A history of the Takarazuka Revue since 1914 : modernity, girls' culture, Japan pop / By Makiko Yamanashi.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Yamanashi, Makiko.

Contributor:

Class of 1932 Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Takarazuka Kagekidan--History.

Takarazuka Kagekidan.

History.

Physical Description:

xxviii, 233 pages : color illustrations ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Boston : Global Oriental, 2012.

Summary:

The Takarazuka Revue Company is an all-female theatrical company located in the suburbs of Kobe-Osaka, Japan. Founded in 1914, the company is "one of the biggest theatre companies in Japan, indeed, the world," according to the author (an independent researcher), yet has not received much attention in the field of theatre studies. She presents a history of the company from its founding, grounding her discussion in a cultural and gender studies perspective of the Revue's performance art. Global Oriental is an imprint of Brill. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Contents:

Chapter 1 The Formative Years of Takarazuka 1

The birth of Takarazuka 2

Kobayashi Ichizo and the foundation of the Hankyu enterprise 2

Takarazuka: spa, pool and theatre 6

Department stores and Hankyu 7

New theatre for the new age 10

Takarazuka in the current of theatre reformation 10

Big Theatre-ism 12

Acting as a new profession for women 14

In the light and shade of development 16

The onset of war 17

Performing for the war: revues that captured the people's heart 18

Takarazuka's first tours abroad 19

Under the national policy 23

Chapter 2 The Mechanisms of Takarazuka 35

The school for girls 36

Takarazuka Music School (T.M.S) 36

Education methods and principles: purity, integrity, grace 38

Takarasiennes: student life 40

From T.M.S. to the Takarazuka Revue Company 43

Youthful spirit till retirement 45

The institutional management 48

Stage creators and preservation of records 49

PR methods and the corporate performance of Hankyu and its partners 51

Image branding of the Dream Factory 60

Chapter 3 The Stage Art of Takarazuka 'Fantasy Adventure' 70

The formulation of the Takarazuka hybrid style 71

Domesticising foreign inspirations 71

Succeeding Kabuki and other traditions, then inventing a new tradition 83

The West + the East = hyper exotic utopia? 89

The allure of sexual ambiguity 93

Male and female impersonators 94

Artistic detachment of the stagecraft 102

The dramaturgical ethos 105

Visual and literary symbolism and metaphor 105

The universality of human drama and love 105

Mannerism: 'intertextural' collage 110

Chapter 4 The Taisho 'Modern' in the Female Domain of Girls' Culture 121

Takarasiennes and Moga ("Modern Girls") 121

From New Women to Modern Girls 121

Unconventional looks and habits 125

Discovery of personality and search for identity 130

Floating girls: otome as an idealised shojo 131

Ren'ai: the imported concept of love 134

Culture of girlfriends: a heritage of girl bonding called 's-kankei' 139

The audience at the 'Fantasy Adventure' 144

Grasping the heart of female audiences 145

Takarazuka's fandom: fidelity, nurturing, and sisterhood 149

Mirror images of the desired 'self' and the fantasised 'other' 154

Chapter 5 Takarazuka in the Modern Heritage of Girls' Culture and Beyond 170

Interaction with shojo manga 171

Tezuka Osamu and Takarazuka 171

Transforming manga to stage and vice versa 178

Cherishing dreams, love and self-development 184

Utopia or dystopia of popular culture? Subversive interpretations of shojo and Takarazuka 186

Kawaii: different kinds of cute and where they fit in Takarazuka 187

Metamorphoses of kawaii, otaku, yaoi and beyond 192

Diverse receptions and changing representations 194

Tactile recreation of magical dreams 196.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Class of 1932 Fund.

ISBN:

9789004203860

9004203869

OCLC:

756582852