Customer Reviews

Four Major Plays of Chikamatsu

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This book is perfect for anyone with an interest in theatre. It's a great introduction to the works of Chikamatsu, and provides four of his best works. The translating is excellent (Donald Keene is undisputedly *the* expert on Japanese translation) and the works are accessible. I was skeptical before I read it, but now I'm a big fan of Chikamatsu. Give it a try!

As Keene points out in his introduction, Chikamatsu is no Shakespeare. There is a lack of grand themes and grand people here. Instead, these are (mostly) tiny tragedies, the misfortunes of the common man. Think instead of Arthur Miller.
Also: don't be too quick to judge the puppet theatre (jojuri) an inherently second-rate. The use of puppets allowed the playwright a scope of action and violence that would have been impossible, unbelievable or just plain disgusting if performed by live actors. Chikamatsu takes full advantage of the structure of puppet theatre which involved voicing the characters and a narrator-a kind of first, second and third person telling of the drama all at once.
These plays are good short introductions to a kind of performance that grew up in isolation from the rest of the world and without any references or debts to Western cultural traditions.

Lynn Hoffman, author of the novel bang BANG