Support Projects for Enhancing Function
Collaboration with Overseas Universities
and Fostering Next Generation
Fiscal 2016
The center collaborates with excellent, internationally renowned theater-related research institutions to promote joint research and the sharing of academic resources and, through holding events such as international symposiums, promote human resource exchanges and training of young researchers. Our accomplishments in 2016 are introduced below in three parts.
“Shakespeare Renaissance—from Shoyo to NINAGAWA”
We created the bilingual exhibition booklet "Shakespeare Renaissance—from Shoyo to NIN AG A WA" in English and Japanese; the booklet covers diverse discussions on the reception of Shakespeare in Japan. It is a noteworthy honor that, with the cooperation of the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham, which is the global center for research on Shakespeare, Professor Michael Dobson, director of the Institute, contributed to the booklet. His contribution "Theatre, memory, and the museum, in Stratford-Upon-Avon and Tokyo," submitted in between his busy schedule in the commemoration of the 400-year anniversary since the death of Shakespeare, is highly thought provoking. It discusses the role of museums in the historiography of theater, including audiences and actors involved in performing Shakespeare's plays, by incorporating discussions on specific references in the institute and the experience of Mr. Dobson himself in viewing Yukio Ninagawa's performance in Europe. The Institute's activities, which lead a wide range of theater studies including performances and receptions under close collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company, will become a guide for establishing a relationship among museums, academic research, and stage production.
The booklet is further accented by discussions on the reception of Shakespeare in Japan written by Shakespeare researchers who play active roles in Japan and
overseas. Following the discussion by the Center's director Minako Okamuro on the reception of Shakespeare in Japan since the time of Shoyo Tsubouchi and her introduction to the position of the Theatre Museum in this historical context, we included "The Reception of Shakespeare in Modern Japan" by Shoichiro Kawai, professor at the University of Tokyo, member of our Center's management committee, and specialist in Shakespeare research who has translated Shakespeare plays performed by actors such as Mansai Nomura. Further, "Shakespeare in Japan: Translation and Performance (from the Meiji Era to the Showa Era)" by Professor Hiromi Fuyuki from our university notes the long history of Shakespeare's plays being performed in Japan as seen by their relation to the history of Japanese theater, whereas "Forgotten Shakespeare" by the Center's vice director Ryuichi Kodama redirects our attention to the reception of Shakespeare and spread of his influence in various manners to shinkokugeki, kabuki, ] apanese movies, and other media.
The exhibition where this booklet was first distributed featured a variety of contents, including materials on Shakespeare's plays in the Meiji Period, video
recordings of Zenshinza's show performed on the main stage of the Theatre Museum shortly after World War II, costumes created by Emi Wada and used in the movie Prospero's Books directed by Peter Greenaway, and posters for the performances directed by Yukio Ninagawa. This event turned out to be a great opportunity to release the booklet to internal and external researchers and to the public. In creating a bilingual booklet in Japanese and English, we have made it possible to share with the researchers at the University of Birmingham the history of Shakespeare being received in Japan and the status of performance and research, thereby strengthening our future cooperation with the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham and creating a solid foothold to expand academic exchanges further.
Dispatching Young Researchers Abroad Program
As part of fostering young researchers, we launched a project to send young researchers from all over Japan to institutions abroad, with an aim to promote
research presentation in many countries. We provided a grant to Ms. Rina Tanaka (doctoral program at the Meiji University Graduate School) to supplement part of the travel expenses for presenting her research at an international conference. This project is expected to drive development through further exchange with research institutions and research communities overseas.
[Report: Rina Tanaka] The international conference "Cultural Typhoon in Europe" was held at the University of Vienna, Austria, from September 22 (Thursday) to 25 (Sunday), 2016, with the theme "Places and Spaces ofCultural Production in East Asia." Researchers and artists in various fields from 12 countries attended and had detailed discussions across cultural and academic backgrounds.Rina Tanaka delivered the research presentation "PostGlobalization in the Genre Musical? A Case of'Ever-growing' Musicals from Vienna via Japan."
Exhibition booklet “Shakespeare Renaissance－from Shoyo to NINAGAWA”
Japan–France International Symposium on Theatre "Crossing the Border:Translation,Adaptation,and Cross-Cultural Exchange"
Our Center hosted the Japan-France International Symposium on Theater for three days from October 25 (Tuesday) to October 27 (Thursday), 2016. This international
symposium, which has been held regularly since 2005 in collaboration with Waseda University, University of Strasbourg, and Centre Europeen d'Etudes Japonaises d'Alsace, is the sixth of its kind. The phenomenon "crossing the border" was problematized from a variety of cultural perspectives by reviewing various media cases, such as in theater, music, architecture, and movies, rather than simple consideration of the narrowly defined "translation" between languages. Held in the Second Meeting Room at the Waseda University International Conference Center, the symposium invited six researchers from France, with whom young researchers from Japan energetically exchanged opinions based on the research presentations. In addition, we released the outcome broadly by publishing proceedings.
On the first day, following the presentation of the Center's former director Mikio Takemoto on modern Japanese translation of Japanese classical literature, Shima
Terada delivered a presentation on the Westernization of architecture of kabuki theaters during the Meiji Period by looking at it as a type of adaptation. The keynote lecture by Kunihiko Nakajima carefully unraveled the influence of Lessing's theory of Shakespeare on Soseki Natsume by referring to Soseki's scribbles on books translated into English. The keynote lecture by Sakae Murakami Giroux, professor emeritus at the University of Strasbourg, analyzed specific attempts of Japanese immigrants in Brazil in translating Noh theater and performing it, with consideration for the historical aspects.
Interdisciplinary cases related to many languages, such as Japanese, Chinese, Greek, English, and Russian, were discussion the second day. Kaho Mizuta, who is in
charge of principal research at the Center, discussed how the Japanese were represented when Shiko Tsubouchi performed overseas, based on careful organization and examination of unpublished materials. Virginie Fermaud analyzed various "mise en abyme" structures related to citations within and from movies by Yasujiro Ozu. Marie Bizais-Lillig examined in detail the "theatricality" introduced in Ezra Pound's English translation of Shijing, whereas Emilia Koustova highlighted the revolutionary significance of Adrian Piotrovsky's activities in translating Greek comedies into Russian in the 1920s. In addition, urged by the consciousness of impending crisis related to cultural policies and economic challenges, Shintaro Fujii raised issues for "crossing the border" between Japan and France in the context of theater using case examples.
In the morning of the third day, Aki Ishizaka, who heads selected research at the Center, analyzed the manga The Roses of Versailles (197 4) adapted into
musicals by Takarazuka Revue. Subsequetly, Kaori Oku noted the uniqueness of Takarazuka Revue's adaptations in the history of various receptions of Marivaux in Japan and France. Ryuichi Kodama referred to a wide range of cases from kabuki to contemporary performance of Greek theater and then discussed the possibilities and difficulties for the sensory and semantic aspects of sounds to cross the border. In the afternoon, Irini Tsamadou-Jacoberger examined the issues concerning the modern translation of classical Greek, and Carole Egger argued the possibility from the inclusive perspective "la reecriture" that acts of translation and adaptation may be found in all acts of writing and performing as fundamental processes.
A total of nearly 100 participants from Japan and overseas witnessed the process in which presentersincluding many young researchers-worked hard to identify new
insights by sharing their daily research findings and holding discussions at interdisciplinary and specialized international conferences. In addition, by publishing proceedings, we have sought feedback from a wide range of audiences regarding these research accomplishments, supported by continuous and reciprocal academic exchanges with the University of Strasbourg. It not only contributes to the progress of this field but also has a great social significance, as the issues surrounding "crossing the border" are becoming urgent at the international level.
Discussion on October 26, Waseda University