The is a theatre in Chūō,

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. It was originally constructed in 1873.Official Homepage
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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 ...

'' and Western stage plays.

History

The theatre first opened in the district of Hisamatsu-chô as the Kishô-za in 1873. Six years later it reopened under the name of Hisamatsu-za. In February 1885 it opened under a third name, Chitose-za, but burned down in 1890. In November 1893 it was rebuilt as the Meiji-za, the name that it holds today. In 1904 the Meiji-za underwent renovations, only to be burned down in the

1923 Great Kantō earthquake The struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshū at 11:58:44 JST (02:58:44 UTC) on Saturday, September 1, 1923. Varied accounts indicate the duration of the earthquake was between four and ten minutes. Extensive firestorms an ...

. Until the Meiji-za was rebuilt in Hama-chô, the Suehiro-za, a small theater in the Azabu Jûban district, served as a temporary replacement. The Meiji-za was burned down in the bombings of World War II, but reopened in December 1950. After a fire in 1957, it was reopened the next year. The Meiji-za put on two especially grand kabuki performances in March and April 1993 to celebrate three years of extensive renovations.

References

Buildings and structures in Chūō, Tokyo Kabuki theatres Theatres completed in 1873 Theatres in Tokyo 1873 establishments in Japan {{Japan-theat-struct-stub