Danjuro's Girls: Women on the Kabuki Stage (Palgrave Studies in Theatre and Performance History)

Danjuro’s Girls is a fascinating history of Japan’s female kabuki troupes, offering a penetrating investigation into three generations of kabuki actresses associated with the renowned Ichikawa Danjuro acting dynasty. Contextually grounding early female precedents in kabuki, the book focuses on the Ichikawa Girls’ Kabuki Troupe, a unique and trailblazing company founded after Japan’s defeat in World War II. The troupe became a national sensation in the 1950s, briefly becoming part of the otherwise impenetrable all-male kabuki establishment. Drawing on numerous interviews, as well as written and visual primary sources, Danjuro’s Girls challenges readers to re-examine conventional notions about gender, performance, and traditional Japanese theatre. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 List of Illustrations......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Notes on Style......Page 16 Prologue: Danjūrō’s Girls......Page 18 1 Danjūrō IX and the Actress Question......Page 32 2 The Formation of the Ichikawa Girls’ Kabuki Troupe......Page 54 3 Name Recognition......Page 72 4 Cypress Stages......Page 88 5 Acting Like Men......Page 110 6 The Critics Respond......Page 128 7 Life Offstage......Page 146 8 Power Struggle......Page 162 9 The Final Years......Page 180 Epilogue: Kabuki as Invented Tradition......Page 200 Appendix: Play Titles in Translation......Page 208 Notes......Page 214 Bibliography......Page 250 D......Page 270 H......Page 271 I......Page 272 K......Page 275 M......Page 276 N......Page 277 P......Page 278 S......Page 279 U......Page 280 Z......Page 281 Cover 1 Contents 8 List of Illustrations 10 Acknowledgments 12 Notes on Style 16 Prologue: Danjūrō’s Girls 18 1 Danjūrō IX and the Actress Question 32 2 The Formation of the Ichikawa Girls’ Kabuki Troupe 54 3 Name Recognition 72 4 Cypress Stages 88 5 Acting Like Men 110 6 The Critics Respond 128 7 Life Offstage 146 8 Power Struggle 162 9 The Final Years 180 Epilogue: Kabuki as Invented Tradition 200 Appendix: Play Titles in Translation 208 Notes 214 Bibliography 250 Index 270 A 270 B 270 C 270 D 270 E 271 F 271 G 271 H 271 I 272 J 275 K 275 L 276 M 276 N 277 O 278 P 278 R 279 S 279 T 280 U 280 V 281 W 281 Y 281 Z 281 0230609465,9780230609464 Palgrave Macmillan, 2009 This Comprehensive Study Investigates The History Of Kabuki Actresses, And The Complex History Of Male Kabuki.