Kabuki at War: 1931-1945
CEAS BROWN BAG SERIES
James R. Brandon Emeritus Professor of Asian Theatre, University of Hawaii at Manoa
It has long been asserted that Kabuki is a classic theatre form that has no relevance to modern Japanese society. However, recent research reveals this to be a myth. Between 1931 and 1945 more than 100 contemporary war plays (sensôgeki ) were written and performed on Kabuki stages. Examples are: The Manchurian Incident (1931), Three Heroic Human Bombs (1932) , Tank Commander Nishizumi (1940), Pearl Harbor (1942), and Banzai for the South Seas (1944). Kabuki actors raised war funds and Kabuki troupes toured battle zones in Manchuria and China. When Japan lost the war, Kabuki producers and scholars successfully propagated the myth that a "classic" Kabuki had played no part in the war, thereby mitigating the severity of American Occupation censorship of Kabuki.