Modern Japanese Theatre and Performance (review)

These 19 essays deal with various aspects of modern Japanese theatre (shingeki) from its origins in the 19th century to its present-day practices. There is even an essay on why 17th century sewamono (colloquial-language theatre also known as domestic-drama theatre) did not develop into shingeki. Fourteen of the authors are Western scholars, a number of whom have worked in Japan for many years.

Jortner notes in his introduction that since the arrival of Admiral Perry in 1854 and the resultant "opening" of Japan, the abiding cultural issue "was and remains the continued dialogue between Japan and the West. [...] The plays and artists discussed in this book illustrate a variety of attitudes toward this disciplinary change [how Western forms impacted Japanese theatre], as [...Japanese artists] explore Western politics, art, and ideals through imitation, adaptation, and resistance" (xii-xiii). Modern Japanese Theatre and Performance does not attempt a balanced overview or anything approaching comprehensivity. Jortner makes it sound as if the Japanese only took from or resisted the West, when in fact the balance of trade in ideas has not been so lopsided. Japan has impacted the West in terms of basic industry (how to design, manufacture, and market automobiles), electronics, popular culture (manga and video games), and experimental performance (butoh and performance art). The book is divided into three sections: "Shingeki History," "Experimental Theatre(s) and Border Crossings," and "Specific Plays and Productions." The preponderance of essays deals with post-WWII theatre; several authors also discuss Japanese theatre in the 21st century. Among the artists considered in some detail are Akimoto Matsuyo, Hijikata Tatsumi, Terayama Shuji, Mishima Yokio, Abe Kobo, and Miyagi Satoshi. Included also is the translation of one complete short play, Umehara Takeshi's Mutsugoro (Mudskippers), a "super-kyogen" performed at the National Noh Theatre in 2002.