TAKAYASU Gekkô and Musical Drama in the Meiji-Taishô Period

Abstract

TAKAYASU Gekkô (1869-1944) is known as a writer of ‘shin kabuki (new kabuki)’ and also as a pioneer, who translated and introduced Henrik Ibsen in Japan. In addition to this, he had an interest in musical drama and has published several musical works from the 1990s onwards.

In late Meiji 35 (1902), Gekkô's drama Nochi no Hagoromo (After the Featherrobe) was published. Gekkô specifically defined the play as ‘gakugeki (musical drama)’, and the commentary to the play, published two months later, was titled Shin Gakugeki (New Musical Drama). Nochi no Hagoromo was not staged, but from this point onwards Gekkô continues taking an interest in musical drama and its creation. From the late Meiji to the beginning of Taishô era, collaborations with various musicians were planned and in Taishô 9 (1920), Gekkô's musical drama Yogo no Ten-nin (The Angel from Lake Yogo) was first performed by the Takarazuka Shôjo Kageki Dan (Takarazuka Girls Revue Company).

Gekkô aimed at the fusion of poetry, music and drama on the basis of songs and he continued pursuing new style possibilities through collaboration with people from many various fields throughout his carrier. Gekkô's carrier also included leading positions in avant-garde movements such as the Kyôto Engeki Kairyô Kai (The Theatre Improvement Organization in Kyôto), and he aimed at the realization of the musical drama as contemporary theatre, as something different than modernized kabuki and shinpa (new school) theatre.

In this paper I argue that his achievements in the field of musical drama needs to re-evaluated in order to establish their importance for the development of modern Japanese musical drama as such.