Japanese theatre has been dominated by male writers and performers for centuries. In the late Meiji period, however, thanks to the work and popularity of two female artists named Hasegawa Shigure (1879-1941) and Okada Yachiyo (1883-1962), drama written by women was finally recognised and many female authors were given the space and resources to fully access the Japanese theatrical scene. Several women who made their debuts in the following years began with kabuki. The aim of my project is to examine in depth the emergence of women's playwriting as well as the linguistic and stylistic innovations it brought to the development of Japanese theatre in the last century, beginning with the kabuki repertoire. To understand what this phase left behind in the transformation process and growth of Japanese drama, the focus will be on a fifty-year stage from the late Meiji period to the early Shōwa period. Studies on Japanese women playwrights have long been marginalized, and there is still no comprehensive research framework on the subject. It is therefore expected that the completion of this project will not only fill a significant research gap in the field of Japanese theatre, but also provide a meaningful and useful contribution to future in-depth studies and research advances. The project's guiding research questions are as follows: -How did the debut of female authors in writing kabuki dramas come about? -Which elements characterize playwriting’s language and style employed in women's drama from the late Meiji period to the early Shōwa period? -What innovations were introduced in the depiction of femininity and how do they relate to the changing of theatre and society at the time? -What is the female authors’ contribution to the Japanese theatre development? -What is their cultural legacy? Are their scripts still being produced today? As regards methodology, my research work intends to move beyond the chronological-cultural approach involved by Japanese and American scholars to give way to an analysis that investigates social causes and implications and that delves into the impact of women's rise as playwrights: primarily the linguistic and representational impact. My research is articulated in various academic fields other than theatre studies: Since much of the analysis relates to scripts, literary studies are essential; gender studies will then be crucial to understand the actors that led to the creation of this space in which women began to write theatre. I am now working to complete the first part of my project by gathering relevant sources in English and Japanese on the social context that is believed to have influenced the rise of women playwrights in Japan. In addition, I am collecting and reading suitable kabuki scripts by some of the most prominent women playwrights of the time. By the end of the year, this part of the project will likely be developed during a research stay in Japan. The first half of the in-depth study of the selected scripts is expected to be completed in the coming months.
Women’s playwriting debut in kabuki theatre and its linguistic and representational role in the modern Japanese theatre development / Marincioni, Ludovica. - (2023). (Intervento presentato al convegno 19th European Association of Japanese Studies Doctoral Workshop tenutosi a Leuven, Belgio).
Women’s playwriting debut in kabuki theatre and its linguistic and representational role in the modern Japanese theatre development
Marincioni Ludovica
2023
Abstract
Japanese theatre has been dominated by male writers and performers for centuries. In the late Meiji period, however, thanks to the work and popularity of two female artists named Hasegawa Shigure (1879-1941) and Okada Yachiyo (1883-1962), drama written by women was finally recognised and many female authors were given the space and resources to fully access the Japanese theatrical scene. Several women who made their debuts in the following years began with kabuki. The aim of my project is to examine in depth the emergence of women's playwriting as well as the linguistic and stylistic innovations it brought to the development of Japanese theatre in the last century, beginning with the kabuki repertoire. To understand what this phase left behind in the transformation process and growth of Japanese drama, the focus will be on a fifty-year stage from the late Meiji period to the early Shōwa period. Studies on Japanese women playwrights have long been marginalized, and there is still no comprehensive research framework on the subject. It is therefore expected that the completion of this project will not only fill a significant research gap in the field of Japanese theatre, but also provide a meaningful and useful contribution to future in-depth studies and research advances. The project's guiding research questions are as follows: -How did the debut of female authors in writing kabuki dramas come about? -Which elements characterize playwriting’s language and style employed in women's drama from the late Meiji period to the early Shōwa period? -What innovations were introduced in the depiction of femininity and how do they relate to the changing of theatre and society at the time? -What is the female authors’ contribution to the Japanese theatre development? -What is their cultural legacy? Are their scripts still being produced today? As regards methodology, my research work intends to move beyond the chronological-cultural approach involved by Japanese and American scholars to give way to an analysis that investigates social causes and implications and that delves into the impact of women's rise as playwrights: primarily the linguistic and representational impact. My research is articulated in various academic fields other than theatre studies: Since much of the analysis relates to scripts, literary studies are essential; gender studies will then be crucial to understand the actors that led to the creation of this space in which women began to write theatre. I am now working to complete the first part of my project by gathering relevant sources in English and Japanese on the social context that is believed to have influenced the rise of women playwrights in Japan. In addition, I am collecting and reading suitable kabuki scripts by some of the most prominent women playwrights of the time. By the end of the year, this part of the project will likely be developed during a research stay in Japan. The first half of the in-depth study of the selected scripts is expected to be completed in the coming months.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
