Post by Kosuke Ida

Sankofa with Fabian Bowers (二) Why Were These Masterpieces Considered Dangerous? Long before I began reading about the American Occupation, I had already entered the world of Kabuki 歌舞伎through Kobikichō 木挽町 and the people around Kabuki-za 歌舞伎座. At first, I simply admired its beauty. Its costumes. Its music. Its choreography. Its language. Only later did I begin to understand that these masterpieces carried something more than artistic excellence. After 1945, many within the Occupation authorities saw them not merely as theatre, but as stories that celebrated loyalty, hierarchy, sacrifice, and obedience—values associated with the old Japan. Yet today, these same plays continue to be performed before full audiences. I have included posters from recent productions because they remind us that these works are not museum pieces. They remain a living tradition. Kanadehon Chūshingura (The Treasury of Loyal Retainers) 仮名手本忠臣蔵 Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees 義経千本桜 Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy 菅原伝授手習鑑 These are still among the greatest masterpieces of Japanese theatre. To understand why Fabian Bowers fought to preserve Kabuki, we must first make sense of why others believed these masterpieces were dangerous. And that is where his story truly begins. The Kabuki-za posters shown in this article are included to illustrate the continuing performance of these classic Kabuki masterpieces. #Kabuki #JapaneseCulture #Theatre #History #Sankofa #Japan #CulturalHeritage