Academic Lecture (272): “Not Modernization, but Modernity—The Contemporaneity Structure of Kabuki”

Lecturer

Hosoi Naoko

Lecturer: Hosoi Naoko

Profile: Professor at Rikkyo University

Abstract:

This lecture, titled “Not Modernization, but Modernity—The Contemporaneity Structure of Kabuki,” seeks to rethink the relationship between traditional theatre and the notion of “the modern.” The speaker will first trace her research trajectory from Chinese traditional opera to Japanese Kabuki and modern theatre culture, advancing the core argument that theatre need not be “modernized,” because theatre itself already possesses modernity. The lecture will then examine the historical formation of Kabuki — originating in popular entertainment and rural ritual activities, gradually entering the urban mass-cultural sphere. Through modernization, the rise of theatre economics and market mechanisms transformed the actor system, performance form, and audience composition, producing a theatre ecology oriented toward mass entertainment.

The speaker will then analyze Kabuki’s institutional and artistic adjustments throughout the 20th century, including the rise of actor autonomy, the shift in troupe management, and the influence of the New Drama movement. Despite the impact of Western theatre and modern culture, Kabuki has not simply “modernized”; rather, while preserving traditional craft and performance aesthetics, it has continually responded to the needs of contemporary society. Finally, the lecture adopts a cross-cultural comparative perspective, juxtaposing the discourse of modernization in Chinese opera, in order to reflect on how “modernity” — as an inner structural condition — manifests in different cultural theatrical practices, thereby illuminating the multiple possibilities and vitality of traditional art within contemporary society.