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Paper short abstract:

This presentation will focus on the process by which Ichikawa Danjūrō IX endeavored to canonize kabuki after Tenran kabuki in 1887. For the canonization of kabuki, Danjūrō employed the method adapting Chikamatsu jōruri plays, or noh and kyōgen dramas which were perceived as authorized "traditions".

Paper long abstract:

Ichikawa Danjūrō IX was a central figure while kabuki reforms were attempted in the early Meiji period. For instance, he promoted katsureki-mono (new historical plays) which employed a historical investigation and an acting method based upon realism, in order to rectify existing historical plays. After the Sino-Japanese war, however, Danjūrō became conservative and gave a skeptical response to untested new plays, striving only for traditional masterpieces. It is said that the ignominious defeat of Kairiku Rensho Asahi no mihata (1894) created against the series of warfare plays by Kawakami Otojiro, which captivate audiences by showing spectacular battle scenes despite of the shoddy plot. This incident sent shock waves through the whole kabuki industry and Danjūrō who dedicated himself to kabuki reforms changed his way of thinking, starting to pursue the canonization of kabuki.

However, I argue that Danjūrō had switched his attitude earlier than this period. Due to successive failures of katsureki-mono around the 1880's, Danjūrō was already frustrated to attempt the reformation of historical plays. Furthermore, there was an unprecedented event executed by Engeki Kairyōkai that the Emperor Meiji appreciated kabuki plays for the first time in 1887, which is called Tenran kabuki, in order to propagate kabuki as a sophisticated and defined performance on behalf of Japanese theatres. I estimate this encouraged Danjūrō, who was a leader of Tenran kabuki, to convert his position from reformation to canonization of kabuki. For instance, Fukuchi Ōchi created four katsureki-mono for Danjūrō adapted from Chikamatsu jōruri plays between 1890 and 1893. It seems that they intended to rely on the authority of the Great Chikamatsu and his canons. On the other hand, the alliance of Danjūrō and Ochi created many shosagoto (dance dramas) based upon noh or kyōgen dramas. Likewise adaptations from Chikamatsu jōruri, the utilization of traditional performing arts like noh and kyōgen can be considered for heightening the value of kabuki. In this presentation, I will trace the process by which Ichikawa Danjūrō IX endeavored to canonize kabuki after the event of Tenran kabuki, and scrutinize the method of canonization exemplifying specific kabuki plays performed by himself.