Shigeaki Kato (加藤 シゲアキ, Katō Shigeaki; born July 11, 1987) is a Japanese musician, writer, actor and a member of the…Shigeaki Kato (加藤 シゲアキ, Katō Shigeaki; born July 11, 1987) is a Japanese musician, writer, actor and a member of the J-pop group NEWS, from ELOV-Label formerly known as Johnny's Entertainment.
Yukiko Motoya (本谷 有希子, Motoya Yukiko; born July 14, 1979) is a Japanese novelist, playwright, theatre director, and…Yukiko Motoya (本谷 有希子, Motoya Yukiko; born July 14, 1979) is a Japanese novelist, playwright, theatre director, and former voice actress. She has won numerous Japanese literary and dramatic awards, including the Akutagawa Prize, the Noma Literary New Face Prize, the Mishima Yukio Prize, the Kenzaburo Oe Prize, the Kishida Kunio Drama Award, and the Tsuruya Nanboku Drama Award. Her work has been adapted multiple times for film.
Kuro Tanino (タニノクロウ) (born 1976) is a Japanese theatre director and playwright. Born into a family of psychiatrists…Kuro Tanino (タニノクロウ) (born 1976) is a Japanese theatre director and playwright. Born into a family of psychiatrists, Tanino also himself trained and worked as a psychiatrist before turning to theatre. He founded the theatre group Niwa Gekidan Penino (literally "garden theatre company Penino") in 2000, and he writes, directs and designs all productions. He is also a painter and sculptor. His plays are highly surrealistic, filled with bizarre characters and creatures, influenced by Juro Kara. He prefers to use storyboards to writing regular play texts. The design is often very meticulous and colorful, with strange, incongruous elements crammed into small spaces. Influenced by Marcel Duchamp's method of creating miniatures of his work and carrying them around with him, Tanino considers his sets and plays to be like fully formed pictures, arranging performers like parts of an installation or tableaux. His series of "Hakobune" (ark) plays were staged at his apartment and involved elaborate sets in spite of the cramped sizes. "Frustrating Picture Book for Adults" (2008) was later also staged in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Finland, while "The Room, Nobody Knows" (2012) was performed in America in January 2014 and has also been staged in Europe. For "The Frustrating Picture Book for Adults" the stage was divided into upper and lower platforms, with the upper part inhabited by two old women, one with a pig’s face and the other with a sheep’s face. In the low-ceilinged room of the set, there is a log piercing the ceiling and another log that pierces the floor between the upper and lower levels. In the lower level a young man in student uniform was tied to one of the trees, causing him to ejaculate when the tree was stroked by the "pig" or the "sheep". They would then eat the white liquid that came out of the tree. "The Town Where the Sun and Underwear are seen" (2009) was staged at Festival/Tokyo 2009 Autumn, while "Box in the Big Trunk" (2013), which combined the three Hakobune productions into one "set", was performed in Tokyo and Kyoto. He has also directed adaptations of Ibsen and Chekhov.
Takanori Ōyama (大山 鎬則, Ōyama Takanori; born March 8, 1974) is a Japanese actor, voice actor and playwright from Aichi…Takanori Ōyama (大山 鎬則, Ōyama Takanori; born March 8, 1974) is a Japanese actor, voice actor and playwright from Aichi Prefecture, Japan. He is probably most known for the roles as Kanji Sasahara (Genshiken) and Yasunobu Hattori (Suzuka).
Tomohiro Maekawa (前川 知大, Maekawa Tomohiro; born 1974) is a Japanese novelist, playwright, and theater director. Maekawa…Tomohiro Maekawa (前川 知大, Maekawa Tomohiro; born 1974) is a Japanese novelist, playwright, and theater director. Maekawa has received numerous accolades throughout his career, including multiple Yomiuri Theater Awards, Yomiuri Literary Awards, two Kinokuniya Theater Award, and the Arts Encouragement Prize for both his plays and his directing. Maekawa is the founder of the theater companies Ikiume and Katalushitsu. His plays have been translated and performed internationally in cities such as Seoul and Paris. Several of Maekawa's plays have been adapted into films. Most notably, Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 2017 film, Before We Vanish, is based on his play and novel. The film premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.
Mizuki Sano (佐野 瑞樹, Sano Mizuki; born September 26, 1973 in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka, Japan) is a Japanese actor and the…Mizuki Sano (佐野 瑞樹, Sano Mizuki; born September 26, 1973 in Fujinomiya, Shizuoka, Japan) is a Japanese actor and the eldest member of Johnny's Jr., the trainee unit of the well-known talent agency Johnny & Associates. He is perhaps best known for his role in Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo and his various activities as a member of Johnny's Jr.
Toshiki Okada (岡田 利規, Okada Toshiki; born July 3, 1973) is a Japanese playwright, theater director, novelist, and…Toshiki Okada (岡田 利規, Okada Toshiki; born July 3, 1973) is a Japanese playwright, theater director, novelist, and founder of the theatrical company chelfitsch. He is known for "his use of hyper-colloquial Japanese and his unique choreography."
Kentarō Kobayashi (小林 賢太郎, Kobayashi Kentarō; born 17 April 1973) is a Japanese comedian, actor, dramaturge, theatre…Kentarō Kobayashi (小林 賢太郎, Kobayashi Kentarō; born 17 April 1973) is a Japanese comedian, actor, dramaturge, theatre director, and manga artist. Outside Japan, he is most well known for directing and acting in "The Japanese Tradition (日本の形)" videos (e.g. "Sushi (鮨)"), and for playing the Mac (opposite Jin Katagiri who plays the PC) in the "Get a Mac" advertising campaign in Japan. He is a member of the Rahmens owarai comedy duo. His manga series, Hana Usagi, ran from 1999 to 2004 in Young Magazine Uppers (published by Kodansha).
Hirohito Gotō (後藤 ひろひと, Gotō Hirohito; born February 23, 1969) is a Japanese director, playwright, and actor. Born in…Hirohito Gotō (後藤 ひろひと, Gotō Hirohito; born February 23, 1969) is a Japanese director, playwright, and actor. Born in Yamagata prefecture, he graduated from Yamagata Prefectural Yamagata East High School and dropped out of Hindi studies from Osaka University of Foreign Studies. In 1987 he joined the theater group Yūkisha. By 1989 he served as the second head of the group and handled nearly all productions. After retiring from Yūkisha in 1996, he worked as a free playwright, and in 1998 created Piper with Kawashita Taiyō of former Gekidan Sotoba Komachi fame. In 2001 he began the Royal Theater. His plays have a reputation for having a unique view of the world as well as for stories of a massive scale. Primary works include Ningen Fūsha (人間風車), Moldman the Bellringer in Dublin (ダブリンの鐘つきカビ人間), and the Big / Bigger / Biggest Biz trilogy.
Ayumu Saito (斎藤 歩, Saitō Ayumu; 20 December 1964 – 11 June 2025) was a Japanese playwright, director, actor and theatre…Ayumu Saito (斎藤 歩, Saitō Ayumu; 20 December 1964 – 11 June 2025) was a Japanese playwright, director, actor and theatre producer. He was represented by Knockout. Saito was also the director of the Japan Directors Association. Saito died on 11 June 2025, at the age of 60, following a struggle with urothelial carcinoma.
Suzuki Matsuo (松尾 スズキ, Matsuo Suzuki; born 15 December 1962) is a Japanese theatre director, actor, novelist, and…Suzuki Matsuo (松尾 スズキ, Matsuo Suzuki; born 15 December 1962) is a Japanese theatre director, actor, novelist, and screenwriter.
Oriza Hirata (平田オリザ, Hirata Oriza; born on 8 November 1962, in Tokyo) is a Japanese playwright, director, and academic.…Oriza Hirata (平田オリザ, Hirata Oriza; born on 8 November 1962, in Tokyo) is a Japanese playwright, director, and academic. For the majority of his life, he has been best known for his work in theater and creating what he has coined, “contemporary colloquial theater,” or as theater critics call it, “quiet drama.”
Yōji Sakate (坂手 洋二, Sakate Yōji; born March 11, 1962) is a contemporary Japanese playwright notable for his plays that…Yōji Sakate (坂手 洋二, Sakate Yōji; born March 11, 1962) is a contemporary Japanese playwright notable for his plays that frequently comment on social and political issues in Japan. His most prominent plays are The Attic (屋根裏 Yaneura, 2002), Come Out (カムアウト Kamu auto, 1989), Tokyo Trial (トーキョー裁判 Tōkyō saiban, 1988), and Epitaph for the Whales (くじらの墓標 Kujira no bohyō, 1993). In his works, he focuses on dramatizing real-life events, and also depicts the historical past. In 1983, he founded his own theater company called the Phosphorescence Troupe (燐光群 Rinkōgun). Sakate is currently the president of the Japanese Playwrights Association, and the director of both the Japan Directors Association and Japanese Center of International Theater Institute.
Kōki Mitani (三谷 幸喜, Mitani Kōki; born July 8, 1961) is a Japanese playwright, screenwriter, actor and film director. He…Kōki Mitani (三谷 幸喜, Mitani Kōki; born July 8, 1961) is a Japanese playwright, screenwriter, actor and film director. He was named after Taihō Kōki, the youngest sumo wrestler to become yokozuna. He studied dramatics at Nihon University. He has been described by The Japan Times as "far and away the nation's best-known dramatist". In an attempt to add his own character to his movies, his directorial approach follows a "one scene = one shot" system, whereby he pans the camera around as opposed to cutting. He claims this comes from his experience in theatre, where there are no cuts. Mitani does not use a computer.
Tengai Amano (Japanese: 天野天街; 20 May 1960 – 7 July 2024) was a Japanese playwright, director, and the leader of the…Tengai Amano (Japanese: 天野天街; 20 May 1960 – 7 July 2024) was a Japanese playwright, director, and the leader of the drama group called "Shonen-oja-kan". He was born in Ichinomiya, Aichi prefecture, and graduated from the Department of History in Aichi Gakuin University. In 1982, he founded "Shonen-oja-kan" in Nagoya. The group started performing all over Japan, including Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya from 1984 on. As one of the busiest directors in the country, Amano was active nationwide and directed in numerous other drama groups as a guest, as well as writing and directing for his own theatre group for almost 25 years. Besides drama, he had also produced dance, puppet shows, concerts, and fashion shows. He was involved in various kinds of stage arts for a long time. He directed and wrote the play "Yaji and Kita" for Kudan Project Production theatrical company. Another part of his life works was illustration; designing of posters, CD covers, and book covers, and writing comics, and they are highly appreciated in all fields. The flyer for "Yaji and Kita" was also designed by Amano. Amano's creativity also extended to filmmaking. In 1994, his directorial debut short film called "TWILIGHT" won the grand prize of the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and the Melbourne International Film Festival (Short Film Programme) and with this movie he drew worldwide attention in the filmmaking field. In 2006, he planned to make 2 movies from stories by Japanese writers, "Neji-shiki" by Yohiharu Tsuge and "Nigyo-no-nageki" by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki. Amano died from lung cancer on 7 July 2024, at the age of 64.
Takeshi Kawamura (川村 毅, Kawamura Takeshi; born 1959) is a Japanese playwright and director. He gained recognition in…Takeshi Kawamura (川村 毅, Kawamura Takeshi; born 1959) is a Japanese playwright and director. He gained recognition in the 1980s for his popular-culture-influenced, violent, highly physical plays. Building upon this early work with later projects of social criticism and postmodern theatrical experimentation, Kawamura secured his position as an internationally recognized theatre artist. As artistic director of theatre companies Daisan Erotica and T Factory, Kawamura uses his plays to comment directly and indirectly on Japanese social conditions and current events while prompting audiences to consider issues such as the shaping influences of media, the confusion of reality with fantasy, and the nature of human individuality.
Kazuki Nakashima (中島 かずき, Nakashima Kazuki; born August 19, 1959 in Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese playwright, novelist…Kazuki Nakashima (中島 かずき, Nakashima Kazuki; born August 19, 1959 in Fukuoka, Japan) is a Japanese playwright, novelist, contributing editor and screenwriter. In addition to working on Getter Robo, he is a fan of Ken Ishikawa.
Akio Miyazawa (Japanese: 宮沢 章夫 Miyazawa Akio; 9 December 1956 – 12 September 2022) was a Japanese playwright, writer…Akio Miyazawa (Japanese: 宮沢 章夫 Miyazawa Akio; 9 December 1956 – 12 September 2022) was a Japanese playwright, writer, and academic.
Koharu Kisaragi (Japanese: 如月小春; February 19, 1956 – December 19, 2000) was a Japanese playwright, director, and…Koharu Kisaragi (Japanese: 如月小春; February 19, 1956 – December 19, 2000) was a Japanese playwright, director, and essayist. The founder of the theater company NOISE, she worked as a playwright and director starting in the late 1970s, becoming, alongside Hideki Noda and Eri Watanabe, one of the leaders of the Third Generation of Japanese small theater. She had a lasting influence on contemporary Japanese women's theater. Kisaragi was also a prolific essayist and appeared on television as a host and commentator. She served as the founding chair of the Asian Women's Theater Conference, as a member of UNESCO's Japanese National Commission, and as an instructor at Rikkyo University.
Hideki Noda (野田 秀樹, Noda Hideki; born 20 December 1955) is a Japanese actor, playwright and theatre director who has…Hideki Noda (野田 秀樹, Noda Hideki; born 20 December 1955) is a Japanese actor, playwright and theatre director who has written and directed more than 40 plays in Japan.
Ramo Nakajima (中島らも, Nakajima Ramo; April 3, 1952 – July 26, 2004) was a Japanese cult novelist, essayist, and…Ramo Nakajima (中島らも, Nakajima Ramo; April 3, 1952 – July 26, 2004) was a Japanese cult novelist, essayist, and copywriter. He also appeared frequently on Japanese TV as an actor. He was born in Amagasaki City, Hyōgo Prefecture. He received eighth place in his entrance exam to the prestigious Nada High School, and continued to the Osaka University of Arts, where he graduated from the school of broadcasting. He then worked for a publishing company for five years, where he became famous for his catchy advertisements and commercials. He was given his own advice column in Asahi Shimbun, called the "Lighthearted Worry Column", which highlighted his strange and unique sense of humor and made him a household name. He began to work as a freelance copywriter in 1987, and in his free time, wrote the novels that would give him his cult following in Japan, as well as a variety of rakugo, essays, scripts and short stories. His best-known works include the novels Tonight, from Every Bar in Town (13th Eiji Yoshikawa New Author Prize), The Pigs of Gadara (Mystery Writers of Japan Award), and The Night of Human Models (Naoki Prize). After his success in novels, he then expanded into theater, producing Laugh-to-Death Lilliput Army, as well as creating his own rock band, PISS, of which he was the lead singer and guitar player. After the band dissolved, he then formed Ramo and the Mother's Boys, where he played rhythm guitar and sang. Nakajima was known for his wild lifestyle and his constant use of drugs and alcohol. His appearances on television in the late 1990s and early 2000s were always an audience draw because of his slurred speech—probably from years of alcohol and drug abuse—and humorous personality. He was arrested and convicted of marijuana possession in 2003; he was sentenced to five years incarceration. He was put into a mental hospital for a brief period, and then served his 10-month sentence, with a suspended sentence of five years. He then released an essay about his trials in prison called "The Prison Diet". After his release, he plunged back into alcoholism. On July 15, 2004, after drinking late at a bar, he fell down a staircase and suffered serious head injuries. He never recovered, dying on July 26, 2004.
Ai Nagai (永井愛, Nagai Ai; born on 16 October 1951) is a Japanese playwright, stage director, and the co-founder and…Ai Nagai (永井愛, Nagai Ai; born on 16 October 1951) is a Japanese playwright, stage director, and the co-founder and leader of the theater company Nitosha. She is known for adopting realism as her primary writing style. Two of her major works, The Three Hagi Sisters (萩家の三姉妹, Hagi-ke no san shimai) and Time's Storeroom (時の物置, Toki no mono oki), both exemplify her utilization of realism. According to The Japan Foundation's Performing Arts Network, Nagai is currently regarded as one of the most sought-after playwrights in Japan because of her "well-made plays," in which social issues are treated from a critical perspective.
Mamoru Oshii (押井 守, Oshii Mamoru; born 8 August 1951) is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous…Mamoru Oshii (押井 守, Oshii Mamoru; born 8 August 1951) is a Japanese filmmaker, television director and writer. Famous for his philosophy-oriented storytelling, Oshii has directed a number of acclaimed anime films, including Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer (1984), Angel's Egg (1985), Patlabor 2: The Movie (1993), and Ghost in the Shell (1995). He also holds the distinction of directing the first ever OVA, Dallos (1983). As a writer, Oshii has worked as a screenwriter, and occasionally as a manga writer and novelist. His most notable works as a writer include the manga Kerberos Panzer Cop (1988–2000) and its feature film adaptation Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade (1999). For his work, Oshii has received and been nominated for numerous awards, including the Palme d'Or and Leone d'Oro (Golden Lion). He has also attracted praise from many directors, including James Cameron, Steven Spielberg and The Wachowskis, especially for his work on Ghost in the Shell.
Kōhei Tsuka (つか こうへい, Tsuka Kōhei; 24 April 1948 – 10 July 2010) was a Korean-Japanese playwright, theater director…Kōhei Tsuka (つか こうへい, Tsuka Kōhei; 24 April 1948 – 10 July 2010) was a Korean-Japanese playwright, theater director, and screenwriter. He was one of Japan's most influential theater figures, to the extent that recent Japanese theatrical history has been divided into pre-Tsuka and post-Tsuka periods. He died of lung cancer in Kamogawa, Chiba Prefecture at age 62.
Yoko Narahashi (奈良橋 陽子, Narahashi Yõko; born June 17, 1947) is a Japanese casting director, film producer and lyricist.…Yoko Narahashi (奈良橋 陽子, Narahashi Yõko; born June 17, 1947) is a Japanese casting director, film producer and lyricist. She gained prominence due to her involvement with The Last Samurai, Babel, and Memoirs of a Geisha. The Japan Times, the only independent English-language newspaper in Japan, referred to her as an "all-round interpreter of Japan for U.S. movies".
Rio Kishida (岸田 理生, Kishida Rio; 1946–2003) was a Japanese playwright and director. She wrote several plays about women…Rio Kishida (岸田 理生, Kishida Rio; 1946–2003) was a Japanese playwright and director. She wrote several plays about women and the problems they faced in a patriarchal society that run parallel with the second wave of the feminist movement in Japan. Even though she did not strictly identify herself as a feminist, she believed that the system of a male dominated society had to change in order for women to gain equal rights as their male counterpart.
Tōru Emori (江守 徹, Emori Tōru; born Tetsuo Kato (加藤 徹夫); 25 January 1944) is a Japanese actor, voice actor, and theater…Tōru Emori (江守 徹, Emori Tōru; born Tetsuo Kato (加藤 徹夫); 25 January 1944) is a Japanese actor, voice actor, and theater director. He has appeared in more than sixty films since 1965.
Jūrō Kara (唐十郎, Kara Jūrō; born Ōtsuru Yoshihide (大靏 義英); 11 February 1940 – 4 May 2024) was a Japanese avant-garde…Jūrō Kara (唐十郎, Kara Jūrō; born Ōtsuru Yoshihide (大靏 義英); 11 February 1940 – 4 May 2024) was a Japanese avant-garde playwright, theatre director, author, actor, and songwriter. He was at the forefront of the Angura ("underground") theatre movement in Japan.
Minoru Betsuyaku (別役 実, Betsuyaku Minoru; 1937 – March 3, 2020) was one of Japan's most prominent postwar playwrights…Minoru Betsuyaku (別役 実, Betsuyaku Minoru; 1937 – March 3, 2020) was one of Japan's most prominent postwar playwrights, novelists, and essayists, associated with the Angura ("underground") theater movement in Japan. He won a name for himself as a writer in the "nonsense" genre and helped lay the foundations of the Japanese "theater of the absurd." His works focused on the aftermath of the war and especially the nuclear holocaust.
Kunio Shimizu (清水 邦夫, Shimizu Kunio) (17 November 1936 – 15 April 2021) was a Japanese playwright. Niigata is his…Kunio Shimizu (清水 邦夫, Shimizu Kunio) (17 November 1936 – 15 April 2021) was a Japanese playwright. Niigata is his hometown, which is located on the Japan Sea. At Tama University of Fine Arts Shimizu was a professor working in the Moving Images and Performing Arts Department.
Shūji Terayama (寺山 修司, Terayama Shūji; December 10, 1935 – May 4, 1983) was a Japanese avant-garde poet, artist…Shūji Terayama (寺山 修司, Terayama Shūji; December 10, 1935 – May 4, 1983) was a Japanese avant-garde poet, artist, dramatist, writer, film director, and photographer. His works range from radio drama, experimental television, underground (Angura) theatre, countercultural essays, to Japanese New Wave and "expanded" cinema. Many critics view him as one of the most productive and provocative creative artists to come out of Japan. He has been cited as an influence on various Japanese filmmakers from the 1970s onward.
Kaoru Yamaya (山谷 馨; December 21, 1934 – September 18, 2026), better known by his pen name Sō Kuramoto (倉本 聰), was a…Kaoru Yamaya (山谷 馨; December 21, 1934 – September 18, 2026), better known by his pen name Sō Kuramoto (倉本 聰), was a Japanese playwright and screenwriter.
Hisashi Inoue (井上 ひさし, Inoue Hisashi; 16 November 1934 – 9 April 2010) was a Japanese playwright and writer of comic…Hisashi Inoue (井上 ひさし, Inoue Hisashi; 16 November 1934 – 9 April 2010) was a Japanese playwright and writer of comic fiction. From 1961 to 1986, he used the pen name of Hisashi Uchiyama.
Yasutaka Tsutsui (筒井 康隆, Tsutsui Yasutaka; born September 24, 1934 in Osaka) is a Japanese novelist, science fiction…Yasutaka Tsutsui (筒井 康隆, Tsutsui Yasutaka; born September 24, 1934 in Osaka) is a Japanese novelist, science fiction author, and actor. His Yumenokizaka bunkiten won the Tanizaki Prize in 1987. He has also won the 1981 Izumi Kyoka award, the 1989 Kawabata Yasunari award, and the 1992 Nihon SF Taisho Award.
Masakazu Yamazaki (山崎 正和, Yamazaki Masakazu; 26 March 1934 – 19 August 2020) was a Japanese writer, literary critic…Masakazu Yamazaki (山崎 正和, Yamazaki Masakazu; 26 March 1934 – 19 August 2020) was a Japanese writer, literary critic, and philosopher.
Yoshiyuki Fukuda (福田 善之, Fukuda Yoshiyuki; Kōnosu Taizō (鴻巣 泰三), 21 October 1931 – 21 August 2025) was a Japanese…Yoshiyuki Fukuda (福田 善之, Fukuda Yoshiyuki; Kōnosu Taizō (鴻巣 泰三), 21 October 1931 – 21 August 2025) was a Japanese playwright, screenwriter and director. Remembered as one of the founding figures of the Angura ("underground") theatre movement in Japan, Fukuda also served as chairman of the Japan Directors Association from 2003 to 2007.
Sawako Ariyoshi (有吉 佐和子 Ariyoshi Sawako, 20 January 1931 – 30 August 1984) was a Japanese writer, known for such works…Sawako Ariyoshi (有吉 佐和子 Ariyoshi Sawako, 20 January 1931 – 30 August 1984) was a Japanese writer, known for such works as The Doctor's Wife and The River Ki. She was known for her advocacy of social issues, such as the elderly in Japanese society, and environmental issues. Several of her novels describe the relationships between mothers and their daughters. She also had a fascination with traditional Japanese arts, such as kabuki and bunraku. She also described racial discrimination in the United States, something she experienced firsthand during her time at Sarah Lawrence, and the depopulation of remote Japanese islands during the 1970s economic boom.
Shimako Murai (村井 志摩子, Murai Shimako; 12 July 1928 – 9 May 2018) was a Japanese playwright. She was born in Hiroshima…Shimako Murai (村井 志摩子, Murai Shimako; 12 July 1928 – 9 May 2018) was a Japanese playwright. She was born in Hiroshima, but was not in the city on the day of the atomic bombings. She lost many friends in the bombing, and her profound sense of guilt led her to devote most of her life to producing plays connected with the Hiroshima bombings. She felt a strong affinity with the architect Jan Letzel, who had designed the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition building, which — by a stroke of luck — somehow survived the atomic bomb's blast, and thereby became the famous A-bomb dome. Letzel was Czech, and Murai decided to study in Prague. She translated various works between Czech and Japanese, including the first Japanese renditions of plays by Josef Topol, Václav Havel and Milan Kundera, and opera by Smetana and Janáček. For this work she won the 1968 Kinokuniya Theatre Award. Later her own plays were performed and won awards throughout Japan, as well as in Maui (Hawaii), the Avignon Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe, starring actresses such as Mahō Shibuki (ex Takarazuka), Takajō Miki (ex SKD=Shochiku Kageki Dan) and Kurihara Chieko (JMDB). She was married to Kuzui Kinshirō (ja:葛井欣士郎), a film producer and manager of the alternative Art Theatre Shinjuku Bunka during the 1960s and early 1970s. She died on 9 May 2018, at her home in Shinjuku.
Reiko Mori (森禮子; July 7, 1928 – March 28, 2014) was a Japanese novelist and playwright. She was awarded the Akutagawa…Reiko Mori (森禮子; July 7, 1928 – March 28, 2014) was a Japanese novelist and playwright. She was awarded the Akutagawa Award for her book Mokkingubado no iru machi (モッキングバードのいる町) in 1979.
Sugako Hashida (橋田 壽賀子, Hashida Sugako; May 10, 1925 – April 4, 2021) was a Japanese scriptwriter. She is known…Sugako Hashida (橋田 壽賀子, Hashida Sugako; May 10, 1925 – April 4, 2021) was a Japanese scriptwriter. She is known particularly for writing the NHK Asadora Oshin, and was considered Japan's most successful TV drama scriptwriter. She established Hashida Cultural Foundation. Her real name was Sugako Iwasaki (岩﨑 壽賀子, Iwasaki Sugako).
Kimifusa Abe (安部 公房, Abe Kimifusa; March 7, 1924 – January 22, 1993), known by his pen name Kōbō Abe (安部 公房, Abe Kōbō)…Kimifusa Abe (安部 公房, Abe Kimifusa; March 7, 1924 – January 22, 1993), known by his pen name Kōbō Abe (安部 公房, Abe Kōbō), was a Japanese writer, playwright and director. His 1962 novel The Woman in the Dunes was made into an award-winning film by Hiroshi Teshigahara in 1964. Abe has often been compared to Franz Kafka for his modernist sensibilities and his surreal, often nightmarish explorations of individuals in contemporary society. He died aged 68 of heart failure in Tokyo after a brief illness.
Lin Tuan-chiu (Chinese: 林摶秋; October 6, 1920 - April 4, 1998) was a playwright, theater director, film producer, and…Lin Tuan-chiu (Chinese: 林摶秋; October 6, 1920 - April 4, 1998) was a playwright, theater director, film producer, and film director from Taoyuan, Taiwan. During the Japanese rule and the early post-war years, he concentrated mainly on writing and directing plays, earning praise from the Tokyo Shimbun (東京新聞) as "Taiwan's first native playwright". After the war, he devoted himself to the film industry, founding the Yufeng Film Company and the Hushan Film Studio. The plays he wrote include The Tribe in the Deep Mountains (奧山の社), Castrated Chicken (閹雞), Takasago Inn (高砂館), Geothermal (地熱), and Lights of the Marketplace from the Mountain (從山上看街市的燈火). He also directed films such as The Election Campaign of Brother Ah San (阿三哥出馬), Sigh for Fireworks 1 and 2 (嘆煙花), Wrong Love (錯戀), and May 13 Heartbreaking Night (五月十三傷心夜).
Junji Kinoshita (木下 順二, Kinoshita Junji; 2 August 1914 – 30 October 2006) was a Japanese playwright. He was the…Junji Kinoshita (木下 順二, Kinoshita Junji; 2 August 1914 – 30 October 2006) was a Japanese playwright. He was the foremost playwright of modern drama in postwar Japan. He was also a translator and scholar of Shakespeare's plays. Kinoshita’s achievements were not limited to Japan. He helped to promote theatrical exchanges between Japan and the People’s Republic of China, and he traveled broadly in Europe and Asia. In addition to his international work, Kinoshita joined various societies that focused on the study of folktales and the Japanese language.
Tsuneari Fukuda (25 August 1912 – 20 November 1994) was a Japanese playwright, translator, literary critic and public…Tsuneari Fukuda (25 August 1912 – 20 November 1994) was a Japanese playwright, translator, literary critic and public intellectual. Born in Tokyo to a working-class family, Fukuda read English literature at Tokyo Imperial University. A scholar of D. H. Lawrence, he found his voice as a critic by contributing to literary magazines. Interested in theatre from a young age, Fukuda became associated with the shingeki genre of contemporary theatre, writing and producing numerous original plays, including The Man Who Stroked the Dragon (1952) and The Fuhrer is Still Alive! (1970), for which he was awarded the Yomiuri Prize and Grand Prize for Japanese Literature respectively. From the 1950s, he began a life-long endeavour to translate William Shakespeare's work into Japanese. He staged successful productions of these translations, starting with Hamlet in 1955, which set off a Shakespeare boom in Japan. Originally associated with the Bungakuza theatre company, he later broke away to found the Kumo and Subaru companies in 1963 and 1975 respectively. A contributor to popular magazines such as Bungei Shunjū, Chūō Kōron, and Shokun!, Fukuda became well-known to the Japanese public as a conservative intellectual from the 1950s. He opposed the post-war Japanese script reform, and was awarded another Yomiuri Prize for his book on the subject, My Japanese Language Classroom (1960). He criticised left-wing movements, such as the Anpo protests, and questioned the dominance of pacifism in post-war Japan. A supporter of individual liberty and freedom of expression, he rejected the politicisation of art, and expressed doubts about Japanese modernisation. From 1969, he began teaching at Kyoto Sangyo University, and in 1981, he became a member of the Japan Art Academy. After suffering more than a decade of declining health, he died at Ōiso in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1994.
Kaoru Morimoto (森本薫, Morimoto Kaoru; 4 June 1912 – 6 October 1946) was a Japanese playwright, screenwriter and…Kaoru Morimoto (森本薫, Morimoto Kaoru; 4 June 1912 – 6 October 1946) was a Japanese playwright, screenwriter and translator. He is famous for his critically acclaimed play A Woman's Life (Onna no isshō), which became one of the most often performed plays in post-war Japan.
Akimoto Matsuyo (秋元松代; 2 January 1911 – 24 April 2001) was a leading playwright of postwar Japan, most respected as a…Akimoto Matsuyo (秋元松代; 2 January 1911 – 24 April 2001) was a leading playwright of postwar Japan, most respected as a realist Japanese playwright. Akimoto was known for her shingeki plays, but also wrote some classical bunraku (puppet) and kabuki dramas, and she later became a scriptwriter for both radio and television shows. Along with Akimoto's childhood, World War II played a significant role in her career. As a realist playwright, she used her work to make political statements in order to warn the greater Japanese community that the government was trying to continue their pre-war imperial system of capitalism, militarism, and patriarchy.
Chikao Tanaka (田中 千禾夫, Tanaka Chikao; 1905-1995) was a Japanese playwright and dramatist whose plays focused on the…Chikao Tanaka (田中 千禾夫, Tanaka Chikao; 1905-1995) was a Japanese playwright and dramatist whose plays focused on the mental, physical, and religious hardships of post-World War II Japan. Tanaka's writing differed greatly from that of other Japanese playwrights at the time because he wrote of essential human conflicts through the eyes of a Christian, which was atypical of the majority of his countrymen. His word structure and dramatic style creates an intense and lyrical force which has been satisfying for many theater enthusiasts, both to his own audiences and to foreign audiences as well. Tanaka is perhaps the first modern Japanese playwright about whom this can be said. He is notable for his play Head of Mary (1959) and his expanded dramatic structures that convey metaphysical, spiritual, and existential themes in the form of masterful, rhythmic dialogue.
