The man who saved Kabuki : Faubion Bowers and theatre censorship in occupied Japan

As part of its program to promote democracy in Japan after World War II, the American Occupation, headed by General Douglas MacArthur, undertook to enforce rigid censorship policies aimed at eliminating all traces of feudal thought in media and entertainment, including kabuki. Faubion Bowers (1917-1999), who served as personal aide and interpreter to MacArthur during the Occupation, was appalled by the censorship policies and anticipated the extinction of a great theatrical art. He used his position in the Occupation administration and his knowledge of Japanese theatre in his tireless campaign to save kabuki. Largely through Bowers's efforts, censorship of kabuki had for the most part been eliminated by the time he left Japan in 1948. Although Bowers is at the center of the story, this lively and skillfully adapted translation from the original Japanese treats a critical period in the long history of kabuki as it was affected by a single individual who had a commanding influence over it. It offers fascinating and little-known details about Occupation censorship politics and kabuki performance while providing yet another perspective on the history of an enduring Japanese art form. Read Bowers' impressions of Gen. MacArthur on the Japanese-American Veterans' Association website. "As part of its program to promote democracy in Japan after World War II, the American Occupation, headed by General Douglas MacArthur, undertook to enforce rigid censorship policies aimed at eliminating all traces of feudal thought in media and entertainment, including kabuki. Faubion Bowers (1917-1999), who served as personal aide and interpreter to MacArthur during the Occupation, was appalled by the censorship policies and anticipated the extinction of a great theatrical art. He used his position in the Occupation administration and his knowledge of Japanese theatre in his tireless campaign to save kabuki. Largely through Bowers's efforts, censorship of kabuki had for the most part been eliminated by the time he left Japan in 1948.". "Although Bowers is at the Center of the story, this lively and skillfully adapted translation from the original Japanese treats a critical period in the long history of kabuki as it was affected by a single individual who had a commanding influence over it. It offers fascinating the little-known details about Occupation censorship politics and kabuki performance while providing yet another perspective on the history of an enduring Japanese art form."--BOOK JACKET. Contents Translator’s Introduction Author’s Introduction Chapter 1. Faubion Bowers and Japan, 1940 –1945 Chapter 2. Wartime Kabuki Chapter 3. The Occupation Commences and the Actors Return Chapter 4. Kabuki Censorship Begins Chapter 5. How Faubion Bowers “Saved” Kabuki Chapter 6. Kabuki’s Suffering Ends Chapter 7. Conclusion Epilogue Appendix A. A Kabuki Chronology, 1940–1948 Appendix B. Kabuki Plot Summaries Notes Selected Bibliography Index About the Author and Translator

“Jan Ken Po, Ai Kono Sho”
“Junk An'a Po, I Canna Show”

These words to a simple child's game brought from Japan and made local, the property of all of Hawaii's people, symbolize the cultural transformation experienced by Hawaii's Japanese. It is the story of this experience that Dennis Ogawa tells so well here.