新富座におけるグラント歓迎と明治一二年の外交問題

抄録

In 1879, four foreign dignitaries including the former president of the United States, U. S. Grant visited Japan and were invited to kabuki productions at Shintomi-za. These visits by foreign dignitaries were associated with two important diplomatic issues: negotiating the revision of unequal treaties with the western countries and the Ryūkyū territorial question which involved relationship between Qing China and Japan.

The Meiji government and a prominent journalist of that time, Fukuchi Ōchi, lavishly entertained these foreign guests in the hopes of facilitating negotiations over the unequal treaties and Ryūkyū territorial question.

For the special production performed for Grant, Shintomi-za produced a kabuki play written especially for that occasion, relating events of Grant's life through the metaphorical mirror of a civil war that took place in 11th century Japan, with Minamoto no Yoshiie serving as the stand-in for Grant. The final dance piece was presented by a group of geishas wearing costumes imitating the American flag.

While the play and the dance piece were written by the playwright Kawatake Mokuami, Ōchi gave detailed instructions about its direction. This paper attempts to argue that by presenting the ample double images of the United States and Japan, represented in the new kabuki play and the dance piece, Ōchi tried to convey the message which would create rapprochement between the United States and Japan.