Naka no Shibai (中の芝居, Central Theatre), also known as Naka-za (中座), was one of the major

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 ...

theatres in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

History

It was first built in 1652, in Osaka's Dōtonbori entertainment district, and saw the premieres of many famous plays; closely related to the nearby '' jōruri'' theatres, Naka would often be the first to adapt puppet plays to the kabuki stage, and often also arranged the

Kamigata Kamigata (上方) was the colloquial term for a region today called Kansai (''kan'', barrier; ''sai'', west) in Japan. This large area encompasses the cities of Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe. The term is used particularly when discussing elements of Edo ...

(Kansai) premieres of plays earlier performed in Edo. Also tied closely to other theatres in the area, and the general theatre culture and community of Kamigata, Naka hosted a number of competitions between actors and troupes, as well as reconciliation ceremonies between actors who had been feuding, and a variety of other theatrical community events. Some of the plays premiered at the Naka no Shibai include '' Natsu Matsuri Naniwa Kagami'' (1745), ''

Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura ''Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura'' (義経千本桜), or ''Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees'', is a Japanese play, one of the three most popular and famous in the Kabuki repertoire. Originally written in 1747 for the jōruri puppet theater by ...

'' (Aug. 1748), and ''

Kanadehon Chūshingura is an 11-act bunraku puppet play composed in 1748. It is one of the most popular Japanese plays, ranked with Zeami's '' Matsukaze'', although the vivid action of Chūshingura differs dramatically from ''Matsukaze''. Medium During this portion o ...

'' (Dec. 1748) which was first performed as a puppet play six months earlier. '' Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki'' was first performed in Osaka, at the Naka no Shibai, in 1752, as was '' Meiboku Sendai Hagi'' in 1777. Destroyed by fire twice 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 ...

(1868-1912), the theatre was rebuilt almost immediately in both instances, and saw the installation of electricity when rebuilt in 1884. In 1920, the theatre was bought by production company

Shōchiku () is a Japanese film and kabuki production and distribution company. It also produces and distributes anime films, in particular those produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks (which has a long-time partnership—the company released most, if not ...

, and renamed Naka-za. In November 1927, during a performance of ''Honzō Shimoyashiki'', actor

Nakamura Jakuemon II Nakamura may refer to: Places *Nakamura, Kōchi, a former city in Kōchi Prefecture, Japan *Nakamura-ku, Nagoya, a ward in Nagoya city in Aichi Prefecture, Japan People *Nakamura (surname), a list of people with the surname Other uses *Nakamura s ...

collapsed and died on stage. Destroyed and rebuilt in 1934, the Naka-za became the most major theatre in the city, surpassing the Naniwa-za, but was destroyed along with most of the rest of the city in the 1945

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. The Naka-za was rebuilt once more, and reopened in 1948. Holding around 800 seats through most of its incarnations, this newest building held 1200. The theater was closed in 1999, however, by Shōchiku, on account of financial problems and the effects of the overall worsening

Japanese economy The economy of Japan is a highly developed social market economy, often referred to as an East Asian model. It is the third-largest in the world by nominal GDP and the fourth-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). It is the world's seco ...

. The final kabuki performance at the Naka-za was ''Natsu Sugata Naniwa Goyomi'', featuring

Kataoka Hidetarō II Kataoka (written: 片岡) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Azusa Kataoka (born 1988), Japanese voice actress and singer *Chiezō Kataoka (1903–1983), Japanese actor *, Japanese golfer *Drue Kataoka, Japanese Americ ...

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Bandō Takesaburō V Bandō may refer to: People * Eiji Bandō, Japanese entertainer/sportsman * Naoki Bandō, Japanese voice actor *, Japanese long-distance runner *Japanese surname, especially among Kabuki actors, such as: ** Bandō Kakitsu I (1847–1893), Japanese k ...

Kataoka Ainosuke VI is a Japanese actor, kabuki actor and TV host. His '' yagō'' is ''matsushimaya''. His '' mon'' is the ''Oikake Go-mai Ichō''. His current stage name is Ainosuke Kataoka. He is a renowned '' tachiyaku'', specializing in both the ''aragoto'' and ...

and

Kamimura Kichiya VI Kamimura (written: 上村 or 神村) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese kickboxer *, Imperial Japanese Navy admiral *, Japanese voice actress *, Japanese manga artist *, Japanese animator *, Japanese footbal ...

. Though the theatre was not intentionally destroyed at that time, a gas explosion and the resulting fire in September 2002 burnt it to the ground. An office building now stands in its place.

References

Naka at Kabuki21.com
{{Authority control 1652 establishments in Japan Buildings and structures completed in 1652 1999 disestablishments in Japan Culture in Osaka Former kabuki theatres