(birth name Yoshimura Yoshisaburō; 吉村芳三郎) (1 March 1816 – 22 January 1893) was a Japanese dramatist of

Kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

. It has been said that "as a writer of plays of Kabuki origin, he was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, Japan has ever known".Miyake, Shutarō. ''Kabuki Drama''. Tokyo: Japan Travel Bureau, Inc., 1971. p50. He wrote 150 or so plays over the course of his 58-year career,Miyake. p149. covering a wide variety of themes, styles, and forms, including short dance pieces, period plays (''

jidaimono are Japanese kabuki or plays that feature historical plots and characters, often famous samurai battles. These are in contrast to , contemporary plays, which generally focus on commoners and domestic issues. is usually translated as "period pla ...

''), contemporary genre pieces (''

sewamono ''Sewamono'' (世話物) is a genre of contemporary setting plays in Japanese traditional theatre. The term applies to both bunraku and kabuki. The genre is in contrast to "period setting plays" or jidaimono. Though the distinction between "histo ...

''), tragedies and comedies, as well as adaptations of foreign (Western) stories,Kawatake Mokuami
. ''Kabuki Jiten'' (歌舞伎事典, "Kabuki Encyclopedia"). Japan Arts Council, 2001-2003. Accessed 26 September 2008. though he is perhaps most famous for his '' shiranamimono'', plays featuring sympathetic or tragic rogues and thieves.Kawade Shobō Shinsha Editorial Team (eds.). "'Shiranami sakusha' to yobareta Kawatake Mokuami" (「白波作者」と呼ばれた河竹黙阿弥, "Kawatake Mokuami, who was called the 'Shiranami Writer'"). ''Ō-Edo Rekishi Hyakka'' (大江戸歴史百科, "Historical Encyclopedia of Great Edo"). Tokyo: Kawade Shobō Shinsha Publishers, 2007. p198. 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

Mokuami was born in the

Nihonbashi is a business district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan which grew up around the bridge of the same name which has linked two sides of the Nihonbashi River at this site since the 17th century. The first wooden bridge was completed in 1603. The current ...

district of Edo (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. In 1835, he entered into an apprenticeship with

Tsuruya Nanboku IV Tsuruya (鶴屋) can refer to: *Haruhi Suzumiya series character, see Tsuruya *Tsuruya Golf, see Tsuruya Open *Matsuya (department store) Matsuya Co., Ltd. (株式会社松屋) is a Japanese depato, department store in Tokyo. Founded in 1869, it ...

, and in 1843 became the lead playwright (''tate-sakusha'') for the

Kawarazaki-za The was one of the major kabuki theatres in Edo (modern-day Tokyo) during the Edo period and into the Meiji period. Not being one of the four theatres formally licensed by the Tokugawa shogunate, the theatre was largely inactive for long stretch ...

theatre, succeeding to the name Kawatake Shinshichi II. He began working with kabuki star Ichikawa Kodanji IV in 1854, producing ''kizewamono'' pieces. Most of Mokuami's works are in this form, and were written specifically for the star actors of the time, such as

Onoe Kikugorō V was a Japanese Kabuki actor, one of the three most famous and celebrated of the Meiji period,"Onoe family" (尾上家, ''Onoe-ke'')Kabuki Encyclopedia(歌舞伎事典, ''kabuki jiten''). Japan Arts Council, 2001–2003. Accessed 30 May 2009. alon ...

and Ichikawa Kodanji IV. Many of his plays, such as the famous ''

Benten Kozō , as the original and fullest version of this play is known, is a tale in five acts of the ''shiranamimono'' (tales of thieves) sub-category of the ''kizewamono'' (rough contemporary piece) genre of kabuki plays. Written by Kawatake Mokuami, it fi ...

'', featured thieves and robbers, also known as ''shiranami'' (white waves), whom he represented somewhat sympathetically, as low-class heroes, or as tragic figures. As Japan modernized and Westernized rapidly in the

Meiji period The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization ...

, Mokuami moved along with new trends in theatre, becoming a pioneer of '' Shin-kabuki'' ("New Kabuki"), writing plays in new genres such as '' katsurekimono'' (realistic, historically accurate ''jidaimono'' period plays) and '' zangirimono'' (''sewamono'' genre plays featuring Meiji era contemporary characters and setting). During his 58-year career, he became the most prolific kabuki author in history, producing over 360 works: 130

, 90

, and 140 dances. Mokuami formally retired in 1881, but continued to present new works, and was spoken highly of by novelist and literary critic

Tsubouchi Shōyō __NoTOC__ was a Japanese author, critic, playwright, translator, editor, educator, and professor at Waseda University. He has been referred to as a seminal figure in Japanese drama. "Wetmore deals cleanly with Japanese theatre as part of the mod ...

. Mokuami died in 1893 and is buried at Gentsū-ji in

Nakano, Tokyo is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is Nakano City.Izayoi Seishin Izayoi (written: 十六夜 lit. "Sixteenth Night"), is a Japanese family surname. Fictional people with the surname include: *Izayoi, a character from the Japanese manga series Inuyasha. * Izayoi, a character from the ''BlazBlue'' fighting game s ...

'' (1859) * ''

Sannin Kichisa Kuruwa no Hatsugai is a Japanese kabuki play in seven acts by Kawatake Mokuami that premièred at the Ichimura-za theatre in Edo during the New Year 1860. It is popularly known as ''Sannin Kichisa'', and belongs to the sewamono and shiranamimono genres. The pla ...

'' (1860) * ''

Murai Chōan Murai may refer to: * Murai (surname), Japanese surname * Murai, Singapore, area in Western Water Catchment *Murai Reservoir The Western Water Catchment is a planning area located in the West Region of Singapore. The planning area borders Tuas ...

'' (1862) * ''

'' aka ''Shiranami Gonin Otoko'' (1862) * ''

Marubashi Chūya was a ''rōnin'' (masterless samurai) from Yamagata, and instructor in martial arts and military strategy, most famous for his involvement in the 1651 Keian Uprising which sought to overthrow Japan's Tokugawa shogunate. He is said to have been a ...

'' aka ''Keian Taiheiki'' (1870) * ''

Renjishi ''Renjishi'' (連獅子), or Two Lions, is a kabuki dance with lyrics written by Kawatake Mokuami, choreography by Hanayagi Jusuke I and music by Kineya Shōjirō III and Kineya Katsusaburō II, first performed in 1872. Originally staged for ...

'' (Two Lions) (1872) * ''

Sakai no Taiko is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and in ...

'' (Sakai's Drum) (1873) * '' Kamiyui Shinza'' (Shinza the Barber) (1873) * ''

Ningen Banji Kane Yono Naka Ningen ( ja, 人間) is " human being" in Japanese language. Ningen may refer to: * ''Ningen'' (1962 film), a Japanese drama film * ''Ningen'' (2013 film), a Japanese-Turkish drama film * Ningen (folklore), a gigantic humanoid whale-like creatur ...

'' (Everything in the World is Run by Money) (1878), an adaptation of

Money (play) ''Money'' is a comic play by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, premièred at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket on 8 December 1840. Plot As relations gather for the reading of the wealthy Mr. Mordaunt's will, Sir John Vesey's poor cousin Alfred Evelyn and the equ ...

Edward_Bulwer-Lytton Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton, PC (25 May 180318 January 1873) was an English writer and politician. He served as a Whig member of Parliament from 1831 to 1841 and a Conservative from 1851 to 1866. He was Secret ...

* '' Kumo ni Magō Ueno no Hatsuhana'' (1881) * ''

Tsuchigumo is a historical Japanese derogatory term for renegade local clans, and also the name for a race of spider-like yōkai in Japanese folklore. Alternative names for the mythological Tsuchigumo include and . In the ''Kojiki'' and in '' Nihon Shoki ...

'' (1881) * '' Ibaraki'' (The Demon Ibaraki) (1883) * '' Funa Benkei'' (1885) * '' Momijigari'' (1887)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kawatake, Mokuami 1816 births 1893 deaths Kabuki playwrights Kabuki actors 19th-century Japanese dramatists and playwrights Japanese writers of the Edo period 19th-century Japanese people People from Tokyo Male actors from Tokyo