ENGEKIKAI (#12) December 2019: Cover and Contents

Kabuki Woogie is devoted to a variety of kabuki-related subjects. It began with a series of essays, including photos and videos, of a research trip to Japan in 2010, subsequently added my 25-chapter history of the first Kabuki-za, and then began a series on Japanese books about kabuki from my collection. It also posts the monthly covers of Engekikai, the kabuki magazine of record. It also may add occasional essays by guest contributors based on papers they delivered at conferences and symposiums. One can poke around in its archives to find all of these past posts.

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The cover of ENGEKIKAI, the monthly kabuki magazine of record, shows Onoe Kikugorō VII as Sashichi, the title role in Edo Sodachi Omatsuri Sashichi, performed at the Kabuki-za in October. The issue’s chief section is called “An Invitation to the Kaomise Performances, East and West,” which covers the annual kaomise (“face-showing”) productions. These recall the tradition of November being the kick-off month for a new theatrical season, and the coverage looks at this year’s relevant productions in Tokyo and elsewhere. Related to this are interviews with two veteran stars, Sakata Tōjūrō and Onoe Kikugorō. Other contents outlined on the cover (more are inside) include an interview with actor Nakamura Senjaku; and another with the actor formerly known as Nakamura Umemaru, who took the name Nakamura Kangyaku in November. There’s also an illustrated report on a “study group” (benkyōkai) performance by Nakamura Takanosuke, son of the late Nakamura Tomijūrō V, celebrating the birth of Tomijūrō I, 300 years ago. The issue also contains the latest entry in “Kōshirō’s 1,001 Nights” series, and a well-illustrated piece on the new kabuki play based on the famous Hayao Miyazaki anime, NAUSICAÄ of THE VALLEY OF THE WIND (Kaze no Tani no Naushika). It includes a discussion among actors Onoe Kikunosuke and Nakamura Shichinosuke, and Suzuki Toshio, co-founder and producer of Ghibli Studio, which created the original movie. Here’s an article about the project, which is currently on stage at Tokyo’s Shinbashi Enbujō. 

Engekikai (#12), December 2019. Photo: Sasayama Kishin.