Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 4-2-2019 New Directions For Kabuki Performances in America in the 21st Century Narumi Iwasaki Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the Japanese Studies Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Iwasaki, Narumi, "New Directions For Kabuki Performances in America in the 21st Century" (2019). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 4942. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.6818 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. New Directions For Kabuki Performances in America in the 21 st Century by Narumi Iwasaki A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Japanese Thesis Committee: Laurence Kominz, Chair Suwako Watanabe Jon Holt Portland State University 2019 ©2019 Narumi Iwasaki i Abstract Transitions from the first kabuki performance abroad in Russia in 1928 to the recent performances around the world show various changes in the purpose and production of kabuki performances overseas. Kabuki has been performed as a Japanese traditional art in the U.S. for about 60 years, and the United States has seen more kabuki than any other country outside of Japan. Those tours were closely tied to national cultural policy of both Japan and the USA in the early years (Thornbury 2–3). The first kabuki tour to New York in 1960 helped to reestablish the U.S-Japan relationship after the war (Thornbury 60). However, recently kabuki performances in the US have shifted into entertaining and educational events with regional rather than national import. This thesis will investigate productions of large scale Grand Kabuki (Shochiku corporation performers and management) and small scale kabuki related events in the United States, demonstrating how the purposes and the productions have changed throughout the 21 st century as compared to the 20 th century. The investigation will focus on (1) event management (2) program selection (3) technology (4) audiences’ knowledge and experience. ii After Chapter Two introduces international kabuki tours in the early stage, Chapter Three will explore the two large-scale U.S. tours in the 20 th century: the first U.S. tour in 1960 and the 1990 tour which covered widest area in the USA. In the 21 st century, three large scale productions came to the U.S. over six times. Heisei Nakamura- za (troupe) visited New York in 2004, 2007 and 2014. Chikamatsu-za came to three cities in 2005. Kabuki joined the Japan kabuki festival in Las Vegas in 2015 and 2016 with two different productions. Chapter Four will investigate these large-scale tours and Chapter Five will look into small scale Shochiku-related kabuki events using Portland, Oregon as a sample city. Shochiku organized kabuki events in Portland in 2002, 2009, and 2017. These events included dance performances, make-up demonstrations, and in 2017 a costume exhibition. Research on small scale events is also important to understand new ways to present kabuki abroad. iii Acknowledgments Foremost, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to my thesis advisor, Dr. Laurence Kominz, for his continuous support, patience, enthusiasm, and encouragement. It has been my honor to be his M.A. student. I could not have completed this project without his guidance. Besides my advisor, I also would like to give special thanks to Akira Kawashima, Chieko Suzuki, Diane Durston, Jane Langill, Mark Oshima, and Masao Nakano. They kindly accepted my requests for interviews and gave me their valuable time and information. I was truly impressed with their kindness and professionalism. Without their support, this project could not have been accomplished. My sincere thanks goes to the other members of my thesis committee, Dr. Jon Holt and Dr. Suwako Watanabe, for their excellent advice on my research and their support throughout my years at PSU. I also thank our other faculty member, Dr. Karen Curtin, my writing advisor, Linnea Spitzer, and my supervisor at Center for Japanese Studies at PSU, Melinda Glover, for offering their support and inspiration. I am indebted to my friends and graduate program colleagues who supported me throughout my PSU life. The list includes Andre Shepherd, Benjamin Burton, Jitsuya iv Nishiyama, Keiko Sugiue, Kumiko Takizawa, Mina Asai, Natsuko Llewellyn, Nobuko Horikawa, Paolo Menuez, Peter Fodor, Rossina Soyan, Teppei Fukuda, Tomomi Matsumura, Yuka Kishiue, and Yuya Sano. They always encouraged me, and sometimes inspired me. I also would like to thank my family, Kichitaro Iwasaki, Yukiko Iwasaki and Yuji Iwasaki, for their endless love and support. Last but not least, my heartfelt gratitude goes to Josh Metzler for his faithful support and encouragement. To all of you, I would like to express my sincerest appreciation. Thank you. v Table of Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………...………….………...………...…i Acknowledgements…………………………………………………..……………………...........iii Chapter One – Introduction……….……….………….………..………...……..…….…………....1 Chapter Two – Pre-war Kabuki Tours Abroad ...…….………………..……..………...…...………7 Chapter Three – America and Kabuki: Post-war Censorship & US Touring in the 20 th Century…25 Chapter Four –Large Scale Kabuki Tours in the USA - the 21st Century.....………………............67 Chapter Five – Small Kabuki Presentations - Portland in the 21st Century…...........….....………111 Chapter Six – Conclusion: Kabuki in the USA - Now and Future…………………......................139 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………...……..…147 Interviews……………………………………………………………………...………..........….160 Appendix. Interviewee Biographies……..…………………...…………….…..…….……….…161 1 Chapter One – Introduction Transitions from the first kabuki performance abroad in Russia in 1928 to the recent performances across the world show various changes in the purpose and production of kabuki performances overseas. Kabuki has been performed as a Japanese traditional art in the U.S. for about 60 years, and the United States has seen more kabuki than any other country outside of Japan. Those tours were closely tied to national cultural policy of both Japan and the USA in the early years (Thornbury 2–3). The first kabuki tour to New York in 1960 helped to reestablish the U.S-Japan relationship after the war (Thornbury 60). However, recently kabuki performances in the US have become entertaining and educational events with regional rather than national import. This thesis will investigate productions of large-scale Grand Kabuki (Shochiku Corporation performers and management) and small-scale tours in the United States, demonstrating what changes and innovations have been made throughout the 21 st century as compared to the 20 th century. Why have been these changes taken place and what about future tours? The investigation will focus on (1) event management (2) program selection (3) technology (4) audiences’ knowledge and experience. 2 Chapters Two and Three provide historical context for the study of kabuki tours to the USA during this century. International performance began early in the 20 th century and whenever kabuki was performed abroad, governments sought to use these events to support national policies. This was the case whenever kabuki was performed in the Soviet Union in 1928 and 1961, China in 1955, and the U.S.A in 1960 (Leiter, "Kabuki at the Crossroads Years of Crisis" 382-405). This situation pertained through the first kabuki performance in the U.S.A. in New York City in 1960. Chapter Three will explore the two large-scale U.S. tours in the 20 th century: the first U.S. tour in 1960 and the 1990 tour which covered widest area in the USA. Analysis of kabuki tours to the U.S.A. in the last century will help us understand how kabuki was used to build the U.S.-Japan social and cultural relationships over four decades. In the main body of the thesis, large scale tours and tour series by three major troupes, and three small-scale kabuki events will be introduced to see how kabuki has been promoted as entertainment and education in the U.S. in the 21 st century. The large- scale performances analyzed are Nakamura-za in Lincoln Center, New York in 2004, 2007, and 2014, Chikamatsu-za in Seattle, Berkeley and Los Angeles in 2005, and Japan Kabuki Festival in Las Vegas in 2015 and 2016. These three large-scale productions and 3 performance series are the subject of Chapter Four. My study of small-scale performances by Shochiku performers in Chapter Five will focus on three performances in Portland, Oregon in 2002, 2009, and 2017 as case studies. In these major tours and small kabuki events, American audiences are very different from those who go to see kabuki regularly in Tokyo or Osaka. American audiences’ knowledge about kabuki and their expectations and assumptions about kabuki and theater are not the same as native Japanese kabuki fans. Also, the producers organize kabuki tours in the USA under different circumstances than produced in Japan, either in regular Shochiku owned theaters or when touring domestically. In Japan Shochiku owned and managed theaters have facilities and staff specializing in kabuki. They can efficiently stage different kabuki plays monthly, while in the U.S. theaters are unaccustomed to the requirements of kabuki productions. This