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Paper short abstract

The purpose of this presentation is to discuss the modernization of kabuki theatre criticism by tracing the work of its central figure, Miki Takeji (1867–1908).

Paper long abstract

Miki Takeji (hereafter abbreviated as Takeji) was the younger brother of the renowned literary figure Mori Ōgai. While studying medicine at the University of Tokyo, he highly appreciated kabuki and yose entertainment. Takeji began writing theatre reviews during his student years. From 1892, he joined the editorial staff of the magazine Kabuki Shinpō and in 1900, he committed himself to launching the magazine Kabuki. Takenji was both an editor and a theatre critic. While his reviewing style, which interpreted the play script and then evaluated the acting and direction, seems orthodox by today’s standards, this approach brought a turning point to kabuki criticism. This is because, prior to Takenji, theater reviews had not progressed beyond the realm of “hyōban-ki” (actors reputation and ranking lists).

Kabuki criticism originated in the late 17th century with the “hyōban-ki”. The primary aim of these publications was to rank actors according to their acting skill; “hyōban-ki” remained leisure books for connoisseurs. Kabuki criticism prior to Takeji belonged to this tradition of “actor reputation records”, which clung on “master craftsmanship” or “connoisseurship”. This is why Takeji is regarded as the pioneer of modern drama criticism.

Takeji also belonged to the intellectual circle centred on Ōgai, having the knowledge of Western theatre introduced by Ōgai and others. He was involved in translating Western plays. This background possibly explains why he viewed kabuki with objective eyes, being consistently in the realm of “amateur”.

To further deepening our understanding of Takeji's achievements, we could compare his approach to kabuki with that of Aiba Kōson (1855-1922), a writer and theater critic who belonged to the former generation.

Different from Kōson, Takeji endeavored a difficult task of ‘recording kabuki’s kata (form). It was his familiarity with Western drama that led him, conversely, to document its formalistic aspects, respecting the uniqueness of Japanese theatre. As a result, Takeji’s own style of kabuki criticism, combining the analysis of play structure and the documentation of kata was born. My presentation will also examine the background from where the motive for recording kata emerged.