The birth of the entertainment industry in Japan.
Social Infrastructure (Saitama University Research Seed Collection 2025-27 p.28)
Keywords: urban space, kabuki theater, commercial area, public sphere, diary research
Starting with Shochiku Co., Ltd., the Japanese entertainment industry is an important organization that supports Japanese society. Its roots are believed to lie in the commercial sphere associated with kabuki theaters during the early modern period. Despite often being in opposition to those in power within Japan's feudal society, kabuki theaters never disappeared from the town of Edo. One reason for this is that landowners and theater tea houses, among other related entities, profited from the audiences gathered at the theaters, making them a vital part of an independent commercial sphere that supported the livelihoods of many people. One of the objectives of this research is to clarify how the commercial sphere surrounding the theaters operated. However, on the other hand, kabuki theaters were spaces where anyone, regardless of social status, could purchase tickets, allowing nobles, samurai, and townspeople's daughters to enjoy the same stage under the same roof. This led to a shared understanding that transcended social classes, making kabuki theaters an indispensable presence in the town of Edo. This research aims to reveal the specific types of people who gathered at kabuki theaters and their relationships, drawing from the diaries of the second generation Ichikawa Danjuro, who made significant contributions to the kabuki industry in the first half of the 18th century, and Yanagisawa Nobukatsu, the lord of the Yamato Koriyama domain, who was a regular patron of kabuki.
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BJOERK TOVE JOHANNA, Professor Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences 【Recent Research Themes】 ● Kabuki and Women: Why do women, who were theater owners (za-moto), not appear in the history of Kabuki? ● Marketing Strategies of Edo's Theater Teahouses: How did theater teahouses cultivate relationships with patrons by providing seasonal gifts and promotional materials to daimyo residences? ● Insights into the Modern Entertainment World from the Travel Diaries of 20th Century Literary Figures
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【Appeal Points to the Industry】 ● Gain a historical understanding of the entertainment industry 【Examples of Practical Application, Case Studies, and Utilization】 ● "The Diary of the Second Generation Ichikawa Danjuro: Edo Kabuki during the Kyoho Period" (Bungaku Tsushin, 2019) ● Appeared as a commentator in the special television program "Danjuro - A Star for Three Centuries" for the 13th generation Ichikawa Danjuro (NHK World, Kabuki Kool Series 2022) ● Featured in National Geographic magazine's "Kabuki and Noh are evolving with times" (2023) ● Participated as a discussant in the television program "Oedo Renaissance Summit 2025" (NHK BS Premium, broadcast in January 2025)
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The Saitama University Open Innovation Center is a center that functions as a liaison office for industry-academia-government collaboration. It consists of three departments: the Industry-Academia-Government Collaboration Department, the Intellectual Property Department, and the Startup Support Department, each staffed with coordinators well-versed in various fields. The center's activities include solving technical challenges in companies, supporting the implementation of joint research, and conducting technology transfer aimed at introducing and utilizing Saitama University's intellectual property.
