The birth of the entertainment industry in Japan.

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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