiered in 2011) breaks barriers between East and West to create a newcelebratory dance that sublimates the auspicious nature of Sanbaso with classical042

and Western dance aspects and which has been performed several times thisyear. In 2022 (July–December) and 2023 (May–October), the company directed
the Noh Kyogen Demon-Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, based on the popular manga
by Gotouge Koyouharu, in which he played the role of Kibutsuji Muzan andseveral other roles (supervised by Ohstuki Bunzo). Touring noh stages in six
cities (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka, Nagoya, and Yokohama), the production
drew full houses, attracting manga fans who had never heard of noh and kyogen.
The production was experimental and stimulating, employing as much novelty
as possible in the space and traditional techniques of the noh stage, and by
making abundant use of lighting and new masks, the serious and the comical,
the fantastic and real, all unfolded speedily. The division of labor between noh
and kyogen was also removed, and Mansai’s acting ability was on full display in
Muzan’s monologues and other dialogue.

Other Noteworthy Performances
The Ren’niku Kobo, which has been deeply involved with noh since its founding
in 1971, performed Heiner Müller’s masterpiece Hamletmachine (October 4–9,

the Ueno Storehouse), directed by founder Okamoto Akira, with Sakurama
Kinki of the Komparu school performing. Kinki’s performance was brilliant as
he created a fertile atmosphere with the slightest of movements.
Aoki Ryoko, a noh singer who has been pursuing the musicality of chantand collaborating with many contemporary composers, presented the concert
series Contemporary Music x Noh (November 30, Small Hall, Tokyo Bunka
Kaikan). This is the10th in the series, which was launched in 2010 as a forum fornew music for noh chant, and it featured pieces from her repertoire as well as
premieres. Aoki’s activities as a catalyst are noteworthy as it is interesting to see
how chant, deconstructed into sounds and words, is transformed and reborn as
new music.
Ishida Yukio of the Izumi school of kyogen performed Clarimonde, which isfrom a novel written by Theophile Gautier and translated by Akutagawa
Ryunosuke, in a one-man performance (November 29–December 2 at Tessenkai
nohgaku Training Center) entitled Kyogen Master Yukio Ishida’s Solo Activities
vol. 1. He spoke without music, lighting, or equipment, sometimes walking onto043

the stage in his montsuki hakama (traditional Japanese male kimono with acrest). I was surprised to see that the technique of “voice” he has cultivated inKyogen slid almost directly into the novel narration, resulting in a rich expression. A new rakugo-like work, Kamitchi, was also performed at the same time.
Further progress is eagerly awaited.

Young Kyogen Performers
The audience enjoyed the variety of artistic styles of various families and individuals in kyogen. Veteran and mid-career performers were all powerful, and also
young performers in their 20s and 30s are thriving. Nomura Mannojo of the
Izumi school, who has been playing more and more major roles, together withhis younger brothers Kennosuke and Shinnosuke launched the Flat Kyogenkai
for the younger generation and gave two performances on April 16 and October
15. Ogasawara Hiroaki of the Izumi School, who performed Sanbaso at The 11th
Tokyo Ennen-no-kai (Hosho Noh Theatre) on August 19, and Nomura Nobutakaof the Izumi School, who performed Tsurigitsune (Snaring the Fox) at The 65th
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NOH and KYOGEN

Kyogen Yarumai-kai Nagoya Performance (Nagoya Noh Theatre) on May 21, arealso gaining strength. The most notable performer of the year is Nomura Yuki ofthe Izumi school, who is remarkable for his straightforward approach to hisroles, his energetic acting, and his sense of style. His performance of Shuuron (AReligious Dispute) (October 9, “The 23rd Uzawa Hisa no Kai — the Memorial
Performance of the 26th Anniversary of Uzawa Hisashi’s Death,” Hosho Noh
Theatre) in which he played a Buddhist priest against his grandfather Mansaku’s
monk was outstandingly entertaining and filled me with a sense of joy.

TopicsThe National Noh Theatre, which celebrated its 40th anniversary, held a varietyof events, including special performances and public lectures, symposiums, andcommemorative exhibitions (from May 2023 through March 2024).
On December 29, the Yokohama Noh Theatre, which opened in 1996, wasclosed for two and a half years as it underwent major renovation work. During044

the closure, The Temporary Yokohama Noh Theatre will be opened on the fifth
floor of Landmark Plaza in Minatomirai, where exhibitions and lectures will
be held.
The Nohgaku Times, which had ceased publication with the February issue,
was published in a reduced “provisional” edition from the March to August
issues, but it resumed in full force with the September issue. The decision wasmade by Maruoka Keiichi, the owner of the magazine, in response to entreaties
to continue printing the magazine. The cooperation and support of the entire
noh/kyogen world is essential for its continuation.
In April, Mori Tsuneyoshi and Noguchi Atsuhiro of the waki-style Hosho
school changed their names to Hosho Tsunezo (the name of his maternal great
uncle) and Tojo Atsuhiro (his grandfather’s maiden name), respectively.

Major Awards
Order of Cultural Merit, Nomura Mansaku, Izumi school kyogen
Person of Cultural Merit, Kanze Kiyokazu of the Kanze school
Holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property (individual recognition isequivalent to a Living National Treasure), Kongo Hisanori of the Kongo school,
Hosho Kinya of the Hosho waki school, and Shigeyama Shime of the Okura
kyogen school
Kanze Kiyokazu, Member of the Japan Art Academy
Japan Art Academy Prize, Imperial Prize: Kongo Hisanori
POLA Award for Traditional Japanese Culture: Kamei Hirotada
The 45th Kanze Hisao Memorial Hosei University Noh Theatre Award: Oka
Hisahiro, Kanze school Kamei Hirotada of the otsuzumi Kuzuno School
The 33rd Hosei University Seika Award: Sasaki Yoji (Noh Costume Producer
Sasaki Noh Costume)
Oda, Sachiko
She is a researcher of noh and kyogen and has a doctorate from the Graduate Departmentof Literature, Hosei University. Her main areas of research are the performance and history ofand research into the classical works of noh and kyogen. Oda combines both research andperformance activities, including theatre criticism, lecturing, commentary, and dramaturgy,
for revived noh and restorations of ancient performance practices.

045(Translation: Jonah Salz)

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Kabuki

Kabuki in 2023: In the Shadow ofAccelerating Generational Change
Kodama Ryuichi
The Ichikawa Ennosuke Incident
When looking back at 2023 in kabuki, it is impossible to ignore the tragic events
that Ichikawa Ennosuke Ⅳ became embroiled in. On May 18, all three membersof the family were discovered in a collapsed state at their shared home in Tokyo’s
Meguro district. His mother was pronounced dead at the scene and his father
Ichikawa Danshiro a short while later. Ennosuke’s life was saved.
That same day, the magazine Josei Seven published an article that raised
046

allegations of power and sexual harassment against Ennosuke. Some early copiesof the magazine had gone into circulation the previous day, May 17, andEnnosuke, as the article’s subject, had been made aware of the allegations.
Ennosuke was in the middle of a run of performances at the Meiji-za, but thetheatre was dark on the 17th. He was arrested on June 27 under charges ofaiding and abetting his mother’s suicide. (He would be rearrested on July 18 on
similar charges relating to his father’s suicide.) In court, it was claimed that theentire family had decided to commit suicide because of the magazine article. On
November 17, Ennosuke was sentenced to three years imprisonment, with thesentence suspended for five years.
This was an unparalleled scandal, but the kabuki world will be also directly
affected by the loss to the stage of an actor who had manifested his considerable
talent across multiple areas, including acting technique, planning, production,and popular appeal. This was also the loss of an actor who had contributed
hugely to kabuki by continuing to appear at the Kabuki-za during all the suffering and exhaustion of the pandemic. How this story will develop is, at this point,anyone’s guess.

The Deaths of Ichikawa En’o and Ichikawa Danshiro
At the same time, the loss of the great Ichikawa Danshiro Ⅳ in such an entirely
unforeseeable way is a source of great regret. Ill health had kept him away fromacting for several years, but the tragic events also permitted some reporting ofDanshiro’s recent health, and we thus learned that he had been engaging in rehabilitation in an attempt to return to the stage. That news made his loss all themore poignant.
From the same family, Danshiro’s brother Ichikawa En’o II (formerly
Ichikawa Ennosuke III) passed away on September 13 at the age of 83. Since his
collapse in 2003, he had barely been seen on stage, but we must not forget thatfrom the 1970s to the 1990s, he was one of the most powerful driving forces
behind modern kabuki. He began to carve out a unique path for himself inkabuki in 1963 when his succession to the Ennosuke name was followed soonafter by the deaths of his grandfather En’o I (Ennosuke II) and his father,
Danshiro III. These deaths left him an orphan in the theatre world. I felt a deep

047

emotion when I realized that the deaths last year of the brothers En’o andDanshiro happened exactly 60 years after the deaths of the previous holders of
the same names, their father and grandfather.
If we are to look for some light in this chain of tragedy, let us find it in theway the younger actors rose to the challenge of suddenly having to step intosome major roles. At the time of the incident, Ennosuke was in the middle ofa run of performances at the Meiji-za. The afternoon show was the first revival
in forty-four years of the strange play Fushicho yo hato o koete (Phoenix, Cross
the Waves) while the evening show was another revival, the first in thirty years
of Gohiiki tsunagi uma (Everyone’s Favorite Tethered Horse). While the theatre
was forced to cancel the afternoon performance on May 18, they were able to run
the evening play by having Nakamura Hayato substitute for Ennosuke. Such a
rapid and successful substitution was only possible because it had already beenannounced by Ennosuke that he and Hayato would swap roles on the final dayof the run. Ennosuke’s nephew Ichikawa Danko stepped into the afternoon show
from May 20. Meanwhile in June, Nakamura Kazutaro took over Ennosuke’s
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role of Otoku in Keisei hangonko (The Courtesan and the Hangon Incense) at
the Kabuki-za, and in August Nakamura Hayato again took on Shin Suikoden(The New Water Margin) at the same theatre. This existence of these reserves oflatent talent is one of the strengths of kabuki, and by succeeding in getting thetheatre through this crisis, audiences were unanimous that Hayato and Danko
had both taken a great leap forward. In February 2024, Hayato and Danko havebeen double-cast in the main role in Yamato Takeru, the Super Kabuki classic
originally created by Ennosuke III. The performance is sure to attract close
attention as audiences try to discern signs of the Ennosuke family soaring back,phoenix-like.

Accelerating Generational Change
Aside from En’o and Danshiro, 2023 also saw the loss of Ichikawa Sadanji Ⅳ. He
had been active since 1970 as a supporting actor, primarily in the role of thevillain. His unique character brought him fans from all generations. He was also048

a mainstay of the Onoe Kikugoro Troupe, and the key roles he would have performed will now be handed down to a new generation.
In 2023, we also lost Ogi Chikage, the wife of the late Sakata Tojuro Ⅳ, aswell as Nishikawa Senzo X from the traditional dance world and the nagauta
shamisen players Kineya Kisaburo and Kineya Katsukuni. The glacial generational change of the past few years suddenly seems to have picked up its pace.
After his final performance in the musical Man of La Mancha, Matsumoto
Hakuo stepped back from this signature hit role. Since his break from performing in late 2022, he does not seem to have returned to a state of perfect health.
Rumors also circulated about the health of Onoe Kikugoro, and late in the year, it
was announced that he is suffering from spinal stenosis and sciatica. Comparedto the major generational change between Showa and Heisei, the great stars of
our era have maintained an astounding level of health on stage. However, now it
seems as if the deeper shadows of aging have finally crept closer.
In this moment, among the current crop of stars, Kataoka Nizaemon presented us with a dazzling series of classic performances in Reigen Kameyama
hoko (The Blood Revenge at Kameyama, February, Kabuki-za), Yowa nasake ukina

no yokogushi (Scarfaced Yosaburo, April, Kabuki-za), and Yoshitsune senbon
zakura (Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees, June, Kabuki-za). One of contemporary kabuki’s problems lies in the fact that the next best performances wereseen not from the generation who are now around sixty but from those in their
40s or even the younger generation in their 30s. so the theatre lacks an actor who
can take a leadership role for the generation who are now in their 60s.
With the early deaths of Nakamura Kanzaburo ⅩⅧ and Bando Mitsugoro

X and Nakamura Fukusuke Ⅸ’s illness, which has prevented him from succeeding to the Utaemon name, the gravitational pull of this generation has been

gravely weakened. Yet at the same time, this generation does possess some richresources. Nakamura Karoku was named a Living National Treasure in 2023,
but, unfortunately, he is not the kind of actor who could take on a leadershiprole. Between the first post-war generation who led the theatre until the 1980s
and the current generation of stars (the third post-war generation), there camethe “gap generation,” which included actors like Nakamura Jakuemon Ⅳ, Nakamura Shikan Ⅶ, Nakamura Tomijuro V, Nakamura Senjaku II (who later became

049

Sakata Tojuro Ⅳ), Sawamura Sojuro Ⅸ, Ichikawa Monnosuke Ⅶ, and Sawamura

Tanosuke Ⅵ. In the same generation, there were also several actors who shifted

to film in the 1950s, including Yorozuya Kinnosuke, Okawa Hashizo, Ichikawa
Raizo, and Kitagami Yataro. Those that remained in kabuki were able to manifest
some substantial acting skills, but after the ebbing of the first post-war generation, there were none who managed to truly dominate the art as troupe head. Of
course, the nature of leadership has changed outside kabuki too, so it may justbe that we are losing in every area the kinds of leaders who can propel Japanesesociety and politics forward through their own drive and power. Or perhaps,
our society itself no longer requires those kinds of leaders. In either case, thegeneration of actors now in their sixties have a lower level of art than the gap
generation, and in the absence of a leader, they seem to be attempting to hand
the leadership of the theatre to a younger generation. We thus find ourselves in atransitional moment.

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KABUKIA Profusion of New Plays
2023 saw the performance of several newly written plays. These included Final
Fantasy X and Touken ranbu (Swords Boisterous Dance), both based on computer
games. There was an earlier 2.5 dimensional musical production of the latter.
Then, there was Lupin III, based on the animated series Lupin the Third and which
had enjoyed a prior dramatization by the Takarazuka Revue. We also saw two
new works that drew on the oral kodan storytelling tradition: Tawaraboshi
Genba, conceived by and starring Onoe Shoroku, and Arakawa Judayu, forwhich a second run has already been confirmed. There were second runs ofseveral other recently written new plays, including Shin onmyoji (The Court
Astrologer, A New Version), Shin suikoden (The New Water Margin), andMahabarata senki (The War Chronicles of the Mahabharata). Following its successful showing at the Minami-za in Kyoto in 2019, there was a performance of
Cho Kabuki at the Kabuki-za. Cho Kabuki brings kabuki together with cutting-edge technology and was first created for the Niconico Chokaigi event at
050

Makuhari Messe, which was run by Japan’s largest social video website. We also
saw revivals of several works first performed in the 1970s and 1980s, including
Hana no gosho shimatsu (The Incident of the Ashikaga Shogunate), Fushicho yohato o koete, Hadaka dochu (The Naked Journey), and Mito Komon. This really
was a very rich year for revivals, particularly if we include plays like Dokuroni(Nun Dokuroni), first performed in 1917, Shinmon Tatsugoro, which was revived
from the Zenshin-za repertory, and Nijo-jo no Kiyomasa (Kiyomasa at Nijo
Castle). The latter was originally performed by Nakamura Kichiemon I and wasrevived in 2023 as a memorial piece to the late Kichiemon II, who died in 2021.
Examining the motives behind these kinds of newly written works andrevivals, we can see that the theatre is focusing on creating new audiences andattracting customers from other genres. Judging by the comments on X (Twitter)and elsewhere online about Final Fantasy X, Touken ranbu, and Lupin III,
kabuki’s attempts to attract the attention of a new audience has not been entirely
unsuccessful. What is harder to estimate is just how many of those new customers who saw these productions will then be convinced to buy tickets to regularperformances at the Kabuki-za. On top of that, the audiences who have long

supported kabuki can sometimes seem slightly weary of the continuous streamof these kinds of new works. It feels like kabuki is currently in a trial and error
mode, figuring out just who its customers are and what kinds of performances
they would like to see. A side effect of these strategies is that younger actors intheir 20s and 30s now have fewer opportunities to act in classical kabuki performances, and the more ambitious ones have begun to put on more of their own
independent performances. It is worth noting that these performances canattract relatively large numbers of fans. Much attention will continue to focus
on whether the theatre should continue its barrage of new works in 2024 or if
generational change in classical kabuki has the potential to attract both old andnew audiences.

Difficult Road Ahead for the National Theatre Rebuild
There will also be a significant impact from the October 2023 closure of the
National Theatre on kabuki’s current period of trial and error, not least because
the closure represents the loss of a place that made possible risk and experimen-051

tation outside of the normal commercial imperatives. The theatre opened in
1966, and it was decided that a temporary closure would be necessary in order torebuild. However, by late 2023, two rounds of the tender process had failed, andit now seems certain that there will be a delay to the projected six and a halfyears before the theatre can reopen. Replacement theatres are being identified ona performance-by-performance basis because the closure was rushed throughbefore a proper decision was made about what to do in the interim period. No
one seems to be overly perturbed that National Theatre performances are being
put up in a variety of expensive rented theatres while the National Theatre building lies empty.
This is an extremely shabby way to treat a theatre that took a century of
dreaming to bring to fruition, but it is also a precise reflection more broadly of
the shabbiness of Japan’s administration of culture, including a lack of clarity
around responsibilities. We now find ourselves in a situation where the National
Theatre lacks broad principles, a midterm vision, and detailed plans for the nearterm. The lack of awareness of this situation in wider society is in itself a reflecTheatre in Japan

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KABUKItion of the environment in which Japan’s contemporary theatre culture exists.
Two months before its closure, the National Theatre followed its founding
ideals by mounting a complete production of Imoseyama onna teikin (Husband
and Wife Mountains: A Mirror of Virtuous Women). With many younger actors
stepping into these roles for the first time, the production carried a sense of significance that gave me hope for the future. Yet at the same time, when I thoughtback to previous complete productions of the play, it was impossible not to
notice the shortening of the running time and the cuts to some scenes, as well as
the reduction in the sense of overall scale. In this question of run time and how
it relates to the realities of the lives of contemporary audiences, let us just saythat a review of the theatre’s broad principles and its midterm vision has now
become essential.
Kodama, Ryuichi
052

He was born in Hyogo prefecture. After completing his doctorate at Waseda University, heworked at the performing arts department of the National Research Institute for Cultural
Properties and Japan Women’s University before returning to Waseda University as aprofessor. He participated in exhibitions at the Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum before
becoming its director in 2023. He specializes in kabuki research and criticism. His edited
volumes include Noh/Bunraku/Kabuki and Saishin kabuki jiten (New Kabuki Dictionary).
(Translation: Alan Cummings)

Bunraku

Bunraku in 2023: A Period of Transition,
Experiment and Challenge
Kameoka Noriko
In 2023 the impact of the pandemic, which began in 2020, lessened in severity.
Of course, infections continue, but it seems as though the performing arts world
has finally resumed its former patterns of production. This is largely true forbunraku too although performers are still sometimes sidelined by illness, andthe theatre is continuing with abbreviated running times and the consequent
pattern of three shows per day. However, a more pressing problem is that audiences have not returned to the theatres. This is particularly true at the third(evening) show each day, where attendance by the elderly, bunraku’s mainstay

053

customers, has been notably poor. Theatre going is a habit, and once that habit islost, for whatever reason, audiences will continue to keep their distance, and it
becomes hard to rebuild. That said, the only solution is to present topical andattractive works with appealing casts that audiences will want to go and see. In
2023, we can at least say that the theatre tried a wide variety of strategies toappeal to its fans. These included the Sayonara Koen (Farewell Performances)
sequence of bunraku masterpieces at the National Theatre in Tokyo in the run-up
to its closure for renovation, full-length productions that straddled the threedaily shows, as well as a series of productions at the National Bunraku Theatre in
Osaka marking the 300th anniversary of the death of the theatre’s greatest playwright, Chikamatsu Monzaemon.
There were also some glimmers of hope for the future. I was at the National
Bunraku Theatre at the same performance as a group of middle-school students,
and I was taken aback by just how entranced they all were by what was happening on stage. I remember how even in the recent past the Bunraku Performancefor Beginners shows for students used to be greeted by a mood of apathy, with
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BUNRAKU

many students falling asleep. Perhaps this particular group had studied the story
and the art of bunraku in advance, or perhaps there are growing numbers of theyoung generation who lack the strange preconception that classical theatre isboring. Recently, there has also been a change in the kinds of plays put on at the
Bunraku Performance for Beginners shows. This year, the selection was Denchu
ninjo (The Attack in the Palace), Enya Hangan seppuku (The Suicide of Enya
Hangan), and Shiro akewatashi (Yuranosuke Vows Revenge) scenes from
Kanadehon chushingura (The Treasury of 47 Loyal Retainers). Students encountering these scenes from this profound play for the first time experienced something of bunraku’s essential nature. We can only hope that these efforts will
broaden the fan base and perhaps even encourage some young people to want towork as theatre practitioners.
Worryingly, however, the National Theatre’s Bunraku Trainee Program for2023 failed to secure a single successful applicant. Bunraku is often described
as a theatrical form where success depends entirely on merit, and out of all the054

National Theatre’s training programs, the bunraku program has long been one of
the most successful. One problem may be the upper age limit of 23 for applicantssince most people have little chance to come into contact with bunraku and enjoy
it by that age. It is therefore challenging for potential applicants to gain an ideaof what kind of work bunraku involves, what kind of training is required, andwhat pleasures it might offer. One mid-ranking puppeteer remarked, “Our work
doesn’t just involve transmitting the art and protecting its traditions. It is also
creative, and if we cannot convince young people that it’s cool, then no one will
want to learn it.” I agree that we should be doing more emphasize these aspectsof bunraku.
The biggest news of 2023 was the closure for reconstruction of the National
Theatre, bunraku’s Tokyo home. Regular performances have been held at the
National Theatre in February, May, September, and December since the theatre
opened in 1966. With a capacity of 590, the small theatre was the perfect size forwatching bunraku, and at one time, tickets frequently sold out. The reconstruction project was originally projected to take six years, however, it seems that thetendering process ended with no bids so that period will inevitably be extended.

In the interim, bunraku will be performed at Theatre1010 in Kita Senju in northeast Tokyo and other venues around the city.
There was a curtain call at the end of the third show on September 24,
the final day of the run. The following day, the performers put on a special
Bunrakusai (Bunraku Festival) event under the slogan, “Farewell, Farewell to theFirst National Theatre.” Fans had a chance to mingle with performers in the lobby
before and after the show. The play was a so-called tenchikai (“upside down”)
version of Terakoya (The Village School), where the chanters, shamisen players,and puppeteers swapped their usual roles. All the performers put so muchcommitment into their performances that they had the audience in stitches.
There was also a roundtable with veteran performers who recalled the openingof the National Theatre, with contributions from Toyotake Sakitayu, Takezawa
Danshichi, Tsuruzawa Seiji, Yoshida Kazuo, Kiritake Kanjuro, and Yoshida
Tamao. The audience delighted in all their nostalgic stories of days gone by.
The first performance at the new theatre, Theatre1010, took place inDecember. The main performance was of the Chikubushima yuran (The Return055

from Chikubushima) and Kurosuke sumika (Kurosuke’s House) scenes from
Genpei nunobiki no taki (The Nunobiki Waterfall). The run also included Bunraku
Performance for Beginners shows, with a talk on the pleasures of bunraku andperformances of Dango uri (The Dango Sellers) and the Ninokuchimura(Ninokuchi Village) scene from Keisei koi bikyaku (The Money Courier of Love).
Theatre1010 normally puts on modern theatre productions, and for the bunraku
performances, only the ground floor (seating approximately 550) was in use. I
heard reports that sound quality varied depending on where you were sitting.
The audience seats are on an incline, which makes the stage easy to see, but thosein the front rows are forced to look up. The performances followed the same
three-part style as the December shows at the National Theatre, with the castbeing mainly drawn from the mid-ranking and younger ranks. These performers
had a rare chance at some major roles, and their efforts were greeted with warm
applause from the audiences.
The February 2024 Tokyo performances will be held at Nippon Seinenkan(near Gaienmae station), while the May performances will return to Theatre1010.
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BUNRAKU

At this point, it is hard to tell what impact the lack of a permanent base in Tokyo
will have. But let us hope that it can become a chance to cultivate new audiences
for the theatre.
The year of 2023 marked the three hundredth anniversary of the death of
Chikamatsu Monzaemon, the playwright who wrote many of the puppet theatre’s best-known works. Just as in previous years, this meant that in February
bunraku presented a selection of Chikamatsu’s classics in Tokyo. This year’s
selection was Shinju ten no Amijima (The Love Suicides at Amijima), Kokusenya
kassen (The Battles of Coxinga), and Onnagoroshi abura jigoku (The Woman Killer
and the Hell of Oil). To further mark the occasion, the theatre presented Sonezaki
shinju (The Love Suicides at Sonezeki) in Osaka in April, with the puppeteers
Yoshida Tamasuke taking on the role of Tokubei and Kiritake Kanjuro the role ofOhatsu. This was a fresh pairing for bunraku which was repeated in theNovember performance of Meido no hikyaku (The Courier for Hell).
There were several memorable performances last year. The new year’s perfor056

mance in Osaka of Dannoura kabuto gunki (The Battle of Dannoura) was richand satisfying. The production struck a wonderful balance between the chantingof Toyotake Rosetayu as Akoya, Takemoto Oritayu as Shigetada, and Toyotake
Yasutayu as Iwanaga. To this was added the tonal sharpness of Tsuruzawa Tozo’s
shamisen, the accompaniment of Tsuruzawa Kantaro, Tsuruzawa Seiko’s skill on
the three instruments (shamisen, kokyu and koto) in the play’s most famous
scene, and finally the peerless puppetry technique demonstrated by Kiritake
Kanjuro in the role of Akoya. The April and summer vacation shows featured acomplete performance of a single play straddling both months, a style of production which was impossible during the pandemic. The play chosen was Imoseyama
onna teikin (Husband and Wife Mountains: An Exemplary Tale of Womanly
Virtue). The April show included the Daijo, Ouchi (Great Prologue: The Imperial
Palace) to Shibaroku Chugi (The Loyal Sacrifice of Shibaroku), and Imoyama
Seyama (Mt. Imo and Mt. Se) scenes while the summer vacation show included
the scenes from the Omiwa plotline. In the Imoyama Seyama scene, Takemoto
Rodayu chanted the role of Daihanji while Takemoto Shikorodayu played
Sadaka. Both chanters were promoted to the rank of kiriba gatari (chanters whocan take on climactic scenes) last year. They performed over the heads of theaudience from platforms set up on either side of the stage, truly putting body andsoul into their chanting.
The May and August/September shows in Tokyo featured a complete performance of one of the theatre’s three great classics, Sugawara denju tenarai kagami(Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy), split over the two months. This was aconcentrated demonstration of the full power of bunraku and was an overwhelmingly emotional experience. The one slight disappointment was that
Living National Treasure and Person of Cultural Merit (which he was awarded in2021) Toyotake Sakitayu had to miss the full run due to illness (he passed away
on January 31, 2024). In his place, his student Takemoto Oritayu put in an energetic and committed performance.
Turning to happier news, fans were delighted at the announcement thatpuppeteer Yoshida Tamao has been named a Living National Treasure. The
highlights of Tamao’s art are the sense of life and drive that he is able to bring to
his characters, particularly in historical plays, as well as his full-bodied sense of057

emotional expression. This year, he was able to demonstrate the full range of his
skills, taking lead roles in both history and domestic plays, including Jihei in
The Love Suicides at Amijima (February), Daihanji Kiyozumi in Husband and
Wife Mountains: An Exemplary Tale of Womanly Virtue (April), Danshichi
Kurobei in Natsu matsuri Naniwa kagami (The Summer Festival in Osaka,summer show), Abe no Sadato in Oshu Adachigahara (The Revenge of the Abe
Clan, November), and Nanpo Jujibei in Hikimado (The Skylight, November).
Since he succeeded to the name of his teacher and Living National Treasure
Yoshida Tamao I in 2015, Tamao II’s work has been eye opening. With thishonor, he now becomes the third active puppeteer to become a Living National
Treasure, alongside Yoshida Kazuo and Kiritake Kanjuro. While their ages varyslightly, they have each become a Living National Treasure at virtually the sameage, and interestingly, all three were the leading pupils of puppeteers who werethemselves Living National Treasures: Yoshida Bunjaku for Kazuo and Yoshida
Minosuke for Kanjuro. They have been great colleagues and friendly rivals forover half a century now, and each is now capable of taking on lead roles that
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demonstrate their unique approaches and characters. The mental and physicalharmony they can create when performing together is one of the strongest
attractions of contemporary bunraku.
There was also the cheering news that puppeteer and Living National
Treasure Yoshida Minosuke, who retired in 2021, will be awarded the Order ofthe Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon this autumn. The fascinating feminine charms of the many onnagata roles that he created will live forever inour memories.
Turning to the mid-ranking performers, the puppeteer Yoshida Tamasho
was awarded one of the Osaka Cultural Festival Awards. The award was based on
his powerful performance of Takechi Mitsuhide in Ehon taikoki (A Picture Bookof the Taiko Hideyoshi) at last year’s Bunraku wakate kai (Bunraku Performanceby Young Performers), but the judges also noted the contribution made by his
self-produced show Bunraku muso keishoden (Bunraku Dreams: A Tale ofSuccession) in providing study and performance opportunities for younger per058

formers. The performances at this show attracted a lot of attention by showcasing something you would never see in a regular performance: students taking
the lead puppeteer role while their teachers took the left arm role. The event
was staged in Tokyo for the first time in 2023 at the National Noh Theatre in
September. After all his years of toiling in the shadows, Tamasho firmly grasped
the chance to take on the lead role of the ghost of Tomomori in Yoshitsune senbon
zakura (Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees), and the fruits of his arduous
training were plain to see.
There were many other independently produced shows put on by midranking performers last year. Toyotake Yasutayu and Tsuruzawa Seiko continue to engage with puppet-less performances at the Sujoruri no kai, and theypresented the Kansaku sumika (Kansaku’s House) scene from Nichiren shoninminori no umi (Nichiren and the Waters of Dharma) in Osaka and Tokyo. They
also appeared in December in Sakai in Yura no minato sengen choja (Sansho
the Bailiff in Yura Harbor). These are valuable efforts to perform pieces that are
hardly ever staged at regular scheduled shows. In September in Osaka, Toyotake
Yoshihodayu and Tsuruzawa Tomonosuke collaborated with the actress Kaneko

Ai in a new play that is based on Lafcadio Hearn’s The Story of Mininashi Hoichi.
The play was titled Miminashi Hoichi monogatari (Hoichi the Earless), and it
combined contemporary narration with joruri. In another new experiment, thepuppeteer Yoshida Minoshiro performed as Sekidera Komachi to experimental
piano music by the Paris-based composer Nakano Koki at the ROHM Theatre
in Kyoto in May. It is wonderful to see new forms of art being created by young
bunraku performers, and I look forward to seeing what kind of future awaits
bunraku through the preservation of the classics in combination with thesekinds of experiments.
Finally, it was announced that Toyotake Rodayu will succeed to his grandfather’s name in April 2024, becoming Wakatayu XI. His grandfather was the
Living National Treasure Toyotake Wakatayu X. Wakatayu I was also the firstchanter to use the Toyotake surname. Expectations are high for this latest
Wakatayu.
059

Kameoka, Noriko
She is a special reporter and editor of the cultural section of the Osaka head office of theSankei Shimbun newspaper and is responsible for coverage of Japanese traditional performing arts. She joined the newspaper in 1990. In addition to theatre reviews and interviews, shealso writes the ongoing columns Riken no ken (Seeing Yourself from the Outside). She has published several books, including Bunraku zanmai (Devoted to Bunraku) and Yume: Heisei no Tojuro Tanjo (A Dream: The Birth of a Heisei Tojuro), and she coauthored Umewaka Rokuro ke noshigei (The Consummate Art of the Umewaka Rokuro Family).
(Translation: Alan Cummings)

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Back to Normal with a Myriad of Shows and Stars:
Ensembles and Kids Light up the Stage
Nakamura Masako

After three years of gloom and doom under the weight of the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan’s musical theater world seemed to be getting back to normal in
2023, as the tight grip of infection-prevention and control measures restraining
production companies as well as audiences loosened following the reclassification of the disease into the same category as the flu. Nevertheless, some productions had to cancel shows or arrange understudies presumably because someone060

in the company was feeling sick. Still, the Japanese musical scene showed off arich harvest of shows both imported from abroad and created by domestic production companies.

Powerful Principals and Ensembles
The most talked-about musical in Japan in 2023 was probably Moulin Rouge! The
Musical, which premiered in Japan at the Imperial Theatre. The venerable playhouse was literally suffused in sensuous red light, transporting the audience into
the show the moment they entered the lobby. The stage adaptation of the 2001
Baz Luhrman film, which premiered on Broadway in 2019, won 10 Tonys andcontinues to run at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in New York, was presented toJapanese audiences in full scale by a top-notch cast.
The leads—Nozomi Futo and Hirahara Ayaka as the nightclub singer Satine,
Inoue Yoshio and Kai Shoma as the aspiring songwriter Christian, and otherprincipal members—were brilliant, as expected, but the ensemble members also
did a wonderful job, testifying to the rising skill of musical performers in Japan.
Everything from the dazzling stage set to the gorgeous costumes of the original

Broadway production was replicated on stage, making me wonder how the show
could recoup the production costs from only a two-month run. But soon, news
came out that the show would be coming back to the Imperial Theatre in June–
August 2024, with another two-week run following in September at the Umeda
Arts Theater in Osaka.
In recent years, Japanese productions of foreign-made musicals have been
staged in Japan relatively quickly after the original premieres, but some takemuch longer to arrive in Japan. One such show was Ragtime, which made its
Japan debut a quarter of a century after its Broadway premiere in 1998. Set inearly twentieth-century New York, it tells the story of three ethnic groups—
Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, African-Americans, and the white
upper class—struggling to overcome the realities of a divided society for a better
future. The realities of a multi-ethnic society are often difficult for Japanese audiences to fully understand, not to mention the challenges that Japanese actors facein portraying different ethnicities on stage. Director Fujita Shuntaro developed aunique way to tackle this task by assigning different costume colors to represent061

the ethnic groups: gray for the Jews, bright colors like red, yellow, and green for
the African-Americans, and white for Caucasians. The ensemble members
adapted their acting to fit the intended representation of the costume colors they
wore in different scenes of the play.
Dreamgirls, which portrays a trio of African-American singers aspiring forstardom, was another. The Japan premiere came more than 40 years after theshow opened on Broadway in 1981. Racial issues, as well as musical numbers
studded with R&B and soul that require vocal prowess, must have been contributing factors. But Nozomi Futo, cast as Deena Jones, and other skillful singers
made the Japanese production possible. It was directed by Manabe Takashi ofHaiyuza theater company, known for his witty interpretations of straight plays.
In his first foray into musical theater, he accentuated the subtle emotions behind
overt aspirations for success in show business.
Like Manabe, other theater directors who have won critical acclaim instraight plays are now getting into the world of musicals. Setoyama Misaki gave ashot at Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Beautiful Game, a somber story of teenagers
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on a local football team amid turmoil in Northern Ireland. Setoyama emphasized how the boys sought their own rightful cause as they became embroiled inreligious hostility.
Collaborations with foreign creators have also become common. The
Osaka-based Umeda Arts Theater co-produced a wonderful remake of Stephen
Sondheim’s Pacific Overtures with London’s Menier Chocolate Factory under the
direction of Matthew White. The story about the Westernization of nineteenthcentury Japan, triggered by the arrival of American warships on its shores, ran ina shortened 105-minute version (sans intermission) of the John Weidmanwritten show that premiered on Broadway in 1976. Paul Farnsworth created astylish stage set inspired by traditional Japanese art and architectural structures.
After the show finished its run in Tokyo and Osaka from March to April, it
was restaged at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London, officially opening in
December for a limited three-month run. The show received positive reviews
from UK critics, winning 4 stars from The Guardian, The Times, and the Evening
062

Standard.

A Wave of Original Musicals
Original musicals gained even more momentum in 2023. Many were adaptations of comic books or novels, but there were also shows made from scratch.
Theaters that have never produced their own original musicals before rode thewave as well.
Meiji-za Theater, known for staging a wide variety of shows ranging fromtraditional Kabuki theater to play and concert-style shows of popular singers,
kicked off its 150th anniversary year with Cesare Il Creatore che ha disrutto, amusical adaptation of a comic book of the same title by Soryo Fuyumi. It follows
the story of Italian cardinal and mercenary leader Cesare Borgia in his youngdays, exploring the trajectory of a man who envisioned the unification of Italy
during the years of Renaissance in the fifteenth century. Ogita Koichi wrote thelibretto and lyrics; Shima Ken handled the music; and Koyama Yuna was responsible for the direction. Meiji-za dusted off its orchestra pit, which was locked away
beneath the front-row area and had never been used since the current theater

opened in 1993, highlighting its commitment to the creative process.
Comic books are a treasure trove of material for original musicals in Japan.
Toho Co., Ltd. staged Spy x Family at its Imperial Theatre, and Nodame Cantabile
ran at the smaller-sized Theatre Creation; both drew capacity crowds of passionate fans of the original work. Creating shows that can lure these fans to othertypes of musicals would be a good next step in working to grow the market.
Setagaya Public Theatre in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward collaborated with Amuse
Inc., a major entertainment company that has been beefing up its production oforiginal musicals in recent years, to stage Colorful, its first original musical production since it opened in 1997. Based on a best-selling novel by Mori Eto about adead soul who gets the chance to give life another shot, the musical was produced
as part of the theater’s summer program designed for young audiences.
Covayashi Caori wrote the libretto and lyrics and directed the show, which featured lilting music by Osaki Keiko.
Amuse Inc. also had its own project, a new musical produced by Shindo
Haruichi, the guitarist and songwriter of the popular rock band Pornograffitti.

063

Titled Vagrant, the show is set in early twentieth-century Japan and portrays
two wandering entertainers who help the residents of a faltering coal-mining
town salvage their way of life. Shindo co-wrote the script with director Itagaki
Kyoichi and created 20 new songs for the show. Since good music is key to a
successful show, more and more songwriters on the popular music front, like
Shindo, are becoming in-demand figures on the creative teams for original
musicals in Japan.
A small but unforgettable piece was Thousands of Nights, Thousands of Stars(Hoshi no Kazu hodo Yoru wo Kazoete), a story about a loving, retired couple
faced with the grim realities of dementia. It was produced by TipTap TheaterCompany, known for heart-moving musicals based on original stories that shedlight on ordinary people’s lives.
In March, Shiki Theatre Company wrapped up its Tokyo run of The Boy andthe Beast, a spectacular show based on an animated film by Hosoda Mamoru.
After recording a total audience turnout of 238,000 over 11 months in Tokyo, theshow moved on to the company’s theater in Osaka in December for a 24-week
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run. Jack O Land: Yuri and the Devil’s Whistle, adapted from a picture book that
follows the adventures of an orphaned boy in a mysterious castle in search of amagic flute, was a new show that catered to younger, school-age audiences. The
company also announced that it will stage a new musical, The Ghost & The Lady,
starting May 2024. The work, based on a comic book by Fujita Kazuhiro, depicts
a fantastic love story between Florence Nightingale and a ghost who loves theater.

Korean Musicals on the Rise, Talented Kids Shine on Stage
Another notable recent trend is the rise of Korean musicals being staged in Japan.
Korean production companies are running far ahead of Japan by creating an
ongoing string of new shows with an eye to overseas markets over the last 20
years thanks to supportive government policy in Korea.
In 2023, Korean shows across a broad range of themes and subject matter
premiered in Japan. Marie Curie portrayed the life of the famous scientist from afeministic point of view, while The Origin of Evil by Darwin Young focused on the064

distortion arising from Korea’s class society. Xcalibur depicted Britain’s legendary King Arthur, with music by hitmaker Frank Wildhorn. In Beethoven’s Secret,Michael Kunze (book and lyrics) and Sylvester Levay (music and orchestration)
explored the hidden life and emotions of Ludwig van Beethoven by patchworking
together familiar pieces by the famous composer.
In December, a Korean arts management team hosted K-Musical Roadshow
in Tokyo, a showcase of Korean musicals. Japanese theater producers andmusical fans were invited to the one-day event to see highlight scenes fromup-and-coming shows. More Korean musicals are sure to continue to tap theJapanese market in the years to come.
Child actors are also taking to the stage these days, and their talent shone
through in 2023. In Matilda, based on the British author Roald Dahl’s children’s
novel and produced by the UK’s Royal Shakespeare Company, four girls were
cast to play the precocious heroine, who fights against her uncaring parents andoppressive teachers to win a better future. When I had the chance to see the showin London about 10 years ago, the theater was packed with schoolchildren, and I
knew the show would certainly help nurture future theatergoers and performers.

School of Rock is a production where children go beyond just singing anddancing—they unleash their emotions playing guitar and drums live on stage.
The show is a rock musical based on the 2003 film of the same name, with music
written by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and depicts kids in a prestigious but suppressive prep school finding their confidence through rock. Matilda and School ofRock were both produced by HoriPro Inc., which drew on its experience with theJapanese premiere of Billy Elliot in 2017 and Oliver! in 2021. Without a doubt,
watching peers light up the stage stimulates youngsters in the audience and isbound to cultivate affection toward musicals in the future.

A Bitter Legacy
In the midst of a booming musical industry, a bitter legacy lingering backstage
came to light at the prominent all-female Takarazuka Revue Company. In
September, a young member of the company’s Cosmos Troupe was found dead ina suspected suicide, and her family asserted that it was the result of harassment
by senior members of the company and prolonged work hours. In November,

065

Takarazuka admitted to chronic overwork among company members and rearranged its stage schedules, including reducing the number of weekly performances from 10 to 9 shows a week. In December, the company announced that it
would cancel all events commemorating its 110th anniversary in 2024 as well asshows by Cosmos Troupe members through the end of March.
Takarazuka Revue, which started out as an attraction for a hot-spring spa in
1914, now runs theaters in Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture, and in Tokyo,
with an annual estimated audience turnout of 2.8 million. Constantly creating
new shows from subject material that draws from all ages and cultures, it is
known as a powerhouse of original musicals. It also stages overseas musicalbeautifully, such as the French rock musical Le Rouge et le Noir and 1789: Les
Amants de la Bastille, just to name two significant shows in 2023. In times ofgrowing public awareness of human rights, long working hours and harassment
issues are coming under increased scrutiny, even in the entertainment sector.
Takarazuka, whose members are indispensable for its spectacular shows thatlight up Japan’s musical industry, is no exception.
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MUSICALSIn April, Matsumoto Hakuo lowered the curtain on Man of La Mancha, theBroadway musical he had starred in since its Japan premiere in 1969, after a totalof 1,324 performances. Hakuo was to bid farewell to his signature role the year
before, but the show was suddenly suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. When I look back at half a century of constant progress in Japan’s musicaltheater toward its current popularity, it comes to mind how important it is tocarry out each and every staging the right way to push the musical industry
another step forward.
Nakamura, Masako
Jiji Press staff writer Nakamura Masako joined the Japanese news agency in 1988 and started
out as an English news writer. She was later assigned to the Cultural News Section to coverareas in lifestyle and theater, including traditional performing arts. She is a member of theplanning committee of the Japan National Press Club and also a member of the selection
committee for the Tsuruya Namboku Drama Award.

066(Translation by the author)

Contemporary Theatre

The Hope and Potential of Theatre
in a “New Pre-War” Year
Yamaguchi Hiroko“It might be a new pre-war.” That was the answer media personality Tamori gave
when asked on a TV program at the end of 2022, “What kind of year do you
think next year will be?” I don’t know the actual intention behind these words,
but they spread through society like a prophecy in 2023.
The government promoted measures that could dismantle the “pacifist
nation” framework established after World War II, such as possession of enemy
base strike capability, a significant increase in defense spending, and approval of067

arms exports. Overseas, in Ukraine and Gaza, battles are raging. With thecurrent sense of war as a raw reality, plays looking at war and postwar periods
have become more vividly personal.

How Do People Live amid War?
Mitani Koki’s University of Laughs (Warai no daigaku) was staged for the firsttime in twenty-five years, in the first PARCO Theater production ever directed by
Mitani. Set in Tokyo in 1940, the play depicts the seesaw-like battle between acomic playwright named Tsubaki and a censor named Sakisaka over a script
written by Tsubaki. Sakisaka sees no need for comedy in a time of national emergency and picks the script apart mercilessly in an effort to shut down the production. But Tsubaki accepts all the censor’s suggestions, and his script becomeseven funnier as he rewrites it. Tsubaki uses his intelligence when dealing withconstraints on expression, while Sakisaka begins to display a surprising instinct
for comedy. For a short while, a room in police headquarters turns into a liberation zone for laughter. Very soon, however, this is all eclipsed by war.
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CONTEMPORARY THEATREAt the end, when Tsubaki is called to battle, Sakisaka tells him, “Stay alive.
Come back.” This is the opposite of the words people uttered in public at thetime. The fictional genre of comedy liberated the human spirit from the oppressive reality of war. This is the power and hope of theatre.
Plays that reported on factual history included Seinenza Theater Company’s
new work National News Agency Doumei (Doumei tsushin), written by Furukawa
Takeshi and directed by Kuroiwa Makoto. An inside look at a news organization
during wartime, the production conveyed a sense of tension in its portrayal ofreporters conflicted between news coverage and national policy propaganda.
Plays by Inoue Hisashi, which are frequently performed by the theatrecompany Komatsuza, have repeatedly asked audiences to think about themeaning of war and peace. An especially striking production in 2023 was
Flowers Blooming in the Darkness (Yami ni saku hana). Directed by Kuriyama
Tamiya, the play offers a hopeful portrayal of people living through the period
following defeat in the war while also looking squarely at the responsibility of068

those who stirred up martial spirit, as well as the tragedy of class B and C war
criminals. Adding to the weightiness of these themes is the main character’s line,“We mustn’t forget what happened. Pretending to forget would be even worse.”
In February, Theatre Office Natori presented Prisoners of the Occupation(Senryo no shujintachi), two plays depicting the reality of Palestinians living
under Israeli occupation (written by Einat Weizman and Dareen Tatour anddirected by Ikuta Miyuki). Based on on-site workshops, the production conveys
the harshness of life in this land and the dignity of human beings. Natori alsopresented a repeat production (directed by Ikuta Miyuki) of Nicolas Billon’s
Butcher, which depicts inter-ethnic hatred, cruelty, and revenge with frightening intensity.
Plays advancing sharp indictments of the pain of war were David Haig’s My
Boy Jack (directed by Kamimura Satoshi and presented by Sunrise Promotion
Tokyo), portraying an upper-class British family whose son goes to fight in theFirst World War, and Stephen Metcalfe’s Strange Snow. The latter, directed by
Inaba Kae and presented by the Strange Snow Production Committee, addresses
the trauma of a soldier who has returned from Vietnam.

More and More Neighbors with Different Cultures
There were over 3.2 million foreign nationals living in Japan as of the end of June
2023—about fifty percent more than a decade ago. The presence of neighborswith different languages and cultures has become normal. At the same time, animmigration control system and administration that is neglectful of foreign residents’ human rights, as well as everyday frictions and discrimination, are deeprooted problems. Numerous works reflecting this reality were presented.
The main character of Hotel Immigration (written and directed by Shimori
Roba and produced by Theatre Office Natori) is a woman looking after a young
Cambodian man who is provisionally released from an immigration detention
facility. The arts company Setagaya Silk offered one new and one older work
written and directed by Horikawa Honoh: Factory (Kojo) and Not Visible in theNight View (Yakei ni wa utsuranai). Both plays are set in a factory employing
many foreign nationals. In Haiyuza Theatre’s Unending Night (Kono yoru wa
owaranu), written and directed by Ito Tsuyoshi, the characters include foreign
residents—men and women, young and old—studying at a nighttime junior069

high school.
In KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre’s End of the Rainbow Town (Nijimu machi
no hate), written and directed by Tanino Kuro, the cast includes ordinary residents of Kanagawa Prefecture. This is a follow-up to the 2021 play Rainbow Town
(Nijimu machi), which depicts people of diverse origins coming and going on arun-down back street lined with a coin laundry, eateries, and the like. The town
seems old and shabby, but the people live at a leisurely pace, and even coexist
with robots and have a connection with outer space. The production’s fantasticaland elaborate stage design was quite fun.
Okada Toshiki wrote and directed Chelfitsch’s The Window of Spaceship“In-Between” (Uchusen in between-go no mado), which was produced with agroup of actors whose first language is not Japanese. This sci-fi-style play about afour-person crew and one android roaming the universe in a spaceship was an
exciting experiment that shed new light on Japanese-language theatre, whichshares specific contexts within the unspoken.

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Accumulation and Continuity at the New National Theatre andthe Richness of Regional Theatre
The New National Theatre, Tokyo, which does not have its own theatre company,
has achieved impressive results in projects that involve substantial time andeffort, including the KOTSU-KOTSU Project, which explores theatrical works
for extended periods with no assumption that they will be staged, and the Full
Audition Project, in which entire casts are selected through auditions. Both projects are led by artistic director Ogawa Eriko. The masterpiece Angels in America,
written by Tony Kushner and directed by Kamimura Satoshi, was one of the stirring productions realized through the full audition system.
What will the New National Theatre accumulate and carry on as traditionsof the theatre? Director Uyama Hitoshi offered one answer to this question when
he was the theatre’s artistic director by presenting Shakespeare’s historical playswith a nearly unchanging group of actors and personnel starting in 2009. In acontinuation of this tradition, Measure for Measure and All’s Well That Ends Well070

were performed on alternating days in 2023. Some aspects of the plays, in particular the depiction of women, are quite out of step with contemporary sensibilities, but the performances, which were structured to portray solidarity among
intelligent women standing up to selfish men, were quite effective.
In the world of public theatre, remarkable productions were presented by
KAAT Kanagawa Arts Theatre, led by artistic director Nagatsuka Keishi. Amongthem was the Japanese-language premiere of The Vacuum Cleaner (Sojiki),
written by Okada Toshiki in 2019 for the Munich Kammerspiele in Germany.
The daily life of a family consisting of a father in his eighties, a hikikomori (shutin) daughter in her fifties, and an unemployed son in his forties is portrayed fromthe viewpoint of a vacuum cleaner. Through various innovations, such as a stage
set floor built in an extreme U shape, director Motoya Yukiko skillfully crafted astifling yet somehow comical household. This was followed by a succession ofimpressive productions including Arthur Miller’s The American Clock, directedby Nagatsuka, and the Korea-Japan co-production Three Sisters in the Colony(Gaichi no san shimai), with an adaptation and script by Sung Ki-woong anddirection by Tada Junnosuke. Jazz Daimyo, adapted for the stage from the novel

by Tsutsui Yasutaka (with a performance script by Fukuhara Mitsunori and
Yamanishi Tatsuya and direction by Fukuhara), is a delightfully entertaining
production in which the social conditions of the Bakumatsu period and the woesof a small feudal clan are wrapped in an unprecedented style of comedy. The
audience was enthralled by the play’s “theatre music,” which is unlike the musicin conventional musicals.
At Setagaya Public Theatre in Tokyo, Kyogen (traditional comedy theatre)
actor Nomura Mansai directed Hamlet in performances held in March. Mansai,
who was the theatre’s artistic director for twenty years and retired at the end of
March 2022 (succeeded by director Shirai Akira), had long been applying
Japanese classical forms in his staging of Shakespeare’s plays, and this production of Hamlet was the culmination of that endeavor.
Kani City Cultural Creation Center ala in Gifu Prefecture, which each year
disseminates throughout Japan the plays developed in its creation residency
program, presented Football Time (Football no jikan) in seven cities around thecountry. Marugame High School Drama Club in Kagawa Prefecture won the071

Grand Prize in the 2018 National High School Drama Competition for the original play (written by Toyoshima Noriko and the drama club members), which
Misaki Setoyama revised with additional elements and directed in the “ala” production. In the story, students at a Taisho-Era girls’ high school who studied freeof restrictions and enjoyed playing football (soccer) along with their young female
teacher are forced into the “good wife, wise mother” educational mold imposedby the new school principal. On the horizon of these young women who refused
to give up, Setoyama placed today’s world in which women are active as soccer
players and as photographers who document their matches—highlighting boththe social changes that have come about and the problems that women still face.

The Impact of Usagi, Nami wo Hashiru, and Theatrical Works ofStriking Originality
An individual play that made a major impact was NODA MAP’s A Rabbit Rides
the Waves (Usagi, nami wo hashiru), written and directed by Noda Hideki. With
Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan as central motifs, the issue of abductions by
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North Korea gradually emerges from a dizzying intersection of elements, including playwriting AI. Audience members were deeply affected by the irrationalityof the situation in which a nation’s crimes, and diplomatic powerlessness, perpetuate victims’ suffering, and by the steely determination and profound sorrow of amother waiting for the return of her daughter.
To Deliver Human Souls (Hitodama wo todoke ni), written and directed byMaekawa Tomohiro and produced by Ikiume, is a mysterious tale centered on awoman who heals physically and emotionally injured people deep in a forest.
Tsukikage Bangaichi’s Life in the Doldrums (Kurashi nazumu bakari de), written
by Fukuhara Mitsunori and directed by Kino Hana, depicted the reckless adventures of three drab fifty-somethings to exhilarating effect. The young creator
Kato Takuya wrote and directed Watako’s Entanglement (Watako wa motsureru),
which was produced by Takumi, and SIS Company’s Sometime (Itsuzoya wa). In
these productions, he demonstrated his powers in depicting the workings of thehuman heart in minute detail.
072

The iaku production Momonba’s Tie Trap (Momonba no kukuri wana),
written and directed by Yokoyama Takuya, portrays the relationships among amother, father, and daughter who lead a self-sufficient life in the mountains. The
play underlined the issue of so-called second-generation followers—children
bound by the religious beliefs of their parents.

Theatres in a Year of Milestones and Post-COVID Developments
Two artistic directors who led public theatres for many years have handed
the baton to younger successors. At Matsumoto Performing Arts Centre in
Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, director and actor Kushida Kazuyoshi (bornin 1942) has retired, and the theatre’s leadership structure has changed to athree-person artistic directors group, including Kinoshita-Kabuki director
Kinoshita Yuichi (born in 1985). At Za-Koenji Public Theatre in Suginami-ku,
Tokyo, playwright and director Sato Makoto (born in 1943) was succeeded by
playwright, director, and actor Shirai Keita (born in 1974).
Different approaches were used in appointing the new directors. In
Matsumoto, specialists prepared a report that evaluated the theatre’s achievements

and made recommendations for its continuation and development, and they
selected its new leaders through a committee process. Suginami-ku issued an
open call and selected the theatre’s new director from among seventy-four applicants. These methods, which gave transparency and sustainability to the theatres’
leader selection processes, will surely be referred to as examples going forward.
Among privately owned theatres, two theatres in Shibuya, Tokyo, marked
important milestones. It was the fiftieth anniversary of PARCO Theater, andthis important year was commemorated with outstanding plays, including the
aforementioned University of Laughs (Warai no daigaku), Rabbit Hole, by David
Lindsay-Abaire (directed by Fujita Shuntaro), and The Seafarer, by Conor
McPherson (directed by Kuriyama Tamiya).
Theatre Cocoon, which temporarily closed in April 2023 due to reconstruction of a neighboring building, focused on staging its own productions at othertheatres. At the new Theater Milano-za, in the Kabukicho area of Shinjuku,
Cocoon staged a succession of much-talked-about hit productions, including
Evangelion Beyond (original idea, composition, direction, and choreography by073

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui); Parasite, adapted from the Korean film of the same name(script and direction by Chong Wui Shin); and Kara Juro’s 1985 play A Cry fromthe City of Virgins (Shojo toshi kara no yobigoe), directed by Kim Soo-jin. At thehistoric Shinjuku Kinokuniya Hall, Cocoon presented a double bill consisting ofTennessee Williams’s The Glass Menagerie and Betsuyaku Minoru’s Fade Away,
Laura (Kienasai Laura), written as a sequel to the former. (Both were directed by
Watanabe Eri.)
While the COVID-19 pandemic greatly harmed the world of theatre, insome cases it also led to improvements. For example, more productions are
hiring understudies in case of a sudden illness in the cast, and understudies areclearly credited in programs. This is a positive development that also connects toimprovements in the working environment of theatre settings.
One of the large-scale initiatives currently in progress is the Eternal
Performing Arts Archives and Digital Theatre, which preserves a variety ofrecords in digital form. In addition to collecting materials provided by creatorsand theatrical organizations, the project is engaged in filming productions with
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fixed 8K stage cameras and also holding screenings of the films.
When 8K videos are projected on a large screen in real-life size, they makequite a strong impact. Audiences can experience what might be called a new kindof theatre viewing that is different from conventional stage broadcasts. In addition to their archival value, the films can be screened in regions where it is difficult to stage touring productions, and barrier-free support such as subtitles andaudio guides can be easily implemented, offering accessibility to a wider audience. All these features may lead to an increase in revenues. The development ofprojects opening up new possibilities for theatre seems to hold great promise.
Yamaguchi, Hiroko

074

Reporter for the Asahi Shimbun. Born in 1960, Yamaguchi joined the Asahi Shimbun
newspaper in 1983. In the course of her career, she has worked in its Tokyo, West Japan(Fukuoka), and Osaka offices as a reviewer and reporter in the field of cultural news, with aparticular focus on theatre. She has also served on the newspaper’s editorial board and as aculture and media editorialist. Yamaguchi is a part-time lecturer at Musashino Art University.
She is co-author of The Work of Ninagawa Yukio (Ninagawa Yukio no shigoto) (Shinchosha,2015).
(Translation: Valerie Frasier)Children’s and Youth Theatre

Progress amid the Chaos
Ota AkiraIn the world of children’s and youth theatre, as in other genres, 2023 could be
described as a battle with the post-Covid situation. Due to the impact of the pandemic, some students did not see the faces of their friends and others aroundthem without a mask for the entirety of their junior or senior high school years.
Quite a few children have become too accustomed to working out the distance
between themselves and others, or they have become unable to live life without amask, to the extent that they are resistant to others seeing their face. The things
that are so important in order to live alongside others in society have, since thepandemic, become transmuted within children into sources of anguish. I have075

witnessed this reality for myself.
As the national government has not stipulated a policy, all aspects of the
response have been left to the discretion of local governments or schools. Beingat the mercy of these decisions, the situation in schools is exhausting right now.
The novel coronavirus was at last recategorized as a Class 5 infectious disease(placing it on a par with diseases such as influenza and measles) on May 8, 2023.
Since then, those involved in this field have likely been able to start preparing
for performances based on pre-Covid norms. Theatre performances in schools
have returned to being long-awaited events for teachers as well as students. I
was particularly struck by how warmly they welcomed the artists. However, atthe same time, the fact is that a remarkable number of such performances werereported to have been postponed or canceled due not only to Covid but also to
the widespread outbreak of influenza. One factor behind this appears to be thatthe pandemic has created an atmosphere more conducive to the cancellationof events. Before the novel coronavirus emerged, schools sometimes opted to
instruct a whole class or school year to stay home to prevent the further spread
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of illness, causing large numbers of students to miss out on opportunities towatch performances, but it was rare for the performances themselves to be canceled or postponed. While the number of performances canceled or postponed
increased during the pandemic, the groups giving performances are rarely paida cancellation fee, which is a major blow to them. For example, all too frequently,
there are cases in which schools simply do not understand that postponing aperformance to the following fiscal year is effectively the same as a cancellation.
Although the national and local governments did, in a number of cases, consider measures to provide compensation or redress for such situations during
the pandemic, there are no such measures in place now that Covid has been
downgraded to a Class 5 disease, nor are any under consideration. It would thus
be fair to say that, in a sense, the conditions for staging theatre performancesin schools have actually worsened compared to the pre-pandemic situation. The
theatre company to which I belong is also increasingly requested to add a clause
to its contracts with schools, stating that the schools will not be required to pay
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a cancellation fee if the performance is unable to go ahead due to infectious
diseases or other unexpected events. When we are told that a school will notsign the contract without this clause, we have no choice but to accept it. There isa lot of food for thought here about problems with contracts, responses on the
ground in schools, and other such challenges, most of which cannot be resolved
by individual groups. As such, we might have to take the opportunity of having
discussions involving bodies such as the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology and the Agency for Cultural Affairs to raise the issues
on a broader scale.
At the same time, a project launched during the previous fiscal year by
Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education is providing a new ray of light for children’s and youth theatre. The Hands-on Activities for Smiles and Learning
Project (known during the previous fiscal year as the Make Children Smile
Project) provides public schools in the metropolis with opportunities to experience a diverse array of hands-on activities. Around 90% of public schools in themetropolis submitted applications to participate, choosing from a menu of morethan 200 hands-on programs that were divided into five realms: activities

involving working together to solve problems; activities that promote understanding of others and an inclusive society; activities focused on learning
through encounters with science and advanced technology; school visits by
Olympians and Paralympians; and activities that deepen the understanding ofarts and culture. Schools are hosting hands-on activities that cultivate in children a richness of spirit by fostering, among others, positive and cooperative
attitudes, communication skills, an understanding of others, curiosity and attentiveness, and intuition. Quite a few schools applied for programs with hands-on
activities that deepen the understanding of arts and culture, and one very significant result was an increase in the number of theatre performances at schools that
had never previously hosted them. Of course, one factor behind this was the factthat Tokyo Metropolitan Government covered all the associated expenses, soschools bore no financial burden. Nevertheless, the fact that we were able toincrease opportunities for performances in schools and have a large number ofchildren watch them will serve as highly persuasive evidence of the need for performing arts in school settings when it comes to discussions with both national077

and local governments. I cannot help but hope that this situation will continue.
This, then, was the environment in which various productions emerged in
2023, including both entirely new works and new revival productions. Prominent
among them were outstanding productions aimed at older teenagers.
Akita Ujaku & Hijikata Yoshi Memorial SEINEN-GEKIJO’s Tell Me Where
You Want to Go (Ikitai basho wo dozo) (written by Setoyama Misaki and directedby Otani Kenjiro) incorporated contemporary themes with the story of a highschool girl and an AI robot on a journey together to find an unknown placecalled Nera. Where do children want to go? This play encourages children topluck up the courage to take the first step toward wherever it is they want to go.
Theatre KOORO’s Sleeping Rabbit (Nemutte iru usagi) (written by
Kurumizawa Shin and directed by Takahashi Masanori) dealt with an attack on
a homeless man by Osaka teenagers in 2012. By regarding both the young assailants and the elderly man attacked as three-dimensional characters and painstakingly depicting their respective circumstances, the play highlights the fact that
this incident could have happened to anyone. Audience members cannot help
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but think that this case is closely connected to the systems in Japan that generateinequality and discrimination. This piece also serves to pose the question of how
people can make choices that prevent such incidents from occurring.
Other fruits of 2023’s theatrical harvest in this genre include Dora Theatre
Company’s Afterschool of the Red Nose (Makka na o-hana no hokago) (written by
Onishi Hiroki and directed by Otani Kenjiro), Tokyo Engeki Ensemble’s Run,
Melos, Run (Hashire merosu) (written by Dazai Osamu and directed by Koke
Yoshinori), and Theater Urinko’s Closet Q (Kurozetto Q) (written and directed by
Tanabe Tsuyoshi).
Next, I would like to highlight two plays in the puppetry genre. The first is
Puppet Theatre PUK’s Cat Runs (Neko hashiru) (written by Kudo Naoko andadapted and directed by Shibasaki Yoshihiko). The book on which it is based isso famous that it has, unsurprisingly, been staged by numerous professional andamateur puppetry groups and theatre companies. Worthy of note is the guest
appearance by an actor from La Clarté Puppet Troupe, making this production
078

a collaborative endeavor between well-established puppetry companies in east
and west Japan. Efforts to deepen exchanges between puppetry groups, forwhich Zenninkyo—Japan’s national association of dedicated puppet theatrecompanies—is playing a central role, are giving rise to new collaborative worksof this nature in a way that was hitherto unthinkable. This production seemed
to herald a breath of fresh air.
The other play I wish to mention in this genre is the Puppet Theatre
Toramaruza-produced Cherry Blossom Blizzard: The Rice Bowl Siblings Go on a
Trip (Sakura fubuki: Kyodai-jawan ga yuku) (written by Nakagawa Seiko anddirected by Kusunoki Tsubame). Although produced by Puppet Theatre
Toramaruza, which is located in the city of Higashikagawa, Kagawa Prefecture,
this play is a collaboration between two venerable puppetry companies from theKansai region, Kyoto Prefecture’s Kyogei Puppet Theatre and Osaka Prefecture’s
La Clarté Puppet Troupe. This performance, directed by Puppet Theatre
Tsubameya’s Kusunoki Tsubame, again evoked the sense of a new wind blowing
through the world of puppetry. Furthermore, the origins of this production canbe traced back to the playwriting course organized by the Japan Union of

Theatrical Companies for Children and Young People in 2015. At the time, thecourse was one of the organization’s centerpiece human resource development
programs. The play’s author, Nakagawa Seiko, participated in the course when it
was held in Kansai. I was also able to attend the play’s premiere, which took theform of a reading; even then, I thought it an outstanding piece that was goodenough to perform unchanged. The fact that this work has finally been staged atthe very heart of the puppetry world after all this time is in itself a dramaticdevelopment, and I was truly delighted to see that it had found life as the kind ofspectacular play at which puppetry excels. It has become a play that I hope as
many children as possible will encounter.
Another noteworthy piece in 2023’s crop of productions was MusicalCompany It’s Follies’ musical Baumkuchen and Hiroshima (Baumukuhen to
hiroshima) (script and lyrics written by Onishi Hiroki and directed by Isomura
Jun), a tale with fantasy elements that is based on the true story of a German whocame to Hiroshima as a prisoner of war and became the first person to make
Baumkuchen cake in Japan. While set against the backdrop of Hiroshima and079

war, which inevitably has dark and negative connotations, the characters’ cheeriness, the story’s progression, and the power of sweet treats all helped to turn thistheatrical production into a positive prayer for peace.
In the baby theatre genre, I would like to highlight Performance Company
to R mansion’s Wind’s Dream (Kaze no mita yume) (written and directed by
Dalija Acin Thelander). While it was not a new production, it was one I had been
waiting to see for a while as the pandemic had hindered opportunities to stage it.
Employing scenic designs on quite a large scale, the performance takes babies
and their family members on a journey into a special perspective on the world,
employing techniques that include meticulously calculated lighting and movement. In regard to the latter, this piece incorporated movements with the slow
tempo found in Japan’s distinctive theatrical forms of Noh and Kyogen, which I
felt matched the flow of time that is experienced by babies.
Finally, I wish to mention Shoshinz’s Knitting Nana (Amiami baachan)(written by Inoue Shiho and directed by Yanomi). Shoshinz is a theatre company
led by Yanomi, who has for some time been active in the field of physical comedy
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on the international stage. The costar in this two-hander was Theater CAN
Seigei’s Asano Kasane, someone with whom Yanomi has long wished to work.
The play tells the tale of an elderly lady with dementia and her daughter. While
not specifically positioned in the genre of theatre for children, the fact that thisproduction costarred Yanomi and Asano, who are both popular actors in thisworld, meant that children were conspicuous among the audience. And there wasplenty of laughter from the children and adults alike. I hope that this production
will enjoy a lengthy run as a comedy that children and their families can enjoy
with peace of mind.
While 2023 remained chaotic, marked by the failure to extricate ourselvesfrom the disruption of the pandemic, I believe it was thanks to the heroic efforts
of adults who were keen to reconnect children to the performing arts that wemanaged to ensure stage performances did take place. Although metrics, such as
the number of performances and audience figures, would suggest a considerable
recovery, one still cannot say that we have returned to the pre-Covid situation.
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However, the challenge that remains for us going forward is not to merely return
to how things were before but rather to address the need to expand children’s andyouth theatre into new forms.
Ota, Akira
Since joining Tokyo Engeki Ensemble in 1996, he has produced most of the company’s
productions. He has given many lectures and workshops as the director in charge ofdeveloping human resources at Japan Union of Theatrical Companies for Children andYoung 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 iscurrently a representative of the Japan Baby Theatre Network and vice chairman of theJapan-Korea Theater Communications Center.
(Translation: Eleanor Goldsmith)Japanese Classical Dance

Hope in the Possibilities of Nihon Buyo
Beyond the Needs of Preservation andTransmission
Hirano Hidetoshi

2022 was the last year of open applications to participate in the annual National
Arts Festival, which is sponsored by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Beginningin 2023, there was a new policy of only admitting productions produced by the
Agency for Cultural Affairs, and this was implemented in the National Arts
Festival, which was held from October 1 to November 26. But in practice, thismeant no more than including the usual presentations of such public entities as081

the New National Theatre, which emphasizes contemporary theater, opera andballet, the Japan Arts Council (National Theatre), which emphasizes traditional
performing arts, the Association of Japanese Symphony Orchestras and the
National Theatre Okinawa. Probably the fact that something that proclaims itself
to be an arts festival that represents the culture of Japan was carried out in such acheap and lazy way was because of cost cutting, and one cannot escape the conclusion that as far as working to support the culture of Japan, the Agency for
Cultural Affairs is not doing its job.
For the world of Nihon Buyo, the annual National Arts Festival has served asa testing ground to present both traditional works and new creations, and it has arecord of achievement over the 70 years that it was held. But the end of open
admissions meant a drastic reduction in the number of presentations produced
by individuals to compete in the National Arts Festival. This brought an abrupt
end to this accumulation of artistic achievement and creation. This is a matter ofdeep concern for the future of Nihon Buyo.

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Performances Commemorating the End of the Original National
Theatre Building
The National Theatre first opened in July 1966 and closed at the end of October
2023. All the performances produced by the National Theatre since September
2022 were labeled “Farewell to the First National Theatre.”
Among them were the following five performances of Nihon Buyo: The
World of Suodori — Breathing Life into Tradition and New Creation (March 18),
Traditional Japanese Dance and Music by Up-and-Coming Performers (April 22),
Masterpieces of Traditional Japanese Dance II (May 27), Traditional JapaneseDance for Adults and Accompanying Children (July 28) and Masterpieces of
Traditional Japanese Dance Ⅲ — The Finale of Fifty-Seven Years of Performancesof Traditional Japanese Dance at the National Theatre (August 11).
The artistic director of The World of Suodori was the Nihon Buyo critic
Marumo Yuka. She emphasizes suodori as “dance pieces created in the Showa(1926–1989) and Heisei (1989–2018) periods, based on classical buyo with a new082

sensibility.” But I believe that it is a mistake to regard the origins of suodori to bein the Showa and Heisei periods. I think the origins should be set in the 17th
century during the early Edo period in the kinagashi shosa (dance performed inordinary kimonos) that is described in the book Bukyoku Senrin (A Forest ofDances and Dance Fans). So in contrast to the stage art of kabuki, it was an art
form that could be performed in ordinary rooms. Without taking that into
account, it is impossible to think properly about the future direction of Nihon
Buyo. As is clear from Marumo’s definition of suodori as “fundamentally dancing
without a special costume,” she regards it as a modern art form, with pieces
created after it became a stage art, and there is no concept that it is dance performed in ordinary rooms in contrast to the stage art of kabuki. Based on this,
there is a distinctive concept in Japan of the body, and there is a tradition andcreation based on it. Suodori is unique to Nihon Buyo, and future directions will
come from that fact.
The Masterpieces of Traditional Japanese Dance series was a collection ofdances from the Showa and Heisei eras applying Marumo’s concept for suodori
to dances originating in kabuki Buyo as an art form that connects to the future.

New Challenges for the Nihon Buyo Association
On July 21, Nihon Buyo received the designation of being a Japanese Important
Intangible Cultural Property, and the Nihon Buyo Association established the
Nihon Buyo Preservation Association within it. On August 3, a general meetingto establish this group was held at Ginza Blossom. This is a new responsibility
for the Nihon Buyo Association, and this group will focus specifically on thepreservation and transmission of Nihon Buyo. It will be interesting to see how
it develops.
On January 15, the association held the annual All Schools of Nihon Buyo
Young Artists Dance Recital, which is the ultimate testing ground for young
Nihon Buyo dancers, and seven dances were presented. It is striking that forty
years ago, the same presentation had different matinee and evening programs foran entire week. While on one hand, you could say that in some ways the selection
has become more rigorous, on the other hand, this also reflects how small thepool of active young Nihon Buyo artists has become. I hope that there will be
projects to train Nihon Buyo artists on a much broader scale.

083

On February 11 and 12, the Nihon Buyo Association held its annual recitalin the Large Theatre of the National Theatre, which featured 20 dances. There
were no special projects sponsored by it, and it felt like a giant version of a danceteacher’s student recital. I would like to see some special projects aimed at thepreservation and transmission of Nihon Buyo. During June 3–5 at the Small
Theatre of the National Theatre, there was the Association’s annual presentationof a new Nihon Buyo piece by its group Mirai-za = SAI (The Theater of the
Future = Succession And Innovation). This was the group’s sixth production
Mai-Hime (The Dancing Girl), with the script by Saito Masafumi, staging by
Nishikawa Sen’yoichi, choreography by Fujima Etsuko, Hanayagi Shue andNishikawa Senmorihiko and with special instruction in Kyomai by Inoue
Yachiyo. The writer describes it as “the journey and growth as an artist of ayoung girl named Mai,” and “how Mai awakens to dancing, and going beyond
boundaries of time and space, she encounters the great artists of Nihon Buyoand eventually discovers the joy of doing her own dance.” In other words, it is astory of a young Japanese girl who meets famous dancers of the past, like
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Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto, Kaguya, Shizuka Gozen, Okuni, and a kabuki
onnagata female role specialist. At this point she returns to the present, meets ageiko and is led to a wonderful world of dance. Finally, she grasps the most profound secrets of Nihon Buyo and ecstatically performs a wild dance as a ceremony of celebration. However, I did not really feel a sense of the character’s
growing mastery of dance. This is a frequent problem with these new creations
by the association, and I feel that they need to consider their projects from thevery fundamentals and start with daily life and then work to lift the creation up
from that base.

Two Ambitious Programs at the Yokohama Noh Theatre
The Yokohama Noh Theatre is a public cultural organization in Yokohama city,which is near Tokyo. It has been producing programs of traditional Japanese performing arts, concentrating on noh and kyogen, as special programs titledSpecial Performances in Gratitude for the 28 Years Since the Opening of the084

Yokohama Noh Theatre on the Occasion of its Temporary Closing. On September
9, there was Special Performances Part 2: 600 Years of Ryukyu Performing Arts,
and on October 29, there was Special Performances Part 3: Nihon Buyo by Artists
Closely Related to the Yokohama Noh Theatre.
The first special program begins with the celebratory piece Ofu Omoro andthen continues along the line of historical development with the programs
Classical Performing Arts, Kumi Odori, Zatsu Odori, Okinawa Plays and New
Dances for a veritable picture scroll of Ryukyu Buyo. The second performancefeatured the dancers Mizuki Yuka and Fujima Etsuko, who have been closely
associated with the Yokohama Noh Theatre since its beginning. Writing about
Yuka, the producer of the program said: “They say that beautiful women are fearsome. I want to show that fearsome quality.” Regarding Etsuko, he said, “She hasa fresh, clean line to her art, and I want to bring that out.” Yuka performed therole of the wife Tamanoi in the familiar kabuki comic dance Migawari Zazen(The Zen Substitute), and Etsuko appeared as the old woman Mashiba, who isactually the demon Ibaraki, in the dance Tsuna Yakata (Watanabe Tsuna’s BattleCamp). In Migawari Zazen, Tamanoi discovers that her husband who claims hespends all night doing Zen meditation is actually going to see his lover and isgetting his servant to take his place by wearing a concealing robe. After Tamanoi
discovers the deception, she takes the servant’s place under the robe and listens
to her husband describe his night of love. In kabuki, Tamanoi is usually performed as broad farce, but when Yuka performed the role as a woman, rather
than a man playing a female role, she expressed the feelings that a woman would
have in this situation. This was indeed a masterful example of reinterpreting a
kabuki dance so that it would be a Nihon Buyo dance. Tsuna Yakata is based on
the story of Watanabe Tsuna cutting off the arm of the demon Ibaraki and going
into seclusion to prevent the demon from regaining its arm. But the demon
appears disguised as Tsuna’s beloved aunt Mashiba, the woman that raised him,
and he eventually lets her in. The dance ends with the demon triumphantly flying
off with its arm. Etsuko’s performance was powerful and was aided by theappearance of Hanayagi Motoi as Tsuna. Not only was it scary in all the rightplaces, as Mashiba, Etsuko also brought out the loneliness of an old woman on
her own, making it a performance truly worthy of a female Nihon Buyo per-085

former. These achievements, coming from a partnership between a regional
artistic organization and Nihon Buyo, are an example that other cultural institutions should watch and learn from.

Two Creative Productions
The first production was based on Neko no Shosa (Cat Dance), which was performed by the famous Edo period onnagata Mizuki Tatsunosuke as part of Shikino Gosho Zakura (The Four Seasons of the Imperial Palace Cherry). The Mizuki
school was named after this legendary kabuki onnagata and as a signature piece
for this school of dance had it recreated as the Kiyomoto piece Neko no Koi
Musundari ya Nehoregami (A Cat’s Love; No Sooner Consummated Than I Awake
with Tangled Hair) (Recital of the Tokyo Mizuki School, April 1, Large Theatre of
the National Theatre). The protagonist, Himematsu, while agonizing over her
desire for her older brother, hears a brother and sister cat making love noisily
outside. At first, she is jealous, but gradually her feelings grow more intense, andshe transforms into a cat. The highlight is her crazed, ecstatic dance when she is
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transformed into cat.
The second piece was a new dance by Umewaka Kanjiro, the Gidayu narrative musical piece Tsubakihime Dojoji (The Lady of the Camellias at Dojoji
Temple), which takes Violetta from the opera La Traviata, which is based on
Dumas’s novel, and puts her into the context of the Dojoji story about a womantransformed into a serpent through jealousy, (lyrics by Kazu Hajime, composedby Toyozawa Seijiro, Hayashi flute and percussion composition by Mochizuki
Choju and choreographed by Umewaka Kanjiro, April 7, Nihonbashi Gekijo). It
was a satisfying experience, with such elements as the Gidayu music, design,
lighting and stage setting combining to make it a comprehensive multimedia
stage piece. In particular, the sensuality of Kanjiro’s interpretation of the operatic
character and the almost eerie feeling of his dramatic performance brought out afresh attractive quality in the dramatization of the Dojoji story.

Fujima Naozo, a Very Active Newer Artist
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Fujima Naozo had a recital, The Third Naozo Recital (July 25, Small Theatre of the
National Theatre), which included two classics Ukarebozu (The Happy Begging
Priest) and Shunkyo Kagami Jishi (The Mirror Lion Dance) and one contemporary
piece, Sasori to Kaeru (The Scorpion and the Frog) (lyrics and choreography by
Fujima Naozo, composed by Kineya Fumiya and hayashi flute and percussion
composition by Yamaguchi Kotaro, Tosha Yukimaru and Mochizuki Kimiho).
This recital was supported by the activities of two groups, Reimei no Kai, agroup of young male Fujima school dancers, and Soten, a group of young traditional musicians. The contemporary piece was a repeat performance of a piececreated by Soten. Seeing the vigorous activity, using techniques derived from theexperience of learning and performing the classics, I look forward to seeing how
this will take off and soar for Nihon Buyo.

As Always, There Were Many, Many Commemorative Recitals
As the world of Nihon Buyo is now supported by the tradition of having schoolsof dance headed by iemoto and with succession often decided on a hereditarybasis, commemorative recitals marking successions to the position of iemoto,milestones of importance or the achievements of some artist of the past inevitably are a central part of the activities of Nihon Buyo. Whether that is good or bad
probably needs some examination.
By date, there was the Memorial Recital for the Sixth Anniversary of Ichiyama
Sho’o’s Passing: Ichiyama School Recital (April 22, National Theatre, Large
Theatre), Fujima Kikuho Dance Recital Commemorating Her 88th Birthday and60th Year as a Teacher (April 29, National Theatre, Large Theatre), Celebration of
90 Years Since the Revival of the Azuma School of Dance and in Memory of the
26th Year Since the Passing of Tokuho I: Azuma School Recital (May 28, National
Theatre, Large Theatre) and the Celebration of Fujima Hideka’s 90th Birthday:
31st Toyo Dance Recital (June 13, National Theatre, Small Theatre). All of thesewere gala events and had full houses.

The Bedrock of the Art of Nihon Buyo
It was good that this year the Konohana Recital, featuring the students of the late
Hanayagi Toshinami, who was designated a Living National Treasure, was held by087

her son, Hanayagi Kan’ichi (September 28, National Theatre, Small Theatre). Her
former students worked together to put on this recital as a memorial to her. Also,
some of Toshinami’s top students (Hanayagi Chizuhiko, Hanayagi Shue andHanayagi Sasakimi) presented the Sazanami Recital: A Collection of Choreography
by Hanayagi Toshinami (March 29, National Theatre, Small Theatre), which is asign of the magnitude of Toshinami’s contribution to the world of Nihon Buyo.

TopicsUnusually, there were very few presentations of Kamigata Mai in Tokyo. The only
striking examples were Kamigata Mai: Recital of the Yoshimura School
Commemorating the Name-Taking of the Soke Yoshimura Kisho and the 7th
Iemoto Yoshimura Teruyuki (August 13, National Theatre, Large Theatre) and the
Yoshimura Chihiro Mai Recital (October 21, Kioi Hall, Small Hall). It is particularly sad that the regular performances of Kamigata Mai at the National Theatre
have been canceled because many of its activities have been put on hiatus until
the theater is rebuilt. I would dearly wish that they could be continued, even if it
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means scheduling them at a different time of the year.
The groups that usually elicited commentary here, like Goyokai andKonokai, did not have particularly notable activities. This is probably because theyoung artists who have been active in these groups for so many years must now
act as leaders in their various schools of dance and in the institutions of Nihon
Buyo as a whole. However, there is some hope with the beginning of a recitalseries featuring Hanayagi Motoi and Fujima Etsuko (July 22, National Theatre,
Small Theatre).
The 2024 Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s
Art Encouragement Prize went to Ryukyu Buyo dancer Shida Maki. Living
National Treasure Nishikawa Senzo died on July 14.
Now, the Nihon Buyo Association will have the heavy responsibility ofensuring the preservation and transmission of Nihon Buyo. But the task offinding and training new talented performers cannot be done by the association
alone. It will probably require a major effort, bringing in mass media and giving
088

consideration to the various regions of Japan. There must be a strong stablesystem put in place to support Nihon Buyo, from the bottom to the heights ofartistic achievement.
Hirano, Hidetoshi
Nihon buyo (Japanese classical dance) critic. Born in 1944 in Sendai and graduated from thetheatre division of the literature department of Waseda University majoring in kabuki.
Worked for a publishing house as an editor for such periodicals as Okinawa Performing Arts,
the quarterly journal Folk Performing Arts, and the monthly magazine, Japanese Music andClassical Dance. To explore the art of physical expression, he became a critic and is a memberof advisory committees for institutions, including the Japanese Cultural Agency and theSociety for the Advancement of the Arts in Japan. In 2016, his book Critique: History ofJapanese Physical Expression—Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Period (Nihon Buyo-sha)
was published.
(Translation: Mark Oshima)

BalletFour Years into the Pandemic, the Ballet
Landscape Begins to Morph
Urawa Makoto

Before I discuss the Japanese ballet scene in 2023, I would like to touch briefly on
the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus was finally downgraded inJapan from Class 2 to Class 5 (a common infectious disease) three and a halfyears after it began to spread around the world in early 2020. Although the moveallowed people to take necessary measures at their own discretion, most theatres
had their disinfectant stalls in place even at the end of the year. I noticed thatroughly half of the people in the audiences were wearing masks. Before the pan-089

demic, I had never seen so many masks in a theatre—even during the peak of the
flu or hay fever season. This mask trend might become a new norm. Like all of us
did, professionals in the ballet industry used the last four years to think about
how to adapt to this new era. I am beginning to see new trends in the balletworld, and companies are moving in different directions.

A Shift in the Ballet Environment
Before going into the main topic, I want to review how the ballet environment
has changed in the last few years.
First, there are fewer theatres and halls. I have talked about this trend every
year in my column, but this year, we saw many more venues close: some for good,some for renovation, and some for extended reconstruction. The National
Theatre, which stages traditional Kabuki and Japanese dance shows, will beclosed for a long time; Nakano Sunplaza, once a famous landmark in the Nakano
area, shut its doors for good; Saitama Arts Theater, which had put on many contemporary dance productions, announced its temporary closure. Shinjuku
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Bunka Center and Nerima Culture Center were among the few remaining balletvenues, but they decided to close temporarily. These are just some examples in
the Tokyo metropolitan area. Some new, impressive venues have emerged outsidemajor cities, but on the other hand, some old, beloved venues in Yokohama,
Nagoya, and Kobe are also scheduled to close permanently or shut down for alimited period.
As a result, there is more competition among companies to secure venues.
Some can no longer use the venues that they have been using for a long time;some have to move their annual events to a different season. Those who choose apricier venue take on the financial burden. On the other hand, choosing a cheaper
option makes it harder for companies to keep their performance levels up to
standard, and they have also lost income because there are fewer seats to sell.
Next, I would like to address how public funding has affected the ballet scene.
Last year, the Agency for Cultural Affairs launched the Art Caravan, a grantscheme to help artists recover from the pandemic, rejuvenate communities with090

the help of key organizations in the area, and restore cultural demand. The major
companies in the Tokyo area are touring the country with Art Caravan support.
For these leading companies, the aid has had significant benefits. They have moreshows to perform, they are better off financially, and they can raise their profiles.
The program also presents a great opportunity for young dancers. However, noteverybody is happy about Art Caravan. It works well for some companies but notfor others. One issue is that the Agency for Cultural Affairs sets the bar for securing assistance higher. For example, one of their criteria is whether a recipientorganization can attract an audience or not, a condition that can widen gaps
within the industry even more. The bigger and the more influential the company,
the more likely it is to benefit from the scheme—but it will work against small,
mid-sized, and regional companies.
Moreover, small businesses and freelance workers must deal with the newly
introduced Qualified Invoicing System (a new tax regulation introduced in
October 2023 for dealing with multiple tax rates), which is a major disadvantage
for small ballet schools, freelance dancers, and theatre technicians.
The landscape of the ballet scene is slowly changing in this newenvironment. This shift is affecting not just ballet companies but also balletclasses around the country. Ballet studios have been providing talented dancers
to the ballet scene and supporting the scene financially. The number of students
is falling for a variety of reasons, including the country’s low birthrate, households’ worsening financial situations, increased competition in the educational
system, and less economic activity due to the pandemic. The younger generationis showing a stronger interest new dance styles such as breakdancing, which issoon to debut as an Olympic sport. The changing status of ballet companies andthe popularity of teachers can sway student numbers enormously. Some companies are starting classes for adults to attract more students, but the gaps in theindustry continue to widen. While some companies can afford to employ a live
orchestra for their student showcases, others are doing less showcasing or holding
them jointly.

Responding to and Overcoming the Pandemic
With this background in mind, I would like to discuss the ballet scene in detail.

091

The first topic is how people have responded to and overcome the pandemic.
One idea that ballet companies came up with under the COVID regulations
was to put on concert-style showcases of short pieces. They could avoid crowded
rehearsals if the show comprised solos and pas de deux, and the stage sets could
be very simple or done without altogether. They wouldn’t need to hire an
orchestra; they could use recordings instead. And even if they put together ateam of popular foreign dancers and Japanese dancers based abroad, it would
cost much less than a full ballet production with a live orchestra. Plus, they could
lower ticket prices.
I had already seen this trend in 2022, but it became even more apparent in
2023. It reached its peak in July and August, when schools were on summer vacation and ballet companies took breaks from their in-house productions. For
example, there were ten different concert-style shows for a total of twenty-three
performances from late July to mid-August in the Tokyo metropolitan area
alone. More than half of their titles included the words “Gala” or “Festival,” andthe productions had principal dancers from renowned foreign ballet companies
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BALLETsuch as the Paris Opera Ballet and The Royal Ballet, as well as the National Balletof Japan and other leading Japanese companies. Concert-style shows like theseare held throughout the year in various locations.
In fact, it was a joy to see popular dancers from abroad and young Japanese
dancers making their mark overseas. More than half of them performed pas dedeux, but some performed contemporary pieces or new original work. The shows
seemed to attract a good turnout.
I don’t mean to denigrate galas or festivals, but a proper ballet production
consists of two to four acts with its own full musical score. If ballet companies
continue to produce concert-style showcases that feature excerpts or require only
a handful of dancers, it will be difficult for corps de ballet or ballet companies
with troupes of dancers to survive—not only dancers but also ballet music andset design will be in danger.

The Classic Among Classics: The Sleeping Beauty
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However, I have seen another trend that alleviates my concerns.
One good example is the variety of productions of The Sleeping Beauty.
Sadamatsu-Hamada Ballet presented their version in September, K-BALLETTOKYO in October, The Tokyo Ballet in November, and Asami Maki Ballet
Tokyo in December. The Sleeping Beauty is considered “the classic among classics” because of its flamboyance and refinement. You need a tremendous amountof preparation and a proper system to put it on.
The fact that we are seeing so many companies stage this masterpiece provesthat the ballet companies have survived the worst of the pandemic and are
getting back on their feet. The companies that chose The Sleeping Beauty thisyear are all leading Japanese companies with their own policies and achievements, fully capable of putting on classics as well as contemporary pieces.
K-BALLET TOKYO’s version was directed by Kumakawa Tetsuya, The Tokyo
Ballet’s by Saito Yukari, and Sadamatsu-Hamada Ballet’s—a new or revised
version—by Sadamatsu Shoichiro. Asami Maki Ballet Tokyo meticulously
revived the version originally directed by Terry Westmoreland in a traditional
style. It was fascinating to compare these productions and their uniqueinterpretations with the original Marius Petipa version. To me, this is a gratifying, luxurious way to enjoy ballet.
Matsuyama Ballet, with their formidable track record, features Morishita
Yoko, who is still attracting many fans in her mid-70s. The company’s in-housechoreographer, Shimizu Tetsutaro, directed Giselle and Albrecht with a traditional structure and style but with added depth and range. I saw many othercompanies in the regions tackling full ballet productions, which made me feel
hopeful for the future.

Ambitions of The Tokyo Ballet and K-BALLET TOKYO
I didn’t see any major new productions by the National Ballet of Japan this year,
but they had a balanced program of classic and contemporary work with anincrease in the overall number of shows. The Tokyo Ballet made their first foreign
tour (of Australia) since the pandemic began. K-BALLET added “TOKYO” totheir name to make it clear to the world where they are based. These companies
were very prominent this year with their satisfying programs, and they seemed093

eager to fulfil their ambitions.
Tani Momoko Ballet began using online platforms to promote their dancers
and attract audience. The Inoue Ballet Foundation, NORIKO KOBAYASHI
Ballet Theatre, Ballet Chambre Ouest, Tokyo City Ballet, Star Dancers Ballet, andNBA Ballet Company are all beginning to develop their own styles, making useof their local characteristics. Japan Ballet Association, the central organization
for ballet dancers, continued to provide opportunities for their members topresent classics or create new work, as it always does. Hagiwara Seiichi, a choreographer active all over the country, is putting on ballet recitals, one of them featuring the life of Charlie Chaplin. Yamato City Ballet, which produces unique
new work every year, presented Giselle in two acts; the first act in the contemporary style and the second in the traditional style. The company is very ambitious
to create new, full-scale work.

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Prominent Ballet Companies in Nagoya: Ochi International Ballet,
Matsuoka Reiko Ballet, and Theatre de Ballet Company
In the Kansai region, Sadamatsu-Hamada Ballet, the longstanding Homura
Tomoi Ballet Company, Jinushi Ballet Company—which ploughed a new furrowwith the classic Coppelia—and Ryuko Arima Ballet in Kyoto are all looking
prominent. The relatively new Ballet Company West Japan also gained attention
for their new interpretation of Raymonda.
It was a good year for the ballet scene in Nagoya. The well-established Ochi
International Ballet, with their long tradition, presented a revised version of Le
Corsaire for the first time in a quarter of a century. One of the leading companies
in the area, Matsuoka Reiko Ballet, did a gorgeous double bill of Soirée de Ballet(a masterpiece by the late Fukagawa Hideo, who died three years ago) and Giselle.
Theatre de Ballet Company has also been putting on Fukagawa’s work as well asother contemporary productions, while Setsuko Kawaguchi Ballet has been
showcasing their interesting style with new, original work. Sumina Okada Ballet
094

Company has been consistently presenting full-length ballet productions. Sassa
Chieko Ballet Company had great success with their revival of Love andRevolution – from Les Misérables. Yukari Ballet presented Carmina Burana, amasterpiece choreographed by Sata Tatsue. Sasabe Kayo presented a Fukagawa
piece for the first time. This region is finally coming back to life, returning to its
pre-COVID state.
At the end of the year, there were two productions of The Nutcracker withlive orchestral accompaniment in major cities in Japan’s southern and northernreaches. In Fukuoka, far to the south, Sugai Ballet Studio gave their productionin Hakataza Theater as part of Hinoki Stage Month for Citizens project, whereresidents can use the stage for presentations. In the northern city of Sapporo, theproduction was hosted by hitaru (Sapporo Cultural Arts Theater) and choreographed by Masako Senda, a prominent figure on the Sapporo dance scene. The
three performances attracted a large audience.
It was very difficult to invite artists from overseas due to a mix of factors,
including the pandemic, the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, the conflict
between Israel and Hamas, and the weak yen. However, the National Ballet ofUkraine (the former Kyiv Ballet) performed in Japan in the summer and at theend of the year. The Royal Ballet and the Hamburg Ballett also performed inJapan and featured notable appearances by Japanese dancers.
The number of dancers entering ballet competitions is dropping these daysfor various reasons similar to those I mentioned above. However, young dancers
are showing an eagerness to go abroad, and more and more of them are seeking
scholarships and recommendations for schools overseas.
Urawa, Makoto
Born Ichikawa Akira, Urawa Makoto is a former professor of the Faculty of Business
Administration and Corporate Culture at Shoin University and a former advisor to the dance
sector of The Association of Public Theaters and Halls in Japan. He has contributed to various
newspapers and magazines as a dance critic. In addition to serving as a long-time committee
member for the Agency for Cultural Affairs and other bodies, Urawa has also been on the
judging panels for various dance competitions and awards.
(Translation: Ishikawa Mai and Donncha Crowley)

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CONTEMPORARY DANCE and BUTOH

Contemporary Dance and Butoh

As Wrongs Are Revealed Throughout Society,Indifference to Power and Protocol Means
Dance Remains Uncorrupted
Tsutsumi Hiroshi

The year 2023 saw an array of wrongs laid bare before society at large, withnear-daily media reports on allegations of sexual abuse by Johnny Kitagawa,founder of Johnny & Associates, Inc. (now SMILE-UP); an attempted joint
suicide by Ichikawa Ennosuke and his family as a result of reporting on sexualand power harassment allegations; and stories about bullying, power harass096

ment, and overwork at the Takarazuka Revue. The systems and structures of theentertainment industry, so strict in its artistic requirements, were judged to be
outdated conventions that infringe on human rights. Many similar scandals
were uncovered in the economic and political spheres. What about the world ofcontemporary dance?

Questioning the Japanese Approach to the Artistic Director System
Kanamori Jo’s new memoir Dance Company of Struggles (Tatakau buyodan) laidbare the current situation of Noism, the company for which Kanamori acts as
artistic director. Noism was formed in 2004 as Japan’s first dance company witha permanent residency at a theatre—specifically, the Ryutopia Niigata City
Performing Arts Center. The company seemed to be sailing before the wind, constructing methods, training dancers, and presenting original works to the world.
Kanamori, however, describes a history of clashing with aimless administrationand governance as Noism rose from a starting point without enough people,
equipment, or money to become part of the city’s cultural policy.
This year, Kanamori staged Der Wanderer (Sasuraibito), which put theindividuality of the company’s members to use in its choreography, and premiered the double bill “Domain” (Ryoiki), consisting of Floating Field, commissioned from external choreographer Futami Kazuyuki, and Silentium, a duo
work by Kanamori himself. Kanamori also restaged Oni, a collaboration withthe taiko group Kodo, and presented the world premiere of the completed
Kaguyahime, a Japanese grand ballet commissioned by the Tokyo Ballet andpresented act by act over three years. Kaguyahime’s apt concept combined
lyrical music by Debussy with abstract, simple costumes and sets in a mannerthat won much acclaim from audiences. The Tokyo Ballet is currently considering overseas performances.
For many years, Japanese public theaters appointed as artistic directors
charismatic figures of the theater who then proceeded to operate in a privileged,
top-down way. Recently, however, bottom-up initiatives rooted in local communities are attracting attention, and it is becoming more common for dancers toaccept directorships. We are witnessing the beginning of an effort to establish aJapanese approach to the artistic director system that is open to and can coexist

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with society and regional communities.
Teshigawara Saburo serves as artistic director at the Aichi Prefectural Art
Theater, where he holds workshops and takes an active role in training dancers
within the community. Teshigawara was joined at the premiere of his new piece
Waltz by Sato Rihoko and Javier Ara Sauco, and together the three danced their
way with delicacy and freedom through countless classics of the waltz form. The“drawing dance” Moonlight Painting (Gekkoga) was a duo with Sato based on
Haniya Yutaka’s novel Dead Spirits (Shirei). In this work, a font of surrealistic
imagery seamlessly transitioned to dance, accompanied by projected footage ofTeshigawara himself drawing repeatedly on the same sheet of paper. In Rimbaud
Poems: From A Season in Hell to Illuminations (Ranbo shishu: Jigoku no kisetsu
kara Iryuminashion), Teshigawara performed alongside Alexandre Riabko, Ara
Sauco, and Sato. The dancers stepped in and out of the pages of a gigantic book,lithely and toughly extending the improvisational movements developed throughTeshigawara’s unique methods. The Update Dance series at Karas Apparatus,
Teshigawara’s base of operations, also reached more than 100 pieces, revealing an
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endless creativity reminiscent of a perpetual motion machine.
The Saitama Arts Theater has been undergoing renovations since October
2022, so the Condors, led by artistic director Kondo Ryohei, performed Pop Lifeat Saitama Hall instead. Despite the reclassification of Covid-19 from a Class 2 toa Class 5 infectious disease, gloom continues to reign both within Japan andaround the world, with issues ranging from rising prices to the war in Ukraine—
but Kondo decided to go in a pop direction all the same. Named after a song by
Prince, Pop Life was a fun, pop performance on a stage adorned with colorful
balloons. With the Saitama Arts Theater unavailable, Kondo also launched theSaitama Kaiyu project, traveling around the prefecture to uncover its diverse cultural resources. The reopening of the theater in 2024 will be marked by thestaging of a commemorative piece called Saitama Kaiyu Special Bumper Issue!
(Saitama kaiyu tokudaigo!)
At the Matsumoto Performing Arts Center, three artistic co-directors
began their joint term in April 2024. The co-director with responsibility for098

dance will be Kurata Midori, leader of the akakilike dance company and known
for her emphasis on co-creation with everyday people from various walks of life.
This year, Kurata unveiled Please applause when the conductor appears (Shikishaga detekitara hakushu o shite kudasai) at the Saitama Triennale 2023. To create
this work, she put out a call for people who had quit ballet, then turned thestigma lingering in their hearts and their contemporary realities into scenes.
The sheer cost of ballet in Japan forces many people to give it up against theirwill, and this piece gathered up that abandoned love of the art and unfolded it
for the audience.
Umeda Hiroaki, in-house choreographer at Yokohama Red Brick Warehouse No. 1, continued his educational outreach initiatives and socially inclusive
activities such as choreography workshops and “posture classes” for the generalpublic. In the field of creative performance, he premiered both Moving State,
which shares a uniquely conceived dance method called the Somatic Field
Project, and assimilating, a new solo work. He also directed Choreograph, an
installation demonstrating a fusion between dance and digital technology.
France-based Ito Kaori was appointed director of the TJP, Centre

dramatique national de Strasbourg – Grand Est. Under her direction, the TJP isdevoting great effort to connecting with people of all generations in regional
areas under the guiding concept of kintsugi, the Japanese method of mending
broken ceramics.
In Japan, Ito staged two original works. In An upside-down world(Sakasama no sekai), created based on ideas from children, she worked withchildren from Yokohama’s Chinatown, putting on a cheerful performance that
seemed to overturn the toybox through constant contact between the audienceand the cast and staff, eliminating any separation between them. Jankenpon wasa mobile outdoor show filled with the spirit of play, taking place simultaneously
at multiple locations around the Odawara Art Foundation’s Enoura Observatory, established by contemporary artist Sugimoto Hiroshi. Ito led the audiencefrom place to place as the play progressed, concluding with a dance overflowing
with the spirit of freedom performed on the observatory’s glass Noh stage withthe seascape as backdrop.
099

Realities and Fictions of the Body
Society conforms to systems and structures, but contemporary dance is different.
It has no set forms and preserves no vested interests. It may be that corrupt structures are simply unlikely to arise in spaces where creation involves confrontation
with the realities of individual bodies and talents on each specific occasion. In
2023, many dance works were also notable in their adoption of a kind of fictionality, as if to stand in opposition to reality.
Kitamura Akiko, known for many past international collaborations, premiered two pieces based on fieldwork. In Echoes of Calling –rainbow after–, she
collaborated with a traveling performer called a bakhshi from Uzbekhstan, asinger in the traditional sean-nós style from Ireland, and a dancer from Ethiopia.
In a rubble-like set reverberating with a low, drone-like sound, the dancers
received the words of a shaman, repeated them until they became onomatopeia,
and converted them into bodily movements used for communication. Their
dancing in rainbow light seemed to recount aspirations for world peace. Meanwhile, Kitamura’s Soul Hunter was a collaboration with Magenta, a young artist
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from the Philippines, based on the legend of a hunter who went into the forest
and never came back after possessing the spirit of a deer he meant to make his
prey. Elite dancers exchanged nimble animal movements, depicting the reality ofanimism and shamanism in the present day.
Kuroda Ikuyo revived YSee, her dance interpretation of American singersongwriter Joanna Newsom’s album Ys. Ide Shigehiro (idevian crew) joined her
for the project, and a newly added duet for Ide and Kuroda, “Clam, Crab, Cockle,
Cowrie,” made a fresh impression with its innocent depiction of the relationshipbetween the protagonist and her protector.
Suzuki Ryu choreographed and directed Rain, a work produced by Karatsu
Eri of DaBY. Based on the Somerset Maugham short story of the same name,Rain featured a lead performance by Yonezawa Yui—a principal of the National
Ballet of Japan, and its greatest actor—along with an installation-like set bycontemporary artist Omaki Shinji and stereophonic sound by musician evala.
This ensemble came together to present a dance that was gripping and palpable100

in its symbolic depiction of a story-world also sharing elements with the Covid19 pandemic.
Nakamura Yo presented dance dramas reflecting her unique understandingof gender. f Macbeth offered scenes from a contemporary perspective with a focus
on words from the titular Shakespeare play that begin with the letter f. Thus, thestruggle for the throne became a game of musical chairs, with “fair” or “foul”
judged using triangular hand flags as if at a sporting event. When a game of catch
between Banquo and his son is inherited by the heirless Macbeth, he soon runsout of people to play with, bringing the game to an end. Foul becomes fair as thework reaches a climax in which broccoli stands in for Birnam Wood. This creative approach, which involves reading the original work critically, flexibly incorporating ideas into the site of performance, and playing the results through to aconclusion, was also on display in Nakamura’s Roots in Orlando (√Orando),
based on the novel by Virginia Woolf.
Iwabuchi Teita Body Map premiered Alien Mirror Ballism, in which dancers
embodying Iwabuchi’s amoeba body method flexibly handled the scenes while
musician Nukata Masashi confronted them with simple percussion. In theclosing section, the simple rhythm patterns and phrases heated up like progressive rock, building to a unique dance groove.
Kaori Seki Co. Punctumun’s Mi toto matatakima iremono was a dramatic
examination of the extremes of bodily possibility. The work had no concrete
story, set roles, or dialogue. Dancers switched their acting on and off as they
entered and left the acting area, calmly proceeding through subtle movements.
The audience supplemented the scenes with their imagination. When the dancers
suddenly stopped, let water drip from between their legs, and then started
walking again as though nothing had happened, the effect gave the distinct
impression of observing animals in their natural habitat. One scene, in which a
device on a woman’s back ruptured immediately after she started running, uponwhich she collapsed in a spray of blood as if shot, was especially vivid.
Dramatic bodies momentarily rose only to disappear again. Artistic expression designed to provoke the audience has evolved to a new level.
Nakama Ayaka premiered The Odoriba Legend (Odoriba densetsu) at Kyoto
Experiment 2023. In this work, she dances the history of the Kansai dance scene

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during Japan’s economic bubble, based on her own research and wearing a
costume of her own making. A temporary venue was constructed for the performance on the former site of a municipal housing development in Kyoto, andNakama incorporated the swaying of leaves and branches in the wind and therecently passed squalls into her movements, sharing a genuine experience at thatplace and time with the audience.
ChatGPT, launched the previous year, proved the forerunner of a generative
AI boom in 2023. One work that responded to this was contact Gonzo andyang02’s jactynogg zontaanaco. In this piece, a Segway and autonomous groundvehicle (AGV) equipped with live cameras by contemporary artist yang02
roamed freely throughout the venue, and the images they captured were translated into text and read aloud by AI. However, faced with contact Gonzo’s performance, which involves improvisatory physical collisions in a manner that recalls
wrestling or hand-to-hand fighting, the AI verbalizations were unable to keeppace. The result was repeated mistranslations, sometimes interspersed withremarkably literary phrases. The performance heated up violently, seeming to
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suggest that the body will be humanity’s last fortress.
Germany-based Kaido Chikako came to Japan to premiere two new works.
What we have lost (Watashitachi ga ushinatta mono) was a male/female duet
about what was lost during the Covid-19 pandemic, depicting a series of bizarre
actions, performed with everyday household items during voluntary lockdown,that gradually render the actors genderless. One Morning in Nara (Nara no aru hi
no asa) was a solo piece for a male dancer about the man who shot former Prime
Minister Abe Shinzo. While singing the Yiddish folk song “Papirosn,” the dancer
put on a performance that laid bare the darkness in the hearts of children following their parents’ religions and uncovered the brooding passions, transcendingtime and national divisions, of those who have been abused.
Amagatsu Ushio’s Sankai Juku staged the world premiere of their latest
work, Totem: Void and Height (Totem: Shinku to takami). Inspired by Nakanishi
Natsuyuki’s set design, the stage had a towering transparent totem at its center,with four spaces around it divided by a cross. In the past, Sankai Juku has pre102

sented many works that depicted ancient history or the vastness of the universe
and then concluded with a group dance of the entire cast in harmony withnature. This work did not follow this pattern; instead, it presented discord andconfusion and ended with solo scenes by young dancers accompanied by noise.
At the curtain call, Amazing Grace was heard. A totem is a symbol of a particulargroup or tribe, but this work symbolically depicted the divisions faced by thecurrent world.
＊
For better or worse, contemporary dance does not bend to power or protocol,
which allows it to avoid corruption and continue to evolve. Its main focus is on
harnessing the creative powers and talents of the artists involved, and pieces aresupplemented by the imagination of the audience. The promise of spaces for free
expression survives.

Tsutsumi, Hiroshi
Born in 1966 in Kawasaki. Graduated in theatre studies at the Department of Literature at
Bunka Gakuin. Worked as an editor of Art Vision art magazine, Apo entertainment information
magazine, Engeki Bukku (Theater Book) theater magazine, and Serifu no Jidai playwrightmagazine, and as a publisher of Bacchus performing arts magazine, before going freelance.
Has covered a wide range of performing art genres, including small theatre, shingeki-style(modern realism) theatre, underground (Angura) theatre, commercial theatre, traditional
theatre, and dance scenes, and produced many special features. Edited The Flying Dangoro
Party in the Sky: “Rebirth of Acharaka” (Sora tobu kumo no ue Dangoro ichiza: “Acharaka
saitanjo”), Performing Arts in Germany Today, and Peter Brook’s The Road to “Battlefield,” among
other works.
（Translation: Matt Treyvaud）

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TELEVISION DRAMAS

Television Dramas

Looking Beyond
the Make-or-Break Gambit of Vivant
Kimura Takashi

The Hit Drama That Told One Woman’s Life Story—Five Times
As 2023 began, the TV drama world was still absorbing the shock of silent (Fuji
TV). Broadcast in autumn 2022, silent still boasts the highest streaming figuresof any television program to date and was particularly well received by theyounger audience segments that are proving so challenging to the industry. Its
lessons will surely be adopted as new guiding principles.
104

Scripts that emphasized conversational dialogue over eccentric characterization and shocking twists, direction that brought out not only psychological depth
but also details of sound and set design, using places and objects as they truly
are—the influences of silent were evident throughout 2023’s crop of dramas. To
the above list, we might also add a willingness to entrust both script and direction to relatively young talents around the age of thirty.
Some 70% of the winter season’s dramas, which began broadcasting inJanuary, were original stories, but by far the most popular was Rebooting(Burasshu appu raifu, NTV), which begins with protagonist Kondo Asami (AndoSakura) dying in a car accident at the age of 33 and facing reincarnation as a
giant anteater. Kondo decides to do her life over instead to earn a human rebirth,
kicking off a story with plenty of room to breathe, as might be expected from ascript by comedian Masuno “Bakarhythm” Hidetomo.
Repeating life over and over is a standard concept in content aimed atyounger audiences, but Rebooting added unique elements: starting over as a baby
while retaining memories, for example, or building up good karma to makewishes come true. The idle conversations between Ando and costars Kaho andKinami Haruka were as endlessly engaging as the skillfully incorporated references to songs and products popular in various decades. By the end of the series,
Kondo has lived her life five times over. With the addition of Mizukawa Asami,
the series established a quartet of actresses who created a moving depiction offriendship, resulting in a fantasy for a new age, combining a free, daring vision
with an intricate and sensitive approach.

Three New Drama Slots for the Second Year Running
Moving on to the spring drama season that began of April, one point worth
noting is the addition of three new broadcast slots: the ABC Productions slot on
TV Asahi at 10 p.m. on Sundays, the Kansai TV Productions slot on Fuji TV at
11 p.m. on Tuesdays, and the slot on NTV from 12:30 a.m. Saturday morning.
This is the second spring in a row that three new slots have been added—a steadyincrease that reflects the vital role that commercial broadcasters have allotted toTV dramas in their future business plans. With declining broadcast revenues
now an inevitability, the hope is that income from streaming will pick up the105

slack. This is expected to include income from advertising on free streaming services, membership fees from broadcaster-owned paid streaming services, licensing fees from overseas streaming, spin-offs, and more.
One spring drama that took hold of the discourse in an unusual way was
Even If You Don’t Do It (Anata ga shite kurenakute mo, Fuji TV). As might be
expected from a story that focused on the issue of sexless marriages this series
found a large audience, who enjoyed it secretly via streaming services. Its 54.81
million total streams on TVer during its three-month run were enough toachieve a tie for first place with the summer smash Vivant.
Even If You Don’t Do It won over this audience with a thoughtful and sustained exploration of the psychological state not only of Yoshino Michi (Nao)and Niina Makoto (Iwata Takanori), whose sexual advances are rebuffed bytheir partners, but also those partners themselves, Yoshino Yoichi (NagayamaEita) and Niina Kaede (Tanaka Minami). Instead of provoking with incendiarysex scenes and sparring women, the story aroused empathy through grounded
depictions of human suffering, desperate searches for light amid the darkness,
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and poignant monologues. The creative team on Even If You Don’t Do It also
produced the hit drama Hirugao: Love Affairs in the Afternoon (Hirugao:
Heijitsu gogo sanji no koibitotachi) nine years ago, and although the new series
was based on a popular manga, it showed the influence of silent clearly in its
imagery and details.

A Hit That Defied Genre Classification
Turning to the summer drama season, which began in July, it seems fair to saythat Vivant (TBS) stole the show. With Vivant, Fukuzawa Katsuo was shooting astory of his own creation for the first time, and for the occasion, he assembled anall-star ensemble of 44 actors, a total cast and staff of 250, and some 3,000 headsof livestock for a shooting schedule that included two and a half months on location over a thousand-kilometer stretch of Mongolia. Over the course of the series,
sparks flew from clashes between first-class actors like Sakai Masato, Abe
Hiroshi, and Yakusho Koji; vast deserts were crossed by camel; and cars crashed106

by the dozen in extravagant set pieces—and it was all captured in imagery ofsuch urgency that it seemed palpably present to the viewer.
One reason Vivant’s story proved such a surprise was the production’s
unusual PR strategy. Nothing at all was revealed about the drama’s characters,
themes and goals, or even genre before the series began, and the full picture did
not even begin to become clear until halfway through the story. This was theexact opposite of the approach of the simple morality plays represented by earlier
works by Fukuzawa like Naoki Hanzawa (Hanzawa Naoki) and Downtown
Rocket (Shitamachi roketto), and creating a mystery so complete that it obscured
even the genre to which Vivant belonged proved a powerful strategy for capturing viewer interest.
New riddles and hints continued to appear throughout Vivant’s broadcast,and the production’s practice of openly encouraging theories and speculation
through its official X (formerly Twitter) account was another reason for theshow’s growing popularity. During the six days between each broadcast, theaccount would reply to theories and share behind-the-scenes stories, establishinga dialogue that kept Vivant a topic of discussion for the entire week.

The Monetization Strategy That Justified ¥100 Million per Episode
The length of Vivant’s installments also set the industry abuzz. Of the ten episodes, fully six were “expanded specials,” more than the standard 54 minutes inlength. (Specifically, these were episode 1 at 108 minutes; episodes 2, 9, and 10 at
79 minutes; and episodes 3 and 5 at 69 minutes.) The total volume was effectively
equal to 13 regular-sized episodes. This was not simply a matter of size; itreflected the production’s uncompromising pursuit of story continuity andintrigue, with visible traces of cooperation from the network’s programming andsales departments.
Each episode of Vivant reportedly cost ¥100 million to make, some three orfour times the usual cost of a domestic drama. This too reveals not only theintensity and passion tangible throughout the production but also TBS’s serious
intent to find new revenue sources via streaming—including outside Japan’sborders. Given the limitations of a business model reliant on Japan-only television broadcasts and the possible profits to be earned overseas, global content
must be created in a new way, with an approach more akin to a production

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company than a traditional television network. Vivant felt like a challenge to theentire Japanese television industry.
Notwithstanding comments from producers at other networks about theinability of competing on budget grounds, it is a fact that certain aspects ofVivant cry out to be emulated. Vivant was successfully monetized in a multifaceted way—not just through broadcasts and streaming but also through new paid
signups and fewer cancellations at U-NEXT, broadcasts of last-minute specials,
paid fan meetings that could also be joined online, sales of merchandise of every
kind (with new items released by the week), location tours created in collaboration with travel companies, and even hints of a sequel. In short, Vivant demonstrated one way in which drama production companies can earn production
costs and profits from a variety of sources, avoiding overreliance on broadcast
revenue alone.

NHK Gets Serious: Two Ambitious Series in One YearThe biggest splash during the autumn drama season, which began in October,
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was made by Ooku: The Inner Chambers, Season 2 (NHK G). Season 1 of thestory had been broadcast in the winter season of the same year, starting inJanuary—no small feat given that both were period pieces with all the attendant
challenges around costuming, art direction, and coaching actors in everythingfrom language to gestures. The story covered the majority of the 250-year Edo
period, depicting multiple generations of shoguns and their lives, making it thekind of monumental accomplishment that only NHK, with its wealth of people,
money, and time, could pull off. Unfortunately, however, minimal recognition inits broadcast slot and the low penetration of streaming app NHK Plus meant thatthe number of actual viewers was relatively small for such a widely praised work.
Fuji TV has depicted the same “inner chambers” of the Edo shoguns in semiregular dramas for decades now, but the 2023 NHK Inner Chambers was a dramatization of Yoshinaga Fumi’s manga, which adds a new gender-swapping twist
to the theme. In Yoshinaga’s story, a deadly disease called the “redface pox,”
which only affects men, spreads throughout Japan, devastating the male popula108tion and forcing a series of women to reign as shogun. This might sound farfetched, but each episode made the story feel more plausible. Not only were thedepictions of people and events true to history, the script and direction imparted
an exquisite realism to the anguish and interpersonal bonds of the female
shoguns and those around them.
Several fantasy-based works stood out in 2023. As well as the aforementioned Brush Up Life, there was Why Didn’t I Tell You a Million Times? (100mankai ieba yokatta, TBS), Pending Train (Pending Train: Hachiji nijusanpun,
ashita, kimi to, TBS), and Ya Boy Kongming! (Paripi Komei, Fuji TV). The Inner
Chambers, however, which is delicately balanced between fact and fantasy, stoodhead and shoulders above the rest in terms of quality.
The Inner Chambers was also just one example of a notable tendency among
this year’s TV dramas of exploring the bonds between women across differencesof age, background, and social standing. Alongside, once more, Rebooting, otherdramas meeting this description included At Least on Sunday Night (Nichiyo no
yoru gurai wa . . ., ABC), 18/40: Unbreakable Bond of Dreams (18/40: Futari nara
yume mo koi mo, TBS), and Sexy Tanaka-san (NTV). Women are the main targetviewership for TV dramas, particularly on weekday nights, and there are many
actresses with both the acting chops and the star power to carry such major roles;
for these and other reasons, this trend looks set to continue.

Dramas That Took Chances
Even aside from the series mentioned above, 2023 was a year of challenging TV
dramas with a striking willingness to take chances. Examples include War of
Traps (Wana no senso, Kansai TV), starring Kusanagi Tsuyoshi in his first commercially broadcast serial drama lead in six years; Reversal Orchestra (NTV),
about the struggles of a second-rate orchestra; unknown (TV Asahi), a mysterious romantic suspense about vampires; Wave, Listen to Me! (Nami yo, kiite kure,
TV Asahi), showcasing Koshiba Fuka’s fully committed machine-gun delivery;
Passion for Punchlines (Da ga, jonetsu wa aru, NTV), in which idols reenacted
the lives and manzai comedy of Wakabayashi Masayasu and Yamasato Ryota;
Cinderellas of Midsummer (Manatsu no Shinderera, Fuji TV), an ensembleromance perfect for summer beaches; Hayabusa Fire Brigade (Hayabusa

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shobodan, TV Asahi), an extended mystery about unsettling incidents and conspiracies in a rural town; One Day: Wonderful Christmas Ado (One Day: Seiya no
karasawagi, Fuji TV), which devoted its entire season to covering the eponymous
day in meticulous detail; and My Beloved Flower (Ichiban suki na hana, Fuji TV),
which embraced the challenge of having four equal lead characters. As thenumber of timeslots devoted to dramas grow, stories that rely on old standbys
like detective work, medical settings, and legal intrigue are at an ever higher riskof stepping on each other’s toes or simply provoking boredom in viewers. We can
expect producers to continue searching for new ideas through a process of trial
and error.
Incidentally, to cover NHK G’s morning dramas as well, the modern-day
story Fly Up! (Maiagare!) ended in March, followed by Simplicity/Full Bloom(Ranman) and Boogie-Woogie (Bugi-ugi), both of which adopted the classic NHK
morning drama format of tracing the pre- and postwar life story of a notable historical figure. Meanwhile, after venturing into the Kamakura period in 2022,
NHK’s historical taiga drama for 2023 was a return to the familiar Edo period
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with What Will You Do, Ieyasu? (Do suru Ieyasu).
As the complete absence of the term “Covid-19” from this essay up to thisparagraph might suggest, in the world of TV dramas, at least, the disease is considered a thing of the past, and production efforts are now focused on future
success. Put another way, the TV industry clearly has high expectations for thedrama as a genre at present, and cast and staff alike are fully present and fighting
the good fight.
Kimura, Takashi
Columnist, consultant, and drama commentator. Writes 20 to 30 columns per month formagazines and websites, along with making appearances on shows like Domo, NHK and
New Weekly Critique on Fuji Television (Shukan Fuji Telebi hihyo) as a drama expert. Along with
providing information to multiple television networks, active as an interviewer specializing
in celebrities who has conducted more than 2,000 interviews. Watches every series of every
drama broadcast across Japan. Author of books such as 84 Listening Techniques of a Top
Interviewer (Toppu intabyua no kikiwaza 84).

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(Translation: Matt Treyvaud)

シアター
トピックス

D eve l o p m e n t s i n J a p a n a n d O ve r s e a s
i n 2 023

DEVELOPMENTS IN JAPAN and OVERSEAS

Loving Glasses Are Colored Ones, Abe Kobo Studio, Dir. Abe Kobo (1973, Seibu Theater [now the PARCO Theater])112

Developments in Japan and Overseas

The Theatrical Experiments of Abe Kobo
on the 100th anniversary of his birth

From the 1950s to the 1980s, Abe Kobo produced avant-garde works as anovelist, playwright, and director. Born in 1924 as the eldest son of a
doctor and graduating from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Medicine,after debuting as a novelist, Abe continued his creative endeavors acrossvaried media, including novels, theater, film, music, and photography,
until his death at the age of 68 in 1993.
Abe was considered a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature in his
later years, and his works are highly regarded worldwide. His The Woman
in the Dunes (1962) and other works have been published in over thirty
countries and continue to be read today.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Abe Kobo’s birth, so Theatre
Yearbook will explore his theatrical activities through essays by researchers from both Japan and abroad.

Abe Kobo and the Theater
Takahashi Nobuyoshi

In 1951, Abe Kobo was awarded the 25th Akutagawa Prize for his novel The
Crime of S. Karma. He had been devoted solely to writing novels until then, but
afterward, he also began writing scripts for movies and plays. His scriptwriting
for film came to a provisional end with his 1971 film The Cliff of Time, but his
playwriting continued; he led a theater troupe and directed plays himself until
his health declined in 1982. During this period, he wrote nearly a hundred scripts
for plays, revealing his strong interest in dialogue and acting.
The first play Abe wrote was Girl and Fish (13 scenes) in 1953, but his first

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play to be performed was Uniform by the theater group Seihai in 1955. Originallypublished in the magazine Gunzou in 1954 as a one-act play with five scenes,
Uniform underwent significant revisions to three acts and seven scenes during
Seihai’s rehearsals. The reason for this change is detailed in testimony byKurahashi Ken, the play’s director: “In the original draft, the role of the wife
didn’t offer much for an actor to work with, but actors want to flesh out theirroles. Pressed with that, Mr. Abe would ponder deeply during rehearsals, wondering how the wife would be feeling, whether she liked or disliked Chinsaa.
‘You’re right, her life isn’t really depicted, is it,’ he said. In the end, it turned outthat the wife and Hige were having an affair” (Nise-geppo, The Complete Works of
Abe Kobo V, Sub-notes(1)).
Abe experienced firsthand the challenges of translating written words into
living speech. The Seihai actors were seemingly striving for a “sentimental
acting” type of performance that Abe disliked(2), but it was consistency of conversation conveyed solely through dialogue that drew him into the world of playwriting, becoming a foundation for his later focus on physiological acting. An
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elated Abe himself said, “I now know that I cannot stop writing plays in the
future. It seems something has been long suppressed and locked away within myideas that can only be expressed through the dramatic form” (V, 62*). He thenwrote two more plays in rapid succession.
One of those was Slave Hunting (5 acts, 18 scenes), first performed threemonths after Uniform by the Haiyuza Theatre Company under the direction of
Senda Koreya. Abe considered this the first theatrical work he wrote with conviction, describing it as “my first play, written as such,” (XXI, 415), likely explaining
his deep engagement with its themes. As further proof, he revised Slave Hunting
twelve years later (revised edition, 7 scenes) and again twenty years later into
Slave Hunting (12 scenes), indicating Abe’s continued preoccupation with thatwork’s themes.

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Slave Hunting, Dir. Senda Koreya (1955, Haiyuza Theatre). Photo courtesy of Haiyuza Theatre

In any case, Abe began energetically writing plays for theater companies,
obtaining a knack for writing and an increased interest in acting. In 1969, hefinally directed one of his own plays, The Man Who Turned Into a Stick (3 scenes).

He directed Guidebook in 1971, then two years later established his own theatrecompany, Abe Studio. The inaugural performance of this company was the newly
written Loving Glasses Are Colored Ones (32 scenes) for the opening of the
Shibuya Seibu Theatre in June 1973. This was strongly supported by Tsutsumi
Seiji(3), an introduction by an editor from the Shinchosha Publishing Company.
Abe’s plays can thus be divided into two categories: those written for otherdirectors and those he directed himself. Specifically, the former category includes
works from his first play up to Involuntary Homicide (1971), while the latter
ranges from The Man Who Turned Into a Stick to The Little Elephant is Dead (AnExhibition of Images III) (1979). His revision of You, Too, Are Guilty for the fortieth anniversary of the Haiyuza Theatre Company in 1984 cannot be distinctly
categorized due to a hiatus of Abe Studio activities.
Moreover, the former category of works can be subdivided into three
periods. His early period, from 1953 to 1958, centered around Slave Hunting(1955) but includes Girl and Fish (first appearing in 1953), Uniform (5 scenes),
Uniform (3 acts, 7 scenes), Express Boat (1955), Perpetual Motion (first appearing115

in 1956), and The Ghost is Here (1958). This period, an extension of his experimental phase of developing Slave Hunting, was marked by conscious attempts tointroduce non-existent objects onto the stage.
His middle period spans five years, from the first performance of The Final
Weapon in 1958, through A Cute Woman (1959), Giant Legend (1960), The Day of
Speaking Stones (1960), Island of Ghosts (1960), A Ghost Came to Town (1962),
The Fortress (1962), and The Beggar’s Song (1962). Other than The Fortress, thisperiod can be characterized by its use of Sprechchor (spoken chorus) and musicalelements. However, the theme of non-existent entities continues in his two“Ghost” works.
His late period, lasting seven years, includes You, Too, Are Guilty (1965),
Friends (1967), Enomoto Takeaki (1967), Slave Hunting (revised) (1967), andInvoluntary Homicide (1971). As mentioned, this was the last period when
Abe entrusted his plays to other directors, his final phase of playwriting toprovide works for others. However, since he began directing in 1969, thisseven-year designation is somewhat arbitrary and for convenience.
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The Ghost Is Here, Haiyuza Dir. Senda Koreya (1958, Haiyuza Theatre)
Photo courtesy of Haiyuza Theatre

Individuallyconsid-ering works in the firstcategory, it becomes clearthat chronological classification alone is sometimes
insufficient. For example,
determining

whether

non-existent entities likethe dead or ghosts appear
in the works of a given
period is infeasible, andwhile we might try todefine a period based on
its musical elements, classical dramatic works like
The

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Fortressbecomeincluded. Therefore, wemust simultaneously consider both chronologicalsubdivisions and thematicclassifications. In most of
his plays, Abe developed
themes he had initiallyexplored in his novels. For
Giant Legend, Haiyuza Dir. Senda Koreya (1960, Haiyuza Theatre)
Photo courtesy of Haiyuza Theatre

instance, the theme of
Friends, first performed in

1967, originates from his 1951 novel Intruders. He revisited Friends in a 1974
revised version, indicating that, like Slave Hunting, he pursued a single theme
over nearly 24 years.
Fully grasping the overarching narrative of Abe’s plays thus calls for an
intricate analysis that intertwines multiple periods, even when simply attempting
to categorize them into groups of works. It is in the period when Abe himself

took on the role of director
that these intricately interwoven groups of works
converge on a single proposition. This proposition isfounded in the stage space
as a fictional realm, one
where the emotional actingof characters, their individ-

Friends, Seinenza Theater Company, Dir. Naruse Masahiko (1967,
Kinokuniya Hall) Photo courtesy of Seinenza Theater Company

uality and feelings, is discarded in favor of an abstract space that stimulates the audience’s imagination.
This approach shows Abe’s desire not to cross genre boundaries merely in form
but to explore the uniqueness of theater. As he once stated, “I dislike both novelistic theater and theatrical novels” (XXIV, 164). He employed two methods toachieve this: revising (or reworking) existing works, regardless of genre, andwriting new plays that revisit existing themes. These revisions, predicated on his

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directing the revised works himself, differ in significance from those in earlier
periods. Extracting and developing themes in those revisions was a means to liberate his works from the constraints of printed expression and to embody his
vision within a stage space.
Revised works during this period include The Man Who Turned Into a Stick,
The Ghost Is Here (revised) (1970), Friends (revised) (1974), Ue (New Slave
Hunting) (1975), and How to Save a Life (1978). Works with revisited themes
include Loving Glasses Are Colored Ones (1973), Fake Fish (1973), The Dumb
Waiter (1973), The Green Stockings (1974), the four works in the Guidebook series(1971–1978), and the three works in the Exhibition of Images series (1977–1979).
A visualization of interrelationships among all of Abe’s plays would be like thatshown to the right.

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DEVELOPMENTS IN JAPAN and OVERSEAS● Works Correlation Diagram
Era of Kobo Abe as Author (1953–71)“Ghost” works

Early period (1953–58)

Uniform,
Uniform (Rev.),
Working Title: Human Training,
The Ghost Is HereSlave Hunting

Middle period (1958–62)

Late period (1965–71)

Musicals

Island of Ghosts,
A Ghost Came to Town

You, Too, Are Guilty

A Cute Woman

Story-in-a-story

118“Desire” works

Giant Legend,
The Fortress

Girl and Fish,
Express Boat,
Perpetual Motion

The Final Weapon,
The Day of Speaking
Stones,The Beggar’s Song

Enomoto Takeaki
Involuntary Homicide

Friends
Slave Hunting (Rev.)● List of works (year of first publication)
The Wall (1951)
The Crime of S. Karma (1951)
Intruders (1951)
The Underwater City (1952)
Slave Hunting (1954)
The Appendix (1955)
The Stick (1955)
Intruders [R] (1955)
Human Training (1957)
The Dream Soldier (1957)
Desertion [R] (1957)
The Man Who Turned
into a Stick [R] (1957)
The Beggar’s Song [R] (1958)
Inter Ice Age 4 (1958)

Solar Eclipse in Japan [T] (1959)
A Ghost Comes to Town [R] (1960)
Death of Another (1961)(Rev.: An Irrelevant Death)
How to Save a Life [T] (1961)
The Sheep-Gut People [T] (1962)
Intruders [T] (1963)
Champion [R] (1963)
Enomoto Takeaki (1964)
The Cliff of Time (1964)
The Witness [T] (1964)

Inter Ice Age 4 [C] (1965)
The Cliff of Time [R] (1966)
Men [R] (1968)
The Cliff of Time [C] (1971)
And You, by the Way
 —Peripheral Flights 2 [E] (1971)
The Guide —Peripheral Flights 3 [E] (1971)

Era of Kobo Abe as Director (1969–79)

The Ghost Is Here (Rev.)

The Man Who Turned Into A Stick

Life-Saving Laws

Friends (Rev.)
Ue (New Slave Hunting)

The Satchel —Peripheral Flights 10 [E] (1972)
The Box Man (1973)
An Open Secret —Peripheral Flights 39 [E] (1975)
Secret Rendezvous (1977)
Kidnapping (poem) (1978)
The Little Elephant Is Dead [C] (1979)
Kangaroo Notebook (1991)

Theme development
Complete dramatic attempts (mixed themes and integrated dramaturgy)

Revisions for the stage

Guidebook series

Loving Glasses Are
Colored Ones,
The Green Stockings

Guidebook,
The Guide,
The Underwater City,
The Crime of S. Karma

An Exhibition of Images series

Fake Fish

An Exhibition of Images,
Kidnapping,
The Little Elephant Is Dead
The Dumb Waiter

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Abbreviations[C]: cinematic work
[E]: essay[R]: radio drama[T]: television drama
None: novel

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Friends, Abe Kobo Studio, Dir. Abe Kobo (1974, Seibu Theater [now the PARCO Theater])120

Ue (New Slave Hunting), Abe Kobo Studio, Dir. Abe Kobo (1975, Seibu Theater [now the PARCO Theater])

For Abe, who says, “A novel is not something you think about and write. It’s aprocess of thinking through writing,” drama becomes “not something that is
directed based on a script, but a process of using actors to produce a script in atheatrical space” (XXV, 537). In other words, in emphasizing the creative process,Abe started writing plays to that end. Given “the fact that we continue to live,despite knowing that nothing lies ahead but the void of death,” “creation resembles life” in that “the completion of a work is its end, its death” (ibid., 224–225).
However, unlike human death, this death in creation allows resurrection for thesake of new creations. In this sense, the death of a creation is “a state of apparent
or feigned death,” and thus creation itself is not identical to life but “should becalled a sort of apparent or feigned life” (ibid., 224). Then, noting that “writers
who lose sight of the distinction between life and art cannot resist the temptations of suicide,” Abe explains the uncertainty of this distinction: “Compared tohuman death, this feigned death is of course relative. But it is relative to life; tothe corresponding feigned life, it is somewhat absolute. To the entity that lived(created) this feigned life, it is death itself” (ibid.).

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Loving Glasses Are Colored Ones, Abe Kobo Studio, Dir. Abe Kobo
(1973, Seibu Theater [now the PARCO Theater])
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The Crime of S. Karma, Abe Kobo Studio, Dir. Abe Kobo (1978, Seibu Theater [now the PARCO Theater])122

So how can this disconnect between “relativity” and “absoluteness” beresolved? Abe explores the stage as a place to raise that question.
If literature could break out of its own confines to gaze upon timeitself, and if music could break out of its confines to gaze upon space
itself, and further still find a place in which they do not lose themselves…that is the stage I am contemplating now. For me, a new dramatic art is not about time being subordinate to space or space totime. Nor, of course, can it be some compromise between the two. It is
the stage as a place where both are independent yet intersect. (XXIV,
512–513).

Actors performing on this stage become “messengers who can freely traverse
the dual axes of time and space” (ibid., 513). To do so, actors must grasp the significance of physiological perception, thereby expressing time and space while
also laying bare the relationship between what is real and what is fake (reality
and unreality). The concept Abe devised to help actors understand this method

is “neutrality.”
Actors, he proposed, should not think through psychological portrayals intheir heads and resort to “sentimental acting.” Rather, they grasp the psychology
by physiologically recognizing the situation. They must not ignore physiology
with a certain mold in mind. This is the essence of being an actor as an expressive
entity. Take, for example, a scene where the actor is walking while deep inthought and bumps into someone. If those actions are meticulously planned
according to a script, the focus of consciousness is dispersed between the thinking pose and the timing of some number of steps before bumping into the otherperson, resulting in a contrived, stereotypical performance. In reality, it’s rare forsomeone to walk while pretending to think with the intention of bumping into
someone. Thus, if one truly concentrates on the thought, the collision becomes areal incident, creating a new focal point for concentration. In essence, “neutrality” is not just “a given posture or mere relaxation” (XXIII, 412), but the very
control of degrees and directions for concentration. Furthermore, “if an actor
exists through physiological concentration while also existing through words”

123(XXIV, 175), what is essential for the actor is “not oratory but the art of existence”(ibid., 147), where words too are spun through physiological concentration. Thisin particular is the acting technique Abe envisioned and the primary reason for
his interest in theater. For Abe Kobo the novelist, theater became something thatis neither a dramatization nor an adaptation of his novels.
In a play, dialogue is both behavior and action. When words show
behaviors but not actions, I can adequately express them in novels, so
there is no need to perform them on stage. … After stripping away allthat is not indispensable for the stage, the only thing remaining is theactors’ bodies. (XXVI, 406)

Abe’s desire to discover this uniqueness of theater materialized into works withthe help of his wife, Abe Machi, who continued to support him to the end as astage set designer and art director, and the young actors who shared his views ontheater.

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DEVELOPMENTS IN JAPAN and OVERSEAS*Notation for quotes from Abe Kobo generally refer to the 29-volume Complete Worksof Abe Kobo (1997–2000, Shinchosha). All quotations from that collection are given inparentheses at the end of the quotation, indicating only the volume number (in Roman
numerals) and page number (in Arabic numerals).
Editor’s notes(1)	Nise-geppo is a four-page pamphlet accompanying each volume of The Complete Worksof Abe Kobo, featuring interviews with people associated with Abe.
(2)	Abe Kobo disliked the shingeki (“new theater”) acting style of the time, whichemphasized a psychological approach. He referred to it as “sentimental acting,” which
he described as “stereotyped acting in which the actor performs the act of acting” (XXIV,
381).
(3)	Tsutsumi Seiji (1927–2013) was the second son of Tsutsumi Yasujirō, the founder of
Seibu Railway. Tsutsumi led the Saison Group, which was centered on its affiliatedSeibu Department Store. He was also a novelist under the pen name Tsujii Takashi, andhe worked to introduce contemporary art by opening art museums and theaters in thedepartment stores through a series of corporate activities that he referred to as “Saison
Culture.”124

Takahashi, Nobuyoshi
Takahashi Nobuyoshi is a professor at Chiba University, specializing in comparative theater. Born in Hiroshima in 1962, he completed the doctoral program at Chuo University.
He also completed the Diplôme d’Études Approfondies in theater studies at the University ofParis III. His publications include The Theater of Abe Kobo (2004, Suiseisha), his co-authoredworks include What is “Belgium”? (2013, Shoraisha) and Abe Kobo: Transcending Genres (2013,
Shinwasha), and his translations include Alain Viala’s Histoire du théâtre (2008, Hakusuisha),and Éric Smadja’s Le rire (2011, Hakusuisha).
(Translation: Tony Gonzalez)

The Abe Kobo Studio andIts Western Contemporaries
Gianluca Coci125

Abe Kobo Studio, The Guides (Annainin) (1976, Seibu Theater [now the PARCO Theater]) Photo: Yamada Makoto

The Abe Kobo Studio left the plays of the past behind in its search for a path to an
entirely new theatre. Theatre movements that arose in the US and Europe in the
1960s and 1970s under names like “avant-garde theatre,” “experimental theatre,”and “research theatre” did the same. The Western avant-garde being vast, I haveintentionally limited the scope of this essay to the most non-conformist and distinctive troupes. My aim herein is to examine not renowned and innovative individuals like Peter Brook but representative ensembles similar to the Abe Kobo
Studio. My three main examples are the Living Theater, based in the US; Polishdirector Jerzy Grotowski’s Teatr Laboratorium, which performed across Europe;and the Odin Teatret, led by Eugenio Barba, an Italian-born director based in
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Denmark with deep connections to Grotowski.

1. Society and Politics: The Abe Kobo Studio and the Living Theater
The Abe Kobo Studio and the Living Theater differed in both worldview andapproach to performance. This was due to their different contexts: not only were
they situated in the dissimilar societies of Japan and the West, respectively, butthey were also active during periods that, although chronologically close, werestarkly different politically and socially. The Living Theater and its founders
Julian Beck and Judith Malina were active during the sixties, a decade in whichyouth actively pursued revolution. The Abe Kobo Studio was founded in the seventies, fundamentally a time of movements based on pacifism—even if thiswould later bring violence and despair.
Notwithstanding these differences, and setting aside other obvious differences in structure and method, there was a subtle connection, like a transparent
thread, between these two theatrical worlds. This connection was a shared com126

mitment to breaking decisively with previous theatrical traditions, working torevive the actor, and making the audience a key part of the drama. Both troupes
aroused up the curiosity of audiences who had previously sunk into unresponsiveness, actively involving them in the performance. Abe, Beck, and Malina
alike aimed to draw out the cathartic power of theatre and let the curtain fall on
the age in which audiences only watched.
However, while the Living Theater adopted the role of leaders aiming to
involve their audience in politics, Abe did not directly offer political slogans orother messages, instead seeking a cultural and intellectual reaction from its audience. In that respect, the Living Theater were like the figureheads of a revolutionary movement, while Abe was like a Zen monk assigning koans to his disciples.
These differing attitudes arose not only from subjective differences but also, as
noted above, from the fact that the Abe Kobo Studio and the Living Theater
existed within different social and cultural environments.
In 1962, Abe joined other writers like Mishima Yukio, Oe Kenzaburo, andKawabata Yasunari in signing a protest letter demanding rights for authors andartists in China. He was expelled from the Japanese Communist Party that year

as a result, along with figures like Hanada Kiyoteru. Thus began the period
during the sixties in which Abe produced his finest work. Without neglecting towrite essays on various social issues and criticize the capitalist system, Abe concentrated on his artistic activities.
When the Abe Kobo Studio was founded in 1973, Abe was at the apogee of
his renown as an author, with his energies directed chiefly toward artistic challenges. The situation was very different for Beck and Malina in 1947, the year theyfounded the Living Theater. They were young and penniless New Yorkers at thetime, with nothing to their name but a powerful admiration for the theatre. By
contrast with the acclaimed individualist Abe of 1973, Beck and Malina wanted
to change the world, and they saw performing a new kind of theatre as a way toachieve that.
Abe Kobo Studio actors such as Tanaka Kunie, Nakadai Tatsuya, and Igawa
Hisashi had the skill and experience to mentor younger colleagues. By contrast,
the actors of the Living Theater were young and inexperienced. They had only
recently begun to tread the boards, but they were willing to do anything in order127

to act, even if there was no compensation involved. And while the Abe Kobo
Studio had training and rehearsal rooms and access to splendid theatres, theLiving Theater was constantly on the move from one dilapidated space to another.
What I wish to stress here is that although both groups aimed to create a newtheatre that would actively involve the audience, differences in their subjective
and objective situations at the time resulted in different dramatic methods andgoals. The particular age when the Living Theater was founded and existed had adecisive influence on the troupe, which reacted to its external circumstances anddeveloped accordingly. The external circumstances of the Abe Kobo Studio, bycontrast, were characterized by social and political stability and so did not influence its development. The leaders and members of the Living Theater, anarchists
and pacifists by nature, were in Europe just before the revolutionary movementsof 1968 began, and actively connected their work to those movements.
The Living Theater involved the audience in a direct and political way. The
Abe Kobo Studio, however, did not adopt a political approach similar to theleaders of a movement, preferring to involve the audience indirectly by making
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them think. The studio offered absolutely no guidance or resolutions, arousing
the audience’s will to contemplation. They admonished and provoked, but absolutely never described what should be done. This is because if the audience
members had not thought for themselves and arrived at some kind of resolution
by themselves, they would not have profited from the exercise at all.
Unlike Abe, Beck and Malina made the audience act directly. For example,
in Antigone, the audience stands in for the Argives who massacred the Thebans.
The actors playing the Thebans killed in the final act look at the audience inhorror and back away wordlessly. The responsibility for the massacre is thus
placed directly on the audience, making them feel the guilt of killers. In ParadiseNow, Beck, who wanted to guide the audience to social revolution, appears
The Living Theater, Antigone (1969, Maison de La Culture
de Grenoble). Photo: Marie-Jésus Diazonstage alone and shouts slogans
like an actual leader.
Halfway through the sixties,
with revolution in the air, the Living
Theater’s utopian objective became

128

clear. That objective was to guidepeople to revolution with plays—or,
to be more precise, while performing
plays. Beck and his troupe felt
bound to lay bare the cruelest
aspects of reality and nudge theaudience to react. They saw no needfor plays that offered an escape fromthe tragedy of reality, or seduced
them with skillful language.
On this point, relationship topolitics notwithstanding, the Abe
Kobo

Studio’s

objectives

weresimilar. Abe also felt the need toshow the audience things they had
never seen before. The Living
The Living Theater, Paradise Now (1968, Politecnico di
Milano). Photographer: Francesco Radino

Theater offered reality laid bare, but the Abe Kobo Studio took the audience to a
dreamworld. However, the reason Abe did not avoid showing reality as it was
simply to comfort or distract; rather, he thought that showing people the things
they experienced every day would be boring. Abe populated the stage withdreams, ghosts, and the dead, all in an attempt to make the audience think.
When someone wakes up in the morning still remembering their dreams of thenight before, they wonder what those dreams meant, and why they had them. In
the same way, Abe showed bizarre dreams to the audience and then made themwonder what those dreams meant and why they had been shown them.
The Living Theater’s tendency to involve the audience grew stronger, reaching its peak with Paradise Now. The Abe Kobo Studio’s work traced a similar
progression, and the studio’s most experimental work in its later years featured
lively audience participation. The Guides (Annainin) had a staircase going fromthe front of the stage down into the audience. This staircase emphasized the unityof audience seating and stage, and the actors frequently ran down into the audience. The idea of unity between audience seating and stage appeared in the129highly interesting form of the character “H24” sitting among the audience. Whenthat seat number was called from the stage, H24 had to immediately stand up
and go onstage to perform. This act transforms the audience from an externalpresence into an element in the on-stage world.
In a work called Kidnapping (Hitosarai), the intention of involving the audience was made clear before performances even began. Everyone in the audience
was given a small mask as they entered and asked to wear it. Then, as soon as theactors appeared on-stage, they began drawing on each other’s masked faces invarious colors. This emphasized unity and obliterated the wall between stage andaudience in an instant.
Kidnapping was part of the series “An Exhibition of Images,” comprising thestudio’s final three works. This series exposed the audience to images and sounds
they had never seen or heard before. A large white cloth that could be called asymbol of the studio’s experimentalism appeared onstage and moved andbreathed as if alive. Psychedelic sounds created on a synthesizer by Abe himself
helped create an atmosphere like a mystical ritual. Like the Living Theater’s
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Abe Kobo Studio, The Guides (Annainin) (1976, Seibu Theater)
Photo: Yamada Makoto

Abe Kobo Studio,
Kidnapping (Hitosarai)(1978, Seibu Museum of Art)

Mysteries and Smaller Pieces and Paradise Now, the audience felt as if they wereparticipating in a ritual. Abe’s psychedelic music resembled the Indian ragaplayed in Mysteries and Smaller Pieces as the actors take up incense and walk130

through the center of the audience seating, and the human pyramid formed by
the actors in Paradise Now resembled the training methods like so-called coordinated group gymnastics performed by the actors of the Abe Kobo Studio.
As goes without saying, the theatre of both the Living Theater and the Abe
Kobo Studio was theatre for the audience—which is to say, for us.

2. The Actor: The Abe Kobo Studio and Grotowski
Abe had a visceral approach to acting technique, emphasizing the importance of
the actor’s physical body for conveying emotion to the audience. Whether bycoincidence or not, this could be viewed as similar to the approach to acting thatwas popular in Western avant-garde theatre in the sixties and seventies. The Abe
Kobo Studio’s young members knew of Peter Brook and Antonin Artaud andread the essays Grotowski wrote on “experimental theatre.” Even Abe himself,
though never a student of Grotowski’s system, knew his work well and concurredwith the Polish director on the importance of the physical body in acting. Amongthe many interviews Abe did for newspapers and magazines and comments hemade during the studio’s hugely successful US tour in 1979, he voiced his respectfor Brook and Grotowski as towering innovators of contemporary theatre:
Every publication’s theatre critics praised our originality as the firstsuccess in several years not of Japanese theatre but of contemporary
theatre. It seems fair to say we imparted a shock as decisive as theearlier ones imparted by Peter Brook and Grotowski.1

One

importantcommonality

between Abe and Grotowski istheir shared objective of restoring
the prestige of theatre. Japan’s“new theatre (shingeki)” was rendered boring by an excess of revivals, and orthodox theate aroundthe world became commercial andstagnant. Aiming to revitalize
theatre, Abe secluded himself in a

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Shibuya studio and began experimenting. Grotowski did the samein theatres in Opole and Wrocław.

Teatr Laboratorium, The Constant Prince (Książę Niezłomny)(1965, Wrocław, Poland). ©Teatr Laboratorium/Archiwum
Instytutu Grotowskiego

In both cases, the subject of theseexperiments was identical: the actor. For both Abe and Grotowski, the actor was
the absolute protagonist of theatre, and any revival of theatre would have to begin
by reviving the actor.
At the root of Abe and Grotowski’s philosophies of theatre, and their conception of the actor as more than just a performing messenger, was a view oftheatre as something entirely different from other methods of artistic expression.
Both of them saw theatre as something special that could not be compared toother arts.
Theatre, unlike movies and television, must show the audience something
they have never seen before, and its actors must be special presences. Actors must
convey all their emotions to the audience using their eyes, their faces, theirhands—in short, their physical bodies. As Abe and Grotowski saw it, instead of
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renowned prima donnas, actors should be soanonymous that audiences cannot even tellthem apart. In other words, a skilled actor
should feel to the audience as if they are
wearing a mask, even if they are not. Both
Abe and Grotowski felt that hiding their individuality from the audience while on-stage
was the mark of a good actor. This is because
actors who take hedonistic pleasure in themselves, like movie stars and famous sportsmen, end up playing themselves as roles.
Abe and Grotowski needed actors of avery different kind—special actors who
seemed barely to exist. They had no choice
but to forge a new type of actor from nothing.
The key to this was a strict regimen of daily132

training. Their methods and the nature ofthis training differed, but the starting points
for both systems were Stanislavski andMeyerhold.
Grotowski, who was based in Poland
and active across Europe, had actual contact
with members of the Russian and European
avant-garde schools like Peter Brook andEugenio Barba. Abe, on the other hand, hadonly indirect contact with that avant-garde,reading about it in books. Collaborating with
Senda Koreya, a personal friend and directorof several of Abe’s plays, had great meaning
Actors of the Teatr Laboratorium train
their face muscles by forming “masks”(from Akropolis, 1962). ©Teatr Laboratorium/Archiwum Instytutu Grotowskiego

to Abe. This is because it was Senda who first
introduced the acting techniques of Stanislavski and Meyerhold to Japan. Abeattended rehearsals of Senda-directed plays like Slave Hunting (Dorei-gari) and
The Ghost Is Here (Yurei wa koko ni iru) almost daily, presumably learning theinner mysteries of the theatre. However, a few years later, he began to feel dissatisfied with Senda’s Stanislavskian psychological approach. This was when hedecided to found his own studio and move toward a more physiological approach.
Actors are central to the theatre of both Abe and Grotowski, and both
imposed highly demanding daily training regimens. The initial calisthenics andacrobatic drills were the same, but after that, Abe had his actors play so-called“rubber-man games,” while Grotowski put them through a variety of physicaldrills, including yoga poses.
“Rubber-man games” were played in pairs, with one actor “attacking” andanother “defending.” The attacking actor flexed their muscles and stretched theirbody to grow larger, while the other had to shrink to a corresponding degree. The
important thing was that the movements of the actors had to sum to a constant:
A + B = K. These games were not psychological but physiological. Abe’s actors
were to become machines for conveying the entire range of emotions to the audi-

133

ence in a Meyerholdian way.
Unlike the actors of the Abe Kobo Studio, the actors of Grotowski’s Teatr
Laboratorium usually practiced yoga poses and other bodily movements alone.
This training also had a psychological component. For example, in the poses“Smile” and “Sneer,” the actor not only learned the technical matter of which

Early group of Teatr Laboratorium actors performing a physical training exercise (1964). (Eugenio Barba andNicola Savarese, A Dictionary of Theatre Anthropology: The Secret Art of the Performer, Routledge, 1991)
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Abe Kobo Studio actors performing a physical training exercise(Abe Kobo Studio, Theatre of Abe Kobo, Sorinsha Publishing, 1979)

facial muscles to move, they also had to be conscious of the psychology involved:
why they were smiling or sneering. In short, Grotowski’s system differed from
Abe’s in its inclusion of psychology alongside the body and the voice. Stanislavskian reenactment of reality and the Meyerholdian body were equally nec134

essary to the theatre of this Polish director.
The next thing to emphasize is that the works that Grotowski and Abe staged
were completely different, and that each director used a different type of actor.
Grotowski staged works that, though free interpretations of their originals, werestill based on words and dialogue. To perform them properly, as noted above,balance between mind and body was required. On the other hand, the experimental works of Abe’s last years with the studio, the peak of his theatricalresearch, were based not on words but on imagery, sound, and light. The studio’s
actors were suited to these backgrounds, because they could make visceral use of
their bodies to become perfect protagonists for the remarkable dreamworlds thatexisted on-stage.
The fact that Abe’s actors had to become protagonists of the audience’s
dreams was another foundational element of the studio’s actor training. Actors
had to have the same “fluidity” as the world of dreams. Their movements andbehavior had to be light and wavelike, not powerful, fixed poses. The very term
“rubber-man games” symbolizes the degree of flexibility their bodies had toattain. Unlike Grotowski’s actors, who struck poses and performed powerfulmovements and gestures, the Abe Kobo Studio’s actor training aimed to create
physical bodies that supported fluidity. Put another way, the muscles of the studio’s actors were not for displays of power but for displays of what looked likeswimming in the air.
Abe customarily created the texts for his experimental works with the actors.
His process involved writing the playbased on ideas from the actors’
improvisations. It is true that the“Exhibition of Images” and “Guidebook” series had scripts, but they
were unlike those of normal works intheir brevity and relative unimportance. Actors took hints from thescripts, but their performances werelargely improvised. One might callthis a liberation from the play along

135

the lines of Grotowski.
The actors of Grotowski’s Teatr
Laboratorium delivered more lines
and engaged in more dialogue thanthose of the Abe Kobo Studio, but

Teatr Laboratorium, Akropolis (1962, Opole, Poland).
©Teatr Laboratorium/Archiwum Instytutu Grotowskiego

they did not use scripts in the traditional way. In Grotowski’s theatre,
the actor had to use the play like a
trampoline. Like Abe’s actors, they
had to take hints from the play andimprovise a performance. However,Grotowski’s idea of improvisation
was not as free as Abe’s. Naturalness
was important to Grotowski, but so
was discipline. The importance ofdiscipline

to

the

experimental

Abe Kobo Studio, An Exhibition of Images (Imeeji no tenrankai)(1977, Seibu Museum of Art) Photo: Yamada Makoto
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theatre could be viewed as a borrowing from Japanese Noh and other Eastern
theatrical traditions. Grotowski, who was also influenced by traditional Eastern
theatre, must have been particularly pleased by the absence of directors in these
traditions, and the strictness of their training.

3. T roupe as Community:
The Abe Kobo Studio and Barba’s Odin TeatretIn the Abe Kobo Studio’s last year, the Odin Teatret visited Japan just once, performing four works: Johann Sebastian Bach, The Book of Dances (Dansenes Bog),
Anabasis, and The Million (Millionen). According to Yokota Keiko, the actor whointerpreted for the Odin Teatret during their Japanese tour, performances took
place not only in metropolitan theatres but also in streets and public spaces, justas they had in Europe and Latin America, startling the local residents.2
The Odin Teatret performed commanding productions that transcended
normal theatre, not only building direct relationships with the audience but also136

demanding an exchange of experience and performance. The objectives of
Eugenio Barba and the Odin Teatret were to use the methods of barter toexchange dances and plays with local people. This symbolized their philosophyof fighting discrimination and creating unrestricted, free human relationships;

Odin Teatret, The Book of Dances (Dansenes bog)
(1979, Tokyo, Japan). Provided by Yokota Keiko.
©Odin TeatretOdin Teatret, The Million (Millionen) (1979, Tokyo,
Japan). Provided by Yokota Keiko. ©Odin Teatretput simply, it was about free outdoor performance. Barter has made the following
comment about barter:
We began with extremely simple situations. The actors of the Odinsang Scandinavian folk songs, and the local participants respondedwith folk songs of their region. When we next added dance to thesefolk songs, they began to perform their own dances. Finally, when we
improvised a short scene, some of them came out of the crowd andbegan to perform. [. . .] This is our method of barter, which we havecarried out in various countries around the world. After a time, thepeople we had become close to were able to casually approach us andask if we would perform something for them. We agreed to thisrequest, and in exchange had them sing or dance for us. It was chiefly
farmers and artisans who participated in this kind of barter. The aim ofour performances was to attract people. In this way, we were able torevive the culture of the masses and bind people together.3

In Anabasis, for example, Odin “invades” a village or town. Actors in terrifying

137

masks slip into peoples’ houses and appear at windows and on balconies. Figuresin skull masks and dark suits stride streets and plazas to the sound of drums. The
Book of Dances is centered around music and dance. Through the method of“raiding” a village, theactors show local residents
fierce, popular dances andurge them to respond. For
Barba, dance is the essenceof theatre.
As mentioned in thequotation above, Barba’s
aim in these performances
is to highlight the social
function of theatre. The
Odin’s artistic “attacks” ontowns and villages were an

Odin Teatret, Anabasis (1982, Peru). ©Odin Teatret
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attempt to revive the communal sensibility of the past. Such experiments could
be called anthropological research through theatre.
This communal sensibility, which the Odin Teatret sought to spread throughits performances around the world, was the troupe’s essential distinguishing
characteristic. The Odin Teatret was established in the sixties, when the hippie
dream of a free society was at its most popular. Like the Living Theater in the US,
it had dreams of freedom and community in opposition to capitalism that it held
to like a creed. In the seventies, the Odin Teatret was a splendid example of thetheatre troupe as community, with all its members living together, working
together, and creating together. The method of barter derives precisely from thephilosophy of that community, which the troupe’s members had actually experienced. However, when the eighties arrived, the hippie dream ended, and the
majority of the world’s countries came to be dominated by the capitalist system,
the Odin Teatret wisely modernized and renewed its conception of community.
When the funding it received from Denmark’s Ministry of Culture proved
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Odin Teatret, The Book of Dances (Dansenes bog) (1978, Peru). ©Odin Teatretinsufficient, it published books and magazines and held workshops attended byyouths from all over the world to raise funds, becoming the laboratory-like cultural organization still vigorously active today in Holstebro.
The Abe Kobo Studio and its members shared that view of community, if not
to the same degree as the Odin Teatret. True, Abe was the group’s leader, but all
proposals were adopted democratically, and all decisions were the result of
thinking by all the studio’s members. Abe even suggested that the studio’s actors
would soon become able to create works on their own. Unfortunately, the studio
did not reach that stage during its brief life, but its late experimental works were
the result of communal creation.
Furthermore, unlike most Japanese theatrical troupes at the time, the Abe
Kobo Studio gave its young actors opportunities to play important roles, evenwhen seasoned performers were also available. In the studio’s early period, theexperience of veteran actors like Igawa Hisashi, Tanaka Kunie, and Nakadai
Tatsuya combined with the passion of young members who had graduated fromthe Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music, where Abe taught theatre, to139create a highly energetic atmosphere. No doubt this environment was similar tothe one that held between veteran and young actors in the Odin Teatret. The
important thing is that these relationships were not one-way but based on trueexchange.
For Abe, the theatrical creative process reached its zenith in the studio. That
zenith was a process in which Abe created works together with actors. Abe said
many times that by the time a completed work was performed on-stage, it was
already dead. To him, the stage was a “cemetery for theatre.”
Eugenio Barba shared this opinion. Taking Grotowski as his model, Barba
eliminated the traditional stage in order to tear down the walls that separated
stage from audience. Then he left the “cemetery,” which is to say the theatre, andwent to meet the people directly in streets and plazas. Abe, on the other hand,
never left the standard theatre. And apart from Kidnapping (Hitosarai), which
the actors performed in several locations simultaneously, he always used the
traditional stage—although he did transform it greatly using the enormous
sheet of white cloth that has since passed into legend. The white cloth became a
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living extension of thestage,

expandingtheoriginal

space.

The

dreamlikeatmospherecreated by the actors, thesounds, the lighting, and
the

white

cloth

enswathed the audience
Set using a large sheet of white fabric created by Abe Kobo’s wife
Machi, The Underwater City (Suichu toshi) (1977, Seibu Theater)and hurled them into a
new dimension. Abe’s

theatre, though performed on a theatrical stage, appeared to be performed inanother dimension. You might say that the Odin Teatret escaped the theatre
physically, while the Abe Kobo Studio escaped it conceptually.
In all probability, Abe was able to perfectly convey to the actors his ideas
about the importance of daily drills and the group. Despite the ferocious strict140

ness of the drills, all members devoted themselves to fully carrying out the studio’s plans. Veteran actors resigned from famous troupes to devote themselves tothe studio’s activities.
This was likely the case for Barba’s troupe, too, particularly during theperiod when it moved from communal to individual drills. In Barba’s system, as
in Grotowski’s exercises, communal drills restricted individual freedom, blocking actors from finding the most appropriate methods for them. Accordingly,
both Grotowski and Barba bestowed freedom on the individual through drills.
Each actor had to find the practice method that suited them best and establish a
training method for themselves. Incidentally, the difference between Grotowski
and Barba on this point is that drills were a way to uncover wisdom and the self
for the former, and simple work for the latter.
In this regard, Abe more closely resembles Barba than Grotowski. We see
again that both the Abe Kobo Studio and the Odin Teatret were communities
based on individuality and freedom.

Abe Kobo and actors rehearsing
at the Abe Kobo Studioin Shibuya, Tokyo. Photo:
Photography Department of
Shinchosha Publishing Co.,Ltd.

1. “Abe Kobo Studio Member’s Bulletin” (Abe Kobo Sutajio kaiin tsushin) No. 8, in The
Collected Works of Abe Kobo (Abe Kobo Zenshu), Vol 26.
2. The Odin Teatret was invited to the International Children’s Theatre Festival (sponsors:
United Nations Association of Japan, Britannica Japan) held from August 1–31, 1979 (theInternational Year of the Child), and toured Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka. Other
troupes participating in the festival were from the United Kingdom, Belgium, Poland,
and Indonesia, and Terayama Shuji’s troupe Tenjo Sajiki (Ceiling Gallery) participated aswell, performing Child-Hunting (Kodomo-gari).

141

According to Yokota Keiko, who interpreted during this tour, as well as the officiallyscheduled performances, the Odin Teatret also performed in the street and made directcontact with local communities along the way.
3. S.K. Barfoed, “Intervista con Eugenio Barba.” Biblioteca Teatrale, 1974. 10–11.

Coci, Gianluca
Translator and professor of Japanese and Japanese literature at the University of Turin specializing in modern and contemporary literature. Has published essays and monographs
and translated more than 70 works by authors including Nobel Prize winner Oe Kenzaburo
as well as Tanizaki Jun’ichiro, Abe Kobo, Inoue Yasushi, Kirino Natsuo, Murakami Ryu, Takahashi Gen’ichiro, Furukawa Hideo, Abe Kazushige, Kawakami Mieko, and Murata Sayaka.
Awarded the Mario and Guglielmo Scalise Prize for translations from the Japanese in 2009,
the Lorenzo Claris Appiani Prize for literary translation in 2020, the National Prize for Translation in 2022, and the 2nd Tokyo-Rome Award: Words in Transit in 2023.
(Translation: Matt Treyvaud)
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Kawanabe Kyosai, Horyu Kidan Seiyo Kabuki (Castaway Tales) Gas Museum No. Koysai-002

Developments in Japan and Overseas

Mokuami and the WestOn the 130th anniversary of Kawatake Mokuami’s death
Yanai Kenji

Kawatake Mokuami (1816–1893) became chief playwright at Edo’s Kawarazaki-za
theatre in 1843, holding overall responsibility for kabuki script production at thetheatre. Twenty-five years later, in 1868, came a year of radical change in Japan: A
new government would replace the Tokugawa military regime; a new era called
Meiji would begin; and the city of Edo would be renamed Tokyo. This meant thatsince first creating a name for himself, Mokuami’s career as a playwright had

Portrait photograph of Mokuami with topknot 1875
Japan Arts Council

straddled two eras, the first half in the Edo
period and the second in the Meiji. He
managed to survive this major period of transition and maintained a flourishing creative
career right up to the end of his life.
Unlike today, when the primary mission ofJapanese traditional performing arts lies in its
preservation, 19th century kabuki still eagerlysought out the new and the unusual, using
them to fan the curiosity of its audiences. For a
popular and commercial theatre, which kabuki
still was, this was an obvious strategy. In the
Meiji period, with its popular slogan of “civilization and enlightenment,” Japansaw a dizzying influx of Western culture and information. The theatre too inevitably began to adopt elements from the West, in spite of our preconception thatkabuki exists at a distance from anything Western.

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Mokuami’s First Western Play, Kokusenya Sugata no Utsushie
Kokusenya Sugata no Utsushie (Coxinga’s Magic Lantern), staged in January 1872,

Kokusenya Sugata no Utsushie (Coxinga’s Magic Lantern) Murayama-za, January 1872
Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, Waseda University 101-4342・4343・4344 (triptych)
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is an early example of a Mokuami play that directly represented the West on the
kabuki stage. In this play, the famous Romon (Watchtower) scene from
Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s classic puppet theatre play Kokusenya Kassen (TheBattles of Coxinga, 1715) is relocated from China to London. In the story, thegeisha Kokin was rescued from a shipwreck seven years earlier by the Englishman Kankiss. She has given birth to her husband’s (Hikoso) child in London,and she now lives with Kankiss as his mistress under the name Kinshojo. Hikoso
has been searching for her, and he eventually tracks her down in London.
However, Kokin feels indebted to Kankiss for having saved her life, and she isdevoted to his sick mother, so she decides to remain in London with her child.
She and Hikoso exchange a tearful farewell. Of course, the interest in a play likethis lay in the relocation of its action to a Western city. However, this was thevery slightest of twists, and the plot itself was nothing new. The West in the play
represents little more than an unknown and distant location.
In the same year, two dramatizations of Samuel Smiles’ Self-Help, which had
144

been translated into Japanese by Nakamura Masanao, were performed in Kyoto
under the titles Sono Irodori Toki no Koeki (Coloring of the Ceramics Trade) andKutsunaoshi Warabe no Oshie (Teachings of the Child Cobbler). This use ofWestern source materials to create new plays was underpinned by a feverish
interest in the places and things of the Western world, which had existed since
the arrival of Commodore Perry in 1853. In publishing, for example, there weremany popular books that introduced Western culture or developed plots inwhich Japanese characters travelled the world. Works that stirred readers’ interest in the West included Kanagaki Robun’s illustrated history of the founding of
the United States, Osanae Etoki Bankokubanashi (A Children’s Picture Book
about Foreign Lands, 1861–62), Fukuzawa Yukichi’s introduction to Western
society, Seiyo Jijo (Conditions in the West, 1866), and Bankoku Kokai Seiyo Dochu
Hizakurige (Shank’s Mare to the Western Seas, 1870–76) by Kanagaki Robun andFuso Kan, where the grandsons of the fictional Tokugawa travelers Yaji and Kita
make their way to the International Exhibition in London. Kabuki graduallybegan to treat the West as a contiguous dramatic space, and while we may sometimes question the accuracy, what is undeniable is that the West began to be con-

structed and represented on stage.

Hyoryu Kidan Seiyo Kabuki: A Theatrical Disaster with Operetta
One excellent example of Mokuami’s engagement with the West in his dramaturgy is the play Hyoryu Kidan Seiyo Kabuki (Castaway Tales: A Western Kabuki).
The play opened in September 1879 at the Shintomi-za, with Ichikawa Danjuro
IX in the role of Shimizu no Mihozo, Nakamura Nakazo III as his father
Gozaemon, and Nakamura Sojuro as Akitsu Takeshi. The boatman Mihozo andhis companions are shipwrecked following a storm at sea. Mihozo is rescued by
an American ship, but his father Gozaemon is swept away. Mihozo is sent to theJapanese consulate in San Francisco, where he ends up accompanying the sisterin-law of the consul Akitsu Takeshi to New York. However, as they cross thecontinent, their train is attacked by Native Americans. Mihozo is saved by aFrenchman and becomes his servant. They travel to Paris, where the play reaches
a happy ending as he is reunited with his father who had in fact been rescued by a
British ship.

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The Engeki Hyakka Daijiten (Encyclopaedia of Theatre, 1960) provides aconcise summary of the play’s original production and the substantial commercial failure for which it become noted: “Great pride was taken in its novelty,

Hyoryu Kidan Seiyo Kabuki (Castaway Tales: A Western Kabuki), Shintomi-za, September 1879
Japan Arts Council NA120480
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including a shift to foreign locations like
London and Paris, a scene where
Danjuro and Sojuro appear in Western
dress in front of an oil-painted backdrop, and even a Japan’s first play-within-a-play featuring foreign actors. But
audiences were bored by it; reviews werebad; ticket sales were sluggish; and it
closed as a failure.”
The Shintomi-za had just opened
the previous June. Its owner andmanager, Morita Kan’ya XII, adopted aunique commercial strategy of radical
Westernization, and his theatre quickly
gained the image of being the most fash146

The American Railroad scene from Hyoryu Kidan
Seiyo Kabuki (Castaway Tales: A Western Kabuki),
Shintomi-za, September 1879
Japan Arts Council NA080270

ionable in Japan. Castaway Tales had
another unusual feature for the time inthat it was presented as an evening performance. Part of the sets made use ofoil-painted backdrops illuminated by gas lighting, and these realistic effects were
the talk of the town. But the most striking feature of the production was the playwithin-a-play in the fourth act, which featured a troupe of Western performers.
This innovation was specially advertised in the playbills: “You will witness props,
costumes and music exactly as they would be overseas.” The Western performers
were the Royal English Opera Company, who mainly presented operettas in theforeign concession in Yokohama, and their scene in Mokuami’s play functioned
as a review with operatic singing and dancing. A pamphlet with a Japanesesummary and translation of the scene was distributed to the audience. On the
opening night, troupe head Danjuro, in formal dress, delivered a special on-stage
announcement to introduce the play-within-a-play. From this, we can understand that the Western actors were not being treated as some novel sideshow but
rather as valued performers at the heart of the production.

Rejection of Western Voices
But how did Japanese audiences respond to the scene? The magazine Kabuki
Shinpo (Kabuki News) reports that the Western actors were “seemingly deeply
afflicted since the meager audiences reflected directly upon their own honor.”
Tamura Nariyoshi comments on the seriousness of the play’s commercial failure,“poor reviews circulated which led to small audiences and a larger than expected
failure” (Zokuzoku Kabuki Nendaiki, 1922). The play’s failure must also have resonated heavily with Mokuami because in the Chosaku Taigai (Memoires) text hewrote in his later years he adds the note: “very bad reviews for the Western play,which led to extremely poor audiences.” The theatre had planned the run for six
weeks, but it ended up closing after just 25 days, with Kan’ya recording a loss ofaround 20,000 yen—a massive sum for the time.
The majority of the criticisms of the play related to the fourth act’s play-within-a-play and in particular expressed strongly negative views about the voices ofthe Western performers. One article in the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper
describes the audience’s perplexity and the ensuing uproar: “As for the play by

147

the Westerners, this was bizarre and entirely incomprehensible”; “the actors’delivery resembled simply high register screeching. The singing of the female
actor in particular was extremely grating, like the yapping of a Western dog orsomeone whining and crying”; “most of the audience understood nothing fromstart to finish and howled with laughter. The greater the passion the foreign
actors poured in, increasing the volume of their voices even further, the more theaudience laughed.” Here we can see that it was entirely the voices of the Western
performers that were the focus of the negative responses, with audiences’ inability to understand provoking howls of laughter.
A similar report was provided by Basil Hall Chamberlain, who was
employed as an advisor by the Japanese government at the time:
But oh! the effect upon the Japanese audience! When once they had
recovered from the first shock of surprise, they were seized with a wild fit ofhilarity at the high notes of the prima donna, who was really was not at all
bad. The people laughed at the absurdities of European singing till their
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DEVELOPMENTS IN JAPAN and OVERSEAS

sides shook, and the tears rolled down their cheeks; and they stuffed theirsleeves into their mouths, as we might our pocket-handkerchiefs, in thevain endeavor to contain themselves. (Basil Hall Chamberlain, Things
Japanese, 1890).

We can see from these accounts just how strange the styles of operetta vocalization, especially the extremely high-pitched register used by the soprano, musthave seemed to Japanese audiences at the time. These audiences would only ever
have heard kabuki-style vocalization and the types of music that existed in earlymodern Japan, so Western music would only have felt like shocking noise. Their
response to their first direct encounter with Western voices was to laugh. But
rather than this being a contemptuous or derisive form of laughter, perhaps it isbetter understood as a physiological response, an instinctive form of sharing andrelease of the discomfort and tension felt when directly experiencing something
beyond human comprehension. This pitiless reaction was beyond the imagining
148

of a renowned impresario like Morita Kan’ya and beyond even the power of an
accomplished playwright like Mokuami. In this way, audiences mercilessly
rejected Kan’ya’s haughty drive to succeed in introducing Western theatre to
Meiji-period Tokyo.
Kawatake Toshio has argued that “in terms of kabuki’s Westernization,
Castaway Tales can be said to exist at the trend’s apex,” and “in terms of inclination towards the West, this was a moment never witnessed before or since in traditional theatre’s history” (“Hyoryu Kidan Seiyo Kabuki” Ko – Kabuki Kindaishino Tenkaiten [Some Thoughts on Castaway Tales: A Western Kabuki – A Turning
Point in the Modern History of Kabuki], Engekigaku Ronshu, issue 37, September1999). The intensity of the engagement with the West in this play is certainly headand shoulders above that in any other kabuki play. Setting aside its success as apiece of drama, bringing these kinds of authentic Western landscapes and performers on to the kabuki stage created an epochal moment in kabuki’s history.

The West through Kabuki Physicality
We should not forget that some of Mokuami’s other Western-inspired plays

enjoyed notable success. One example is Narihibiku Charine no Kyokuba (TheFamous Chiarini Circus, November 1886) which recreated the performing elephants, horses, and comical clowns of a touring Italian circus troupe on the
kabuki stage. Fusennori Uwasa no Takadono (The Rumored Towering Heavens of
the Balloonist, January 1891) brought the acrobatic feats of the English balloonist
Percival Spencer into the Kabuki-za and included a speech in English by theactor who played Spencer. Both plays were dance pieces that combined traditional joruri narration with modern Western music as they faithfully duplicatedthe entirety of actual popular entertainments on the kabuki stage. We can see
Mokuami’s skill and ability as a playwright in the ways that he made this material fit perfectly within the kabuki idiom. Both plays starred Onoe Kikugoro V(1844–1903), and audiences were seduced by the assiduous efforts he put into
recreating the costumes and gestures of these Western entertainers so precisely.
So while audiences may have turned away from the performance of Western
plays by Western actors, they had no such trouble in accepting a joruri-style“West,” even including elephant feet, performed by Japanese kabuki actors. There149

is an interesting parallel between the ways that contemporary audiences observed
the West through the bodies of kabuki actors and the ways that Meiji translationsof Western writing existed in a unique linguistic sphere of adaptations and auda-

Narihibiku Charine no Kyokuba (The Famous Chiarini Circus), Chitose-za, 1886
Tsubouchi Memorial Theatre Museum, Waseda University 101-7354・7355・7356 (triptych)
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ciously liberal translations.
Surprisingly, many kabuki plays featured new Western fashions and culture.
In its continual search for novelty, spectacle remained an essential element ofkabuki. This demand for novelty was also
a key part of the Meiji era. Kabuki
attempted to ingest the West at an accelerated pace, and while this occasionallycaused a serious case of indigestion, in
rapid order the theatre was able to absorb
this material and transform it into something nutritious. Another image that
occurs to me is how the Japanese furoshiki
wrapping cloth, as if by magic, is able totransform all kinds of irregularly shaped

150

contents into a well-wrapped bundle. The
Meiji-period academic and playwrightTsubouchi Shoyo praised Mokuami as the“great wholesaler of Edo theatre,” and he
was truly a peerless magician with
furoshiki.
Parts of this text have been adapted fromthe article Kabuki to “Seiyo” to no Sesshoku:“Hyoryu Kidan Seiyo Kabuki” no Daishippai(Contact between Kabuki and the “West”: The
Great Failure of “ Castaway Tales: A Western
Kabuki ” ), Minzoku Geijutsu ( Ethno-Arts),
volume 31, March 2015.
Spensaa no fusennori (Spencer in the balloon),in Fusennori Uwasa no Takadono(The Rumored Towering Heavens of the
Balloonist), Kabuki-za, January 1891
Japan Arts Council NA060690

Yanai, Kenji
Following a period at the National Theatre, he currently teaches at Meiji University. He holds
a doctorate in literature and specializes in the history of Japanese performing arts, with afocus on kabuki. His books include Meiji kiwamono kabuki: Sora tobu godaime Kikugoro(Sensational Meiji-period Kabuki: Kikugoro V Flying Through the Air, Hakusuisha Publishing), andChabudaigaeshi no kabuki nyumon (An Introduction to Kabuki Shocking Enough to Overturn the
Dinner Table, Shinchosha Publishing). He regularly reviews kabuki for the Tokyo Shimbun
newspaper.
(Translation: Alan Cummings)

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S P E C I AL F EATURE “Theatre Born in Conflict Zones 15”

SPECIAL FEATURE

154

Special Feature

Theatre Born in Conflict Zones
The Murder of Isaac in October 2023
Murai Hanayo (translator and dramaturg for the Murder of Isaac)
1.
Everyone knows what happened after the Islamic militant movement Hamas
attacked Israeli territory on October 7, 2023. In the attack, approximately 1,200
citizens were killed, and about 230 hostages were taken to Gaza. The Israeli government immediately retaliated by bombing the Gaza Strip. They cut off the
supply of water and electricity to Gaza, and finally, the Israeli military entered
the city to start a ground war. Innocent citizens, including women, children, andolder people, became victims along with Hamas soldiers. The whole city became
a mass grave; within a month, the death toll in Gaza surpassed 10,000.

On October 13, a week after the Hamas attack, the stage reading of Motti
Lerner’s The Murder of Isaac opened at Theater Fuusikaden in Tokyo. The play
was produced as a replay of the stage reading first presented in December 2020,
during the COVID-19 pandemic, at Atelier West Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre.
Behind that initial production was the International Theatre Institute JapaneseCentre, which staged the reading as part of Theatre Born in Conflict Zones 15,translated by Murai Hanayo and directed by Kobayashi Nanao. There were
twelve actors in the cast; five original songs were composed by Suwa So.
Kobayashi’s energetic direction, incorporating substantial physical movement,
made the production look more like a rehearsal for a full-scale musical play thana stage reading. What was different from the first performance was that, now, theartists involved were taken aback in the face of a war that was actually occurringin real time. It seemed as if the dramatic reality within the play had poured out
into lived reality. The play depicts a wounded Israel, one that had cut off the pathto peace, and employs a play-within-a-play construct. The characters performing
the play-within-the-play start their show as they hear news about a war that has

155

just begun.

2.
The Murder of Isaac is set in a state-run PTSD rehabilitation center for victims of
trauma resulting from war and terrorism.
One evening in 1998,
the patients present a playthey created to an audience of their families andstaff members. The work is
about the 1995 assassinationof Israeli Prime Minister
Yitzhak Rabin, who signed
the Oslo Accords in 1993.
Binder (played by Fujii Bin),a war veteran who has been a
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SPECIAL FEATURE

patient in the center for fifty years since the war of 1948, is the playwright anddirector of the play-within-the play and also portrays the Prime Minister, theleading role. Most of the characters in the play, including Binder, cannot copewith life outside the institution.
One character lives in constant fear that someone might murder him.
Another believes that he is a messenger chosen by God. Yet another believes that
someday, God will purify the Holy Land contaminated by modern civilization. A
character who had been tortured for nine months as a prisoner of war doesn’tcare about a nation or the Holy Land; he only cares about exacting vengeance on
his enemies.
In the play-within-the-play, the Leader of the Opposition, the Settlers, andthe Rabbis are all disgusted with the peace agreement that the Prime Minister
signed. They all want him dead. Why does this nation keep refusing to choose
peace?
According to author Motti Lerner (born in 1949), The Murder of Isaac is “a156

play about the collective unconscious of the Israelis.” He began writing it in theimmediate aftermath of Rabin’s assassination. The play, completed in 1998, hasbeen revised multiple times through productions in Germany and the US since1999. As of today, the play has never received a professional theatre production in
Israel, Lerner’s homeland. Does any other play expose the suppressed depths of anation as sincerely as this much-avoided work?
Hamas’s sudden attack on Israel on October 7 occurred four days after westarted rehearsing. The three-day performance came amid swirling, heated condemnation of the Israel’s “genocide” against Palestine. The actors were all inshock, but the production itself was full of energy, and it received a passionate
response from the audience.
In the play-within-the-play, one of the patients asks before their show, “Whowould want to hear our story on a day like this, when an actual war is taking
place?” Binder answers that the ones who would want to listen are “people who
don’t want any more days like this.”
It was a line that emboldened our production team.

3.
Let us face the grotesque reality.
In October 1995, a month before Rabin’s assassination, a massive gathering
protesting the Oslo Accords and demanding Rabin’s death took place inJerusalem. The person who initiated this gathering was the current Prime
Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, the then Likud leader, forty-six years ofage at the time. In The Murder of Isaac, Netanyahu appears in the play-withinthe-play as “the Leader of the Opposition.”
Among the protesters was Itamar Ben-Gvir, who became the National
Security Minister of Netanyahu’s sixth cabinet twenty-seven years later. There isfootage of the nineteen-year-old Itamar showing a hood ornament he stole from
Rabin’s car, holding it proudly in front of the cameras. It is also well known that
Ben-Gvir was a passionate follower of Baruch Goldstein, who massacred twenty-nine Palestinian worshippers in Hebron in the West Bank in 1994 and whose
photo Ben-Gvir has on the wall in his room.
The original play features a song, regrettably omitted in the Japanese pro-157

duction due to a lack of time, about a girl who worshipped Goldstein. The song
goes, “Night after night after prayers / I take his picture from under my bed /Then I’m kissing the face of that great man who knows / That an Arab is better

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SPECIAL FEATURE

off dead.” In this scandalous
comic song, the girl masturbates while she imagines thedead bodies of Arabs, one byone. She orgasms as she counts
the twenty-ninth body.
When I began studying
Israeli theatre in 2012, theHebron massacre felt like part of the past. But everything that has happened
since I started my studies has been a flash—from 2013, when the minister offinance in the third Netanyahu cabinet, Naftali Bennett (prime minister from2021 to 2022), stated that there was no place for another state in Israel, to the endof 2022, when several far-right ministers, including National Security Minister
Ben-Gvir, surrounded by settlement-supporters shouting “death to Arabs,” took
power in the sixth Netanyahu cabinet.
158

In 2017, under the fourth Netanyahu cabinet, which has explicitly shiftedto the right, a semi-documentary play criticizing the occupation of Palestine
was banned from a theatre festival. The play, titled Prisoners of the Occupationand originally written and directed by Einat Weizman, was presented in Tokyoin February 2023 (directed by Ikuta Miyuki, translated by Watanabe Maho,and produced by Theatre Office Natori). In 2018, the Nation-State Bill, officially declaring Israel to be the nation-state of the Jewish people, passed. After
Netanyahu was prosecuted for bribery and other offenses, Israel entered a chaotic
period where it had five general elections in the span of three and a half years
starting in 2019. Finally, in late 2022, the current government—the most dangerous so far—was born.
As a result, violent attacks by settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank havebeen left uncontrolled. The number of Palestinian deaths in the first sevenmonths of 2023 was equivalent to the death toll of 2022 as a whole. August 20,
2023, marked the thirtieth anniversary of the Oslo Accords, but the situation at
the time offered no space for reflection. Israeli citizens have not simply sat by,
however. From the beginning of the year, hundreds of thousands took to thestreets every week to protest the judicial reforms benefiting Netanyahu and callfor democracy. However, the protests’ primary targets were Netanyahu and his
government; only a tiny fraction of the protesters criticized the occupation anddemanded a two-state solution.
Then came the attack on October 7. In the play-within-the-play of The
Murder of Isaac, the Leader of the Opposition talks to the families of the terrorists’ victims. His speech is almost indistinguishable from that of the current, realprime minister.
“I have come to assure you that your pain is ours too, and we’ll do what
this pain commands us to do until all his murderers are murdered. In every
house, in every cellar, in every cave. We’ll pursue them and annihilate
them. Them and their families. Them and those who send them out. Themand those who assist them. All of them.”

People fueled by fear and grief continue to rely on military power that will “anni-

159

hilate the murderers.” But who could ever believe that this might lead to peace?

4.
In late September 2023, Motti Lerner sent a message to the Japanese production
team. He grieved that far-right politicians occupied a dominant position in Israel
and wrote, “It is hard to describe my fears about the future of my country.” The
future that manifested a fortnight later was absolutely devastating. In his statement, he went on to say, “Warmongers are in power in many parts of the world,”and “Israel is not an exception.”“As you will soon see, the play tries to expose their dangerous ideas andcreate a public discourse that will struggle against them and may even
defeat them. Peace is very necessary for every human being on this planet.
It allows humans to remain hopeful and sane.…That is why plays like thisare so necessary.”

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160

Even Japan, which has not been at war even once since 1945 under its postwar
Constitution, which renounces military power, is no exception to the global
trends, either.
When we presented the play for the first time in Japan in 2020, The Murderof Isaac was still a story of a foreign, faraway land for the actors, so they often
voiced their difficulty understanding the work.
When the Israeli government bombarded the Gaza Strip in May 2021,
however, Japan’s deputy defense minister clearly stated that “our hearts standwith Israel” on social media. And when Russia invaded Ukraine in February2022, many Japanese citizens began to think that expanding their country’s military capacity was an option they might have to consider. In July 2022, our former
prime minister, who proposed amending the Constitution to boost military
power, was assassinated. The killer was a man whose life was destroyed by a religious group that the family of the former prime minister was closely involved
with. In striking contrast, Rabin, who had proposed a peaceful coexistence with“the enemy,” was murdered by a religious fundamentalist who rejected the ideaof coexistence. At the end of 2022, the Japanese government passed revisions tothreekey

National

documents:
SecuritytheStrategy,

National Defense Strategy, and“Defense Buildup Program.”
Lawmakers have been working
to enhance Japan’s “defensive” capabilities in the Nansei Islands in Okinawa at
an unprecedented pace. Like Israel, Japan is expanding its military under thepretext of “deterrence” and “strengthening defensive capabilities,” fueled by fear.
Lerner, who once fought on the battlefield, has Binder speak as the Prime
Minister in his play-within-the-play: “Whoever thinks that by amassing power
we’ll prevent war is mistaken.…If we amass power, our enemies will too. If you
want to prevent war, you should abolish the reasons for war.”
Will we keep giving wrong answers to problems we already know the final
answers to? For the playwright, that question is “why plays like this are so necessary.” I think the revival of The Murder of Isaac in October 2023 must have comeabout to convince us of that vital fact.

161* The quotations from The Murder of Isaac are from the English version of February 2013,translated by Anthony Berris, on the Israeli Dramatists Website: https://dramaisrael.org/
en/play/the-murder-of-isaac/ (Retrieved January 7, 2024).

Murai, Hanayo
A professor at Kyoritsu Women’s University Faculty of Arts ＆ Letters, Murai Hanayo researches the history and theories of Western theatre on a scope that crosses national borders. In
2012, she began her research on Israeli theatre. She has also undertaken social educational
projects through theatre and music. She is the originator of KALECO (2015–2017), a projectfor students to create theatre, which involved 100 students per year on average. In addition,
Murai also began to produce live events for musicians from Okinawa since 2023. She recently wrote about Israeli theatre in “The Border of Co-existence: Akko Fringe Theatre Festival
2017” (Bulletin of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of Science and Culture, Kyoritsu Women’s
University & Kyoritsu Women’s Junior College 24, 2018), and as a theatre critic, she wrote about
the regulation of speech in high school theatre in her article “Analyzing the Issues Arisingfrom the Play Hanako of Tomorrow” (Theatre Arts 67, 2023).
(Translation: Murai Hanayo)

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SPECIAL FEATURE

About the “Theatre Born in Conflict Zones” series

The International Theatre Institute sponsors a worldwide project titled “Theatre
Born in Conflict Zones” as an effort to promote peace through theatre. In 2009, theJapan Centre started its “Theatre Born in Conflict Zones” series as part of a survey andresearch project for the International Theatre Yearbook. Through activities includingtranslations, readings, lectures by writers and experts, and exhibitions over the past
thirteen years, this series has introduced 28 outstanding plays previously unknown inJapan. Since the third year, we have also published collections of plays. If you would
like to order the latest edition or back issues containing translations of The Murder ofIsaac, please contact the Japanese Centre of International Theatre Institute.
—The Editor

This year’s performances were unfortunately canceled, but the following isa record of the reading performances that could not be presented:

Theatre Born in Conflict Zones 15
162

Reading performance of The Murder of Isaac
13–15 October 2023
Location: Theater Fuusikaden
Archive distribution: 1 November 2023 (10:00 a.m.) through 31 January 2024 (11:59 p.m.)
Playwright: Motti LernerTranslator: Murai Hanayo
Director: Kobayashi Nanao (Ryuzanji Company)
Music: Suwa So
Producer: Hayashi Hideki
Performers: Fujii Bin (Wonderpro), Inoue Kanako (Aru Company), Ueda Kazuhiro (RyuzanjiCompany), Tsuji Kyota (Infini), Kimura Yumi (MeiMei), Nishijo Yoshimasa (Modern
Swimmers), Araki Rie (Ryuzanji Company), Yamashita Naoya (Ryuzanji Company),
Kambara Hiroyuki (Gekidan 1980), Katsumata Minoru, Konno Kenta (Theatre
Moments)

We also publish Collected Plays, which contains a Japanese translation of
The Murder of Isaac with commentary by the translator. Please contact theJapanese Centre of International Theatre Institute if you would like a copy.

Japanese Centre of International Theatre Institute
President

Nagai Taeko

Vice-Presidents

Abiko Tadashi
Yoshiiwa Masaharu

Managing Director

Sota Shuji

Directors

Ito Hiroshi
Ozasa Yoshio
Okazaki Tetsuya
Kasuya Haruo
Kawai Shoichiro
Sakate Yoji
Shindo Yoshikazu
Nakayama Kaori
Natori Toshiyuki
Nomura Mansai
Hayashi Hideki
Bando Tamasaburo
Hishinuma Yoshiaki
Matsuda KazuhikoMiwa Elica
Wakaizumi Hisaaki

Auditors

Kishi Masato
Kobayashi Hirofumi

Advisers

Otani Nobuyoshi
Sakomoto Jun’ichi
Tanokura Minoru
Nomura Man
Hasegawa Mariko163(As of March 27, 2024)

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1C

背：暫定

F116 エムロード

TheatreYearbook

国際演劇年鑑 2024
Theatre Yearbook 2024 Theatre Abroad

2024

Companion Volume
Theatre Abroad 2024
(Japanese)
These articles do not appear in
Theatre in Japan 2024.

国際演劇年鑑2024

世界の舞台芸術を知る

CHINA — SOUTH KOREA — TAIWAN — TURKEY — USA — CUBA —UK — GER MANY — FR ANCE — ICELAND — UKR AINE — RUSSIA
公益社団法人 国際演劇協会日本センター
ITI / UNESCO

ITI

164

World Theatre Day Message by Jon Fosse

Theatre in Asia and Africa
China

The New Normal in the Post-pandemic Era----------------------------------------------------- Xi Muliang

South Korea Reflecting on South Korean Theatre in 2023

through Keywords------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Lee Seung-gon

TaiwanJottings on Existence and the Future------------------------------------------------------------- Yao Lee-chun

TurkeySeeking Hope in the Midst of Government Restrictions--------------------- Dikmen Gürün

Theatre in the Americas and Oceania
USA

Post-pandemic New York---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shioya Yoko

Cuba

Recent Milestones in Cuban Theatre------------------------------------------ Vivian Martinez Tabares

Theatre in Europe
UK

The Status of Theatre Since the Pandemic, andImmersive Theatre---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Motohashi Tetsuya

Germany

Festivals and Public Theatres Today------------------------------------------------------------ Uchino Tadashi

FranceCeaseless Battles and the Deteriorating State of
Public Theatres’ Finances------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fujii Shintaro

IcelandGrowing Pains-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sigríður Jónsdóttir

UkraineUkrainian Theatre in Search of Meanings------------------------------------------- Marina Kotelenets

RussiaFor Whom is Russia a Good Place to Live?---------------------------------------------- Shinozaki Naoya

165

Developments in Japan and Overseas
Toward the Creation of a New Culture –The Lineage and Current Shape of African-American Theatre------------------------------------------- Tonooka Naomi

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ITI Centres (as of March 27, 2024)

166

Americas

AfricaBrazilChile
Colombia
Cuba
MexicoUSA
Venezuela

Algeria
Benin
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Central African Rep.
Chad
Congo Rep. (Brazaville)
Egypt
Ghana
GuineaIvory Coast
Madagascar
Mali
Mauritania
Morocco
Niger
Nigeria
Sierra Leone
Sudan
Togo
UgandaZimbabwe

EuropeArmenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Belgium (Flanders)Belgium (Wallonia)
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech
Estonia
FinlandFranceGeorgia
Germany
GreeceHungary
Iceland

Arab

Italy
LatviaLuxembourg
North Macedonia
MonacoMontenegro
Netherlands
Romania
RussiaSlovakia
Slovenia
Spain
SwedenSwitzerland
UK

Asia PacificBangladesh
China
India
Iran
IsraelJapan
South Korea
Mongolia
Philippines
Sri Lanka
Vietnam

167

Bahrain
Iraq
JordanKuwaitOman
Palestine
Syria
UAE (Fujairah)
Yemen

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

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ITI Japanese Centre’s

Theatre Yearbook
国際演劇年鑑Since 1972

International Theatre Institute (ITI) is an NGO under the umbrella of UNESCO
and has some ninety branch centres around the world.
ITI Japanese Centre, which was founded in 1951, has been commissioned by the
Agency for Cultural Affairs to edit and publish the Theatre Yearbook every Marchsince 1972.
The Theatre Yearbook, which consists of two volumes, is globally distributed freeof charge to various performing arts organizations, university libraries, cultural
departments of embassies and so on.
One volume, titled “Theatre abroad” (in Japanese), targets Japanese reader
and features articles by experts on various countries, explaining each country’s
performing arts–related affairs over a span of one year.
The other volume, which targets international readers, is titled “Theatre in
Japan” (in English) and discusses ten genres of performing arts–related affairs ofJapan, from traditional to contemporary performing arts, plus television dramas.
If you have any comments or requests regarding Theatre Yearbook,please contact our centre and give us your feedback.

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Theatre Yearbook 2021—Theatre in Japan«The Japanese Performing Arts in 2020»
Noh and Kyogen, Kabuki, Bunraku, Musicals, Contemporary Theatre, Children’s and Youth
Theatre, Japanese Classical Dance, Ballet, Contemporary Dance and Butoh, Television
Dramas.
«Developments in Japan and Overseas in 2020»
Japanese Theatre in the Time of the Spanish Influenza 100 Years Ago
Plurality of Senses – for Dumb Type
Obituary: Betsuyaku Minoru “Under the Influence of Beckett: Betsuyaku, Pinter, Stoppard”
Appendix: Translations and Overseas Presentations of Works by Betsuyaku Minoru«Special Feature»“Theatre Born in Conflict Zones 12” – A Staged Reading Performed Full Out

Theatre Yearbook 2022—Theatre in Japan«The Japanese Performing Arts in 2021»
Noh and Kyogen, Kabuki, Bunraku, Musicals, Contemporary Theatre, Children’s and Youth
Theatre, Japanese Classical Dance, Ballet, Contemporary Dance and Butoh, Television
Dramas.
«Developments in Japan and Overseas in 2021»
At Our Posts, Ten Years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami
The 160th Anniversary of Mori Ogai’s Birth and the Centenary of His Death—Ogai and the
Performing Arts
The 2.5-Dimensional Musical: An Audience-Creating System«Special Feature»“Theatre Born in Conflict Zones 13” – Five Highly Dense Short Films

Theatre Yearbook 2023—Theatre in Japan«The Japanese Performing Arts in 2022»
Noh and Kyogen, Kabuki, Bunraku, Musicals, Contemporary Theatre, Children’s and Youth
Theatre, Japanese Classical Dance, Ballet, Contemporary Dance and Butoh, Television Dramas.
«Developments in Japan and Overseas in 2022»
Creating stages amidst war: Interviews with the directors of three Ukrainian theatres
Continuing Creating After Leaving My Homeland: An interview with director Timofey Kulyabin
A Retrospective on the Fiftieth Anniversary of Okinawa’s Reversion to Japan: The RichWorld of Uchinaa Shibai, a Theatre Reflecting Okinawa’s Turbulent History
What We Learned Digging Through Rare Materials from the Early Days of the ITI JapaneseCentre: 2023, the fiftieth anniversary of the first issue of the Theatre Yearbook, as a gateway«Special Feature»“Theatre Born in Conflict Zones 14” – Director’s notes: Doubting what you know, relating
indistinguishability

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東京芸術祭
東京の多彩で奥深い芸術文化を通して世界とつながることを目指し、毎年秋に東京・池袋エリ アを中心に開催している都市型総合芸術祭です。東京の芸術文化の魅力を分かり易く見せると 同時に東京における芸術文化の創造力を高めることを目指しています。中長期的には社会課題 の解決や人づくり、都市づくり、そしてグローバル化への対応を視野にいれて取り組んでいます。
Tokyo Festival
This is a comprehensive urban arts festival held every fall around Tokyo’s
Ikebukuro area which aims to connect with the world through Tokyo’s rich anddiverse arts and culture scene. While showcasing the appeal of Tokyo’s artsand culture in an easy-to- understand manner, at the same time the festival
aims to enhance Tokyo’s own creative capabilities. In the mid-to-long term, we
will continue to work on resolving social issues, developing human resources,developing urban areas, and tackling globalization.
https://tokyo-festival.jp
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tokyofestivalsince2016/
X https://twitter.com/tokyo_festival
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tokyo_festival/
主催:東京芸術祭実行委員会［公益財団法人東京都歴史文化財団（東京芸術劇場・アーツカウンシル東京）、東京都］

Tokyo Festival Executive Committee[Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture (Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre & Arts Council Tokyo), Tokyo Metropolitan Government]

舞

伎

座

東京都中央区銀座41215

0335456800

新 橋 演 舞 場
東京都中央区銀座6182

0335412600

演 劇 本 部

東京都中央区築地 四 丁 目 一 番 一 号
電話（五五五〇）
一五七三（ 歌舞伎製作部）

松竹株式会社

サンシャイン劇場
東京都豊島区東池袋314

0339875281
大阪

松

竹

座

大阪市中央区道頓堀1919

0662142211
京都

南

座

京都市東山区四条大橋東詰

0755611155

伝統が今日に生き明日につながる松竹演劇

歌Japanese CentreofInternational Theatre Institute