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- Title
Myth and Reality: A Story of Kabuki during American Censorship, 1945-1949.
- Authors
Brandon, James R.
- Abstract
American censors during the occupation of Japan after World War II unsuccessfully attempted to eliminate feudal themes and foster new democratic plays in kabuki. Contrary to popular myths, kabuki flourished under the Occupation, "banned" plays were rapidly released, the infamous "list of banned plays" was not significant, most American censors were captivated by kabuki, and credit for Occupation assistance to kabuki should not limited to one man, Faubion Bowers. Using archival records, I show that the Shöchiku Company, the major kabuki producer, successfully resisted the democratic aims of the Occupation. Shöchiku's "classics-only" policy protected Japanese culture from American contamination and inadvertently fashioned the fossilized kabuki we know today.
- Subjects
UNITED States; JAPANESE theater; KABUKI; CENSORSHIP; LITERATURE &; morals
- Publication
Asian Theatre Journal, 2006, Vol 23, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
0742-5457
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1353/atj.2006.0003