Kabuki, A Mirror of Japan: Ten Plays That Offer a Glimpse Into Evolving Sensibilities by Matsui Kesako and David Crandall (review)

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• Kabuki, A Mirror of Japan: Ten Plays That Offer a Glimpse Into Evolving Sensibilities by Matsui Kesako and David Crandall
• Jennifer M. Yoo

KABUKI, A MIRROR OF JAPAN: TEN PLAYS THAT OFFER A GLIMPSE INTO EVOLVING SENSIBILITIES. By Matsui Kesako and David Crandall. Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture, 2016. 242 pp. $60.00.

Translated by David Crandall, Matsui Kesako’s Kabuki, A Mirror of Japan serves as a highly accessible and well-rounded introduction to the world of the kabuki theatre. Rather than attempting to distill a theatre tradition over four centuries old under a single, unified definition, Matsui opts to present kabuki as an art form marked by changes in time, likening it to “a cross section of geological strata” (p. 1). With each chapter focusing on a major play from the traditional repertory (originating from the late seventeenth century through to the beginning of Japan’s modernization in the late nineteenth century), the author utilizes ten plays to exemplify key aspects of kabuki’s historical, diverse layers. [End Page 463]

The first two chapters illustrate artistic and narrative developments during the Genroku era (1688–1704), recognized as a golden age for the kabuki theatre. Chapter One is dedicated to Shibaraku (Just a Minute!), a play belonging to the “oldest stratum” of kabuki’s production history and one which exemplifies the development and variation a given play has undergone over the years (p. 7). Matsui demonstrates this to the reader with Shibaraku by describing how character depictions within the play have evolved via actor contributions, most notably those of Ichikawa Danjūrō I, the first actor to perform as the hero role of Just a Minute!, who is also credited with creating the aragoto style of acting for the kabuki theatre. This discussion is complemented by the following chapter, which shifts from Edo to Kyoto and Osaka, or kamigata kabuki, and the similar influence of Sakata Tōjūrō I on the adaptation of Kuruwa Bunshō (Love Letters from the Licensed Quarter).¹ Rather than portraying “bigger-than-life action heroes” like Ichikawa Danjūrō I, Sakata Tōjūrō I was noted for focusing more on dialogue and “realistic” acting. It was this style of performance, combined with what Matsui refers to as the “profligate hero” character type that so appealed to audiences of kamigata kabuki. These high-born characters embodied an “elegance of shabbiness” that was seen as both romantic and “dashing” despite having descended into debauchery and destitution (p. 29). At the same time, Kuruwa Bunshō also serves Matsui’s discussion of performance genres within the kabuki theatre, as dance was incorporated as of the mid-eighteenth century, resulting in the play’s evolution from a “realistic quarrel between lovers” into a dance drama (pp. 27–28).

The following two chapters continue this discussion by presenting play examples of jidaimono, or historical plays,² another major and highly popular genre within the kabuki theatre, especially during the mid-eighteenth century. Chapter Three reflects on Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami (Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy), specifically the scene Terakoya, which is performed as a piece on its own. According to Matsui, one of the reasons for this piece’s popularity can be attributed to the narrative tradition of substitute sacrifice as a theatrical device and its potential to alleviate the audience’s own feelings of guilt regarding child death at the time.³ Aside from being a strong example of the jidaimono genre, Matsui also utilizes the play to address a critical aspect of kabuki’s development, namely its complicated relationship with the ningyō jōruri puppet theatre. An extremely popular performing art in Osaka, kabuki producers turned to the puppet theatre for inspiration. In the case of Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy, the play was first performed as a ningyō jōruri in August of 1746, and debuted as a kabuki production the [End Page 464] following month. Chapter Four is dedicated to Yoshitsune Senbonzakura (Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees), another play “borrowed” from ningyō jōruri traditions. This relationship between kabuki and the puppet theatre is further emphasized in this chapter, with Matsui citing “about 70 percent of the plays...