The Columbia Anthology of Modern Japanese Drama

This anthology is the first to survey the full range of modern Japanese drama and make available Japan's best and most representative twentieth- and early-twenty-first-century works in one volume. It opens with a comprehensive introduction to Meiji-period drama and follows with six chronological sections: "The Age of Taisho Drama"; The Tsukiji Little Theater and Its Aftermath"; "Wartime and Postwar Drama"; "The 1960s and Underground Theater"; "The 1980s and Beyond"; and "Popular Theater," providing a complete history of modern Japanese theater for students, scholars, instructors, and dramatists. The collection features a mix of original and previously published translations of works, among them plays by such writers as Masamune Hakucho (__The Couple Next Door__), Enchi Fumiko (__Restless Night in Late Spring__), Morimoto Kaoru (__A Woman's Life__), Abe Kobo (__The Man Who Turned into a Stick__), Kara Juro (__Two Women__), Terayama Shuji (__Poison Boy__), Noda Hideki (__Poems for Sale__), and Mishima Yukio (__The Sardine Seller's Net of Love__). Leading translators include Donald Keene, J. Thomas Rimer, M. Cody Poulton, John K. Gillespie, Mari Boyd, and Brian Powell. Each section features an introduction to the developments and character of the period, notes on the plays' productions, and photographs of their stage performances. The volume complements any study of modern Japanese literature and modern drama in China, Korea, or other Asian or contemporary Western nations. "This anthology is the first to survey the full range of modern Japanese drama and make available Japan's best and most representative twentieth- and early-twenty-first-century works in one volume. Divided into six chronological sections: The Age of Taishō Drama; The Tsukiji Tsukiji Little Theater and Its Aftermath; Wartime and Postwar Drama; The 1960s and Underground Theater; The 1980s and Beyond; Popular Theater, the collection opens with a comprehensive introduction to Meiji period drama and provides an informal yet complete history of twentieth-century Japanese theater for students, scholars, instructors, and dramatists. The collection features a mix of original and previously published translations of works, among them plays by such writers as Masamune Hakuchō (The Couple Next Door), Enchi Fumiko (Restless Night in Late Spring), Abe Kōbō (The Man Who Turned into a Stick), Morimoto Kaoru (A Woman's Life), Kara Jūrō (Two Women), Terayama Shuji (Poison Boy), Noda Hideki (Poems for Sale), and Mishima Yukio (The Sardine Seller's Net of Love). Leading translators include Donald Keene, J. Thomas Rimer, Mitsuyra Mori, M. Cody Poulton, John Gillespie, Mari Boyd, and Brian Powell. Each section features an introduction to the developments and character of the period, notes on the plays' productions, and photographs of their stage performances. The volume complements any course on modern Japanese literature and any study of modern drama in China, Korea, or other Asian or contemporary Western nations."--Provided by publisher "This anthology is the first to survey the full range of modern Japanese drama and make available Japan's best and most representative twentieth- and early-twenty-first-century works in one volume. Divided into six chronological sections: The Age of Taisho Drama; The Tsukiji Tsukiji Little Theater and Its Aftermath; Wartime and Postwar Drama; The 1960s and Underground Theater; The 1980s and Beyond; Popular Theater, the collection opens with a comprehensive introduction to Meiji period drama and provides an informal yet complete history of twentieth-century Japanese theater for students, scholars, instructors, and dramatists. The collection features a mix of original and previously published translations of works, among them plays by such writers as Masamune Hakucho (The Couple Next Door), Enchi Fumiko (Restless Night in Late Spring), Abe Kobo (The Man Who Turned into a Stick), Morimoto Kaoru (A Woman's Life), Kara Juro (Two Women), Terayama Shuji (Poison Boy), Noda Hideki (Poems for Sale), and Mishima Yukio (The Sardine Seller's Net of Love). Leading translators include Donald Keene, J. Thomas Rimer, Mitsuyra Mori, M. Cody Poulton, John Gillespie, Mari Boyd, and Brian Powell. Each section features an introduction to the developments and character of the period, notes on the plays' productions, and photographs of their stage performances. The volume complements any course on modern Japanese literature and any study of modern drama in China, Korea, or other Asian or contemporary Western nation"--Provided by publisher. Contents Preface A Note on Japanese Names Introduction: The Prelude to Modern Drama in the Meiji Era (1868–1912) PART I. THE AGE OF “TAISHŌ DRAMA” Introduction Kerria Japonica Father returns The Skeletons’ Dance PART II. THE TSUKIJI LITTLE THEATER AND ITS AFTERMATH Introduction The Couple Next Door A Nero in Skirts Paper Balloon Fascist Doll Restless night in late spring Japanese Women Playwrights: From Meiji to the Present PART III. WARTIME AND POSTWAR DRAMA Introduction A Woman’s Life The Man Who Turned into a Stick Ceremonial Clothes Twilight Crane Education PART IV. THE 1960S AND UNDERGROUND THEATER Introduction The Little Match Girl Two Women Poison Boy The Dressing Room: That Which Flows Away Ultimately Becomes Nostalgia The Earth Station Living with Father PART V. THE 1980S AND BEYOND Introduction Poems for Sale Tokyo Notes The Attic Five Days in March PART VI. POPULAR THEATER Introduction Nihonbashi The Rose of Versailles: A Takarazuka Grand Romantic Play The Sardine Seller’s Net of Love Selected Bibliography Permissions An Anthology Of Modern Japanese Drama From The Mid-nineteenth Century To The Early Twenty-first Century-- Part I. The Age Of Taisho Drama By M. Cody Poulton -- Part Ii. The Tsukiji Little Theater And Its Aftermath By J. Thomas Rimer -- Part Iii. Wartime And Postwar Drama By J. Thomas Rimer -- Part Iv. The 1960s And Underground Theater By M. Cody Poulton -- Part V. The 1980s And Beyond By M. Cody Poulton -- Part Vi. Popular Theater By Mitsuya Mori. J. Thomas Rimer, Mitsuya Mori, & M. Cody Poulton, Editors. Also Includes Historical, Critical Commentaries. Includes Bibliographical References. This anthology is the first to survey the full range of modern Japanese drama and make available Japan's best and most representative twentieth- and early-twenty-first-century works in one volume. Divided into six chronological sections: ?The Age of Taisho Drama"; The Tsukiji Tsukiji Little Theater and Its Aftermath"; ?Wartime and Postwar Drama"; ?The 1960's and Underground Theater"; ?The 1980's and Beyond"; and ? Popular Theater," the collection opens with a comprehensive introduction to Meiji period drama and provides an informal yet complete history of twentieth-century Japanese theater "An anthology of modern Japanese drama from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twenty-first century"-- Provided by publisher