Fine Japanese Calligraphy

The Art of Master Japanese Calligrapher Eri Takase

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[p. 82]

MOST IMPORTANT THEATRES

Those seeking information about plays actually being staged in the following theatres should apply to the Japan Tourist Bureau and Play Guide.

IN TOKYO

Kabuki-za Theatre, just off the Ginza to the east, is a splendid example of the modern Japanese theatre. Leading Kabuki actors appear in this theatre. The theatre is capable of holding 2,474 people.

Tokyo Theatre (Tokyo Gekijō) lies a little way to the south-east of the Kabuki-za theatre. This theatre is popular for the variety of its performances.

Meiji-za Theatre, one of the modern theatres of the city, is close to Hamachō Park.

Shinjuku Daiichi Gekijō, near the Shinjuku Station. Young Kabuki actors, who will rank in the first line in the future, appear in this theatre.

Shinbashi Enbujō, near the Shinbashi Station, is another modern theatre, originally built for Geisha performances. This theatre has a guide for foreign visitors.

Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre, is chiefly for light musical plays or reviews played entirely by the Takarazuka Girls.

Tsukiji Little Theatre
New Dramatic Group performs in this theatre.

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Night photograph of a large building front lit from below: two steep gabled roofs with ornamental ends, a curved canopy over the entrance at the center, and a tall narrow banner decorated with flower shapes at the right. A square lantern on a thick post, its panes glowing, stands in the left foreground, and a row of parked cars lines the street in front of the entrance.
Night Scene of Kabuki-za Theatre
Photograph of a large hall seen from one side, with the floor and two balcony levels packed with rows of seated people. White balcony fronts studded with small round lights run along the near and far walls, arched openings show along the back wall, a patterned ceiling shows at the upper left, and a haze of light falls from the upper right.
Interior of Tokyo Theatre
Photograph of the front of a large building with a tall gabled front and a stepped wing at the left. A band of tall narrow windows in a pale frame runs across the upper front above a flat canopy over the entrance, with vertical decorative strips down the wall. A slender tree and small potted trees stand on the pavement in front, and a small kiosk with posters stands at the lower left.
Outside View of Shinbashi Enbujō

[p. 84]

Photograph of a large pale modern building seen from a street corner, with a rounded top bearing the theatre's name in a row of large characters, 東京寶塚劇場, and flags on poles, wide horizontal ribbed bands across the front, rows of small square windows, and a roofed ground floor on round columns. A row of young trees stands along the pavement in front, and a taller block rises at the right.
Outside View of Tokyo Takarazuka Theatre
Photograph of a wide lobby with two round columns faced with small square tiles in the foreground and a checkered floor. A chandelier hangs at the upper left, a corridor with wall lamps and a pair of doors lies at the left, and at the right a curved low wall surrounds a tall stepped block of pale squares. A beam crosses the ceiling at the upper right.
Interior of Osaka Kabuki-za Theatre
Dark photograph taken from among a crowd of blurred heads in the foreground toward a wide, lit, low raised floor backed by long window-like openings, with small figures standing and sitting at the left and center of it. At the right a row of people in light clothes sits along a raised ledge below a small upright sign, and round lights show at the top of the ceiling.
Stage Scene of Bunraku Theatre

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IN OSAKA

Kabuki-za Theatre, is a splendid modern theatre and the largest in Japan.

Bunraku-za Theatre
The Puppet Show is a form of dramatic art peculiar to Osaka, and can only be seen to perfection in this theatre.

Naka-za Theatre and Kado-za Theatre
These theatres are in Dōtonbori and, are for classical or modern plays.

IN KYOTO

Minami-za Theatre
New Actor Show is performed in November every year.