Meiji Restoration Stories

Japanese: 明治維新物 - めいじいしんもの

This is a general term for Kabuki and new drama based on historical events around the time of the Meiji Restoration. The earliest representative work to appear was Kawatake Mokuami's Azuma Diary from the Meiji Era at the Shintomi-za Theater in Tokyo in 1875 (Meiji 8), a zangirimono (a traditional Japanese play) in eight acts that dealt with the 1868 Ueno War by the Shogitai. The next was Takeshiba Kisui's Satsukibare Ueno no Asakaze (A May Clear Sky, a Morning Breeze at Ueno) at the Shintomi-za Theater in May 1890, commonly known as The War at Ueno. It was well received, with a member of the Shogitai as the protagonist.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

明治維新前後の史実に取材した歌舞伎，新劇などを総称していう。代表作の中でもっとも早く現れたものは，1875年(明治8)東京新富座の河竹黙阿弥作《明治年間東（あずま）日記》で，1868年の上野の彰義隊の戦争を扱い，挿話を交えて8幕に描いた散切（ざんぎり）物。次は1890年5月新富座の竹柴其水（きすい）作《皐月晴上野朝風（さつきばれうえののあさかぜ）》で通称《上野の戦争》。彰義隊の一員を主人公として好評であった。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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