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Kawatake Mokuami

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Kawatake Mokuami
Hà trúc mặc a di
Portrait of Mokuami Kawatake
Portrait of Mokuami Kawatake
Born1 March 1816
Nihonbashi,Chūō-ku,Tokyo,Japan
Died22 January 1893
Tokyo,Japan
OccupationKabuki
NationalityJapanese
PeriodEdo
Genre
ParentKanbei Yoshimura (father)
RelativesKawatake Shigetoshi (adopted son)

Kawatake Mokuami(Hà trúc mặc a di)(birth nameYoshimura Yoshisaburō;Cát thôn phương Tam Lang ) (1 March 1816 – 22 January 1893) was a Japanese dramatist ofKabuki.It has been said[by whom?]that "as a writer of plays of Kabuki origin, he was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Japan has ever known".[1]He wrote 150 or so plays over the course of his 58-year career,[2]covering a wide variety of themes, styles, and forms, including short dance pieces, period plays (jidaimono), contemporary genre pieces (sewamono), tragedies and comedies, as well as adaptations of foreign (Western) stories,[3]though he is perhaps most famous for hisshiranamimono,plays featuring sympathetic or tragic rogues and thieves.[4]For the greater part of his career he wrote under the professional name Kawatake Shinshichi, only taking the name Mokuami on his retirement from the stage in 1881.

Life and career

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Mokuami was born in theNihonbashidistrict ofEdo(modern-day Tokyo). He was disinherited by his father at age fourteen, and obtained work at a lending library, introducing him to the world of theatre.[5]In 1835, he entered into an apprenticeship withTsuruya Nanboku IV,and in 1843 became the lead playwright (tate-sakusha) for theKawarazaki-zatheatre, succeeding to the name Kawatake Shinshichi II. He began working with kabuki starIchikawa Kodanji IVin 1854, producingkizewamonopieces.[4]Most of Mokuami's works are in this form, and were written specifically for the star actors of the time, such asOnoe Kikugorō Vand Ichikawa Kodanji IV.[1]Many of his plays, such as the famousBenten Kozō,featured thieves and robbers,[2]also known asshiranami(white waves), whom he represented somewhat sympathetically, as low-class heroes, or as tragic figures.

As Japan modernized and Westernized rapidly in theMeiji period,Mokuami moved along with new trends in theatre, becoming a pioneer ofShin-kabuki( "New Kabuki" ), writing plays in new genres such askatsurekimono(realistic, historically accuratejidaimonoperiod plays) andzangirimono(sewamonogenre plays featuring Meiji era contemporary characters and setting[6]).[4]

During his 58-year career, he became the most prolific kabuki author in history, producing over 360 works: 130sewamono,90jidaimono,and 140 dances.[7]Mokuami formally retired in 1881, but continued to present new works, and was spoken highly of by novelist and literary criticTsubouchi Shōyō.Mokuami died in 1893 and is buried atGentsū-jiinNakano, Tokyo.[4]

Selected works

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References

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  1. ^abMiyake, Shutarō.Kabuki Drama.Tokyo: Japan Travel Bureau, Inc., 1971. p50.
  2. ^abMiyake. p149.
  3. ^"Kawatake Mokuami".Kabuki Jiten( kịch ca múa sự điển, "Kabuki Encyclopedia" ). Japan Arts Council, 2001-2003. Accessed 26 September 2008.
  4. ^abcdKawade Shobō Shinsha Editorial Team (eds.). "'Shiranami sakusha' to yobareta Kawatake Mokuami" ( “Bạch sóng tác giả” と hô ばれた hà trúc mặc a di, "Kawatake Mokuami, who was called the 'Shiranami Writer'" ).Ō-Edo Rekishi Hyakka( đại giang hộ lịch sử bách khoa, "Historical Encyclopedia of Great Edo" ). Tokyo: Kawade Shobō Shinsha Publishers, 2007. p198.
  5. ^Leiter, Samuel (1997).New Kabuki Encyclopedia.p. 307.
  6. ^"Zangirimono."Kabuki Glossary.Kabuki21.Accessed 26 September 2008.
  7. ^Leiter, Samuel (1997).New Kabuki Encyclopedia.
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