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National Kabuki China Tour to Come

One of Japan’s most revered traditional theatrical art forms, kabuki can be traced to the latter part of the 16th century. Its dramatic stories, songs and dances have assumed a state of high classical refinement.

In September 2007, Japan's most famous kabuki troupe Chikamatsu-za will visit China in celebration of the Sino-Japan Culture and Sports Exchanges Year, which coincides with the celebration of the 35th anniversary of the normalization of relations between China and Japan. The troupe’s China tour is expected to be a highlight of the sport exchanges year.

Chikamatsu-za was founded in 1981 by Nakamura Senjaku III to study and revive Chikamatsu Monzaemon’s dramas. Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653–1724) is Japan’s most renowned playwright. His works feature vivid personality descriptions.

It will be only the fourth performance of kabuki on the Chinese mainland since 1955. The first visit was during China's National Day in 1955. In response, the late Mei Lanfang, China’s No. 1 Peking Opera master, led a tour to Japan the next year. Kabuki was most recently performed in Beijing in 2004 during the Second Beijing International Drama Festival.

At 75, Nakamura is a kabuki master, and is sometimes recognized as “Japan’s Mei Lanfang.” In fact, a meeting with the son of Mei Lanfang to discuss the two oriental operatic forms has been scheduled for the Japanese master.

Nakamura will bring two plays this time. In one of the plays, he acts a young wife, and his son acts the husband. In the other play, he acts a young lady in the first half part and as a lion in the second half part, which will be challenging, because it is difficult to play two distinctive characters in one play.

Sponsored by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Sino–Japan Friendship Association and the Shochiku Company, Limited, Chikamatsu-za’s China tour will take place from September 4–22 with performances in Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai and Guangzhou.