New Kabuki Encyclopedia - (Culture) by Samuel Leiter (Hardcover)

About the Book

Kabuki has been a part of Japanese culture for nearly four centuries. The plays performed today are generally selected from a classic repertoire that gradually ceased to develop once Japan broke the chains of its isolationist policy and began the surge toward Westernization. The plays largely reflect the values of feudal Japan, and they portray a world of noble samurai overcoming evil adversaries, adulterous lovers overcoming their dilemmas through double suicide, parents sacrificing their children in the name of loyalty to a superior, and children giving up their lives for the sake of their parents. Productions typically contain spectacular sets, elaborate costumes, and colorful makeup. Though kabuki is so essential to the heritage of Japan, it still remains largely a beautiful mystery to the West. This reference book is a comprehensive guide to the fascinating world of kabuki.

An extensive revision and expansion of the 1979 Kabuki Encyclopedia, this volume is the most comprehensive guide to Japan's kabuki theatre in any language other than Japanese. The present volume includes many new illustrations, a lengthy and detailed index, thorough cross-referencing, greatly expanded descriptions of plays, an extensive bibliography of English-language and Japanese sources, and more than 400 new entries. A major feature is the inclusion of Japanese characters for all main entry terms, titles, and names. The entries are arranged alphabetically, and the volume's appendices include a chronological table of kabuki history, a list of all major or formal play titles, a list of all variant or popular titles, genealogical charts, and a list of all major actors' stage nicknames (yago) currently in use.

Book Synopsis

Kabuki has been a part of Japanese culture for nearly four centuries. The plays performed today are generally selected from a classic repertoire that gradually ceased to develop once Japan broke the chains of its isolationist policy and began the surge toward Westernization. The plays largely reflect the values of feudal Japan, and they portray a world of noble samurai overcoming evil adversaries, adulterous lovers overcoming their dilemmas through double suicide, parents sacrificing their children in the name of loyalty to a superior, and children giving up their lives for the sake of their parents. Productions typically contain spectacular sets, elaborate costumes, and colorful makeup. Though kabuki is so essential to the heritage of Japan, it still remains largely a beautiful mystery to the West. This reference book is a comprehensive guide to the fascinating world of kabuki.

An extensive revision and expansion of the 1979 Kabuki Encyclopedia, this volume is the most comprehensive guide to Japan's kabuki theatre in any language other than Japanese. The present volume includes many new illustrations, a lengthy and detailed index, thorough cross-referencing, greatly expanded descriptions of plays, an extensive bibliography of English-language and Japanese sources, and more than 400 new entries. A major feature is the inclusion of Japanese characters for all main entry terms, titles, and names. The entries are arranged alphabetically, and the volume's appendices include a chronological table of kabuki history, a list of all major or formal play titles, a list of all variant or popular titles, genealogical charts, and a list of all major actors' stage nicknames (yago) currently in use.

Review Quotes

"New Kabuki Encyclopedia is completely revised and expanded; the increase in number of entries (about one-third) is impressive, but it is the expansion in entry content that is truly magnificent.... The entries themselves are clearly written, accessible to specialists and nonspecialists alike. The text is profusely illustrated with photographs and line drawings....[T]ruly the most comprehensive reference work on Kabuki in English... it belongs in all academic and research libraries serving Japanese and theater studies."-Choice

?[T]his massive, important volume is far more than a "revision" of Leiter's earlier effort. Over ninety-five percent of the 1979 Kabuki Encyclopedia has been completely rewritten, and extensive new material has been added. The result is a clear, nearly exhaustive study of one of the world's most significant theater genres....The book is of tremendous value not only to those interested in kabuki, but to anyone seeking spirited details about daily life in the Edo period....Every library with Japanese materials ought to have a copy of this outstanding work.?-Asian Thought and Society An International Review

?Leiter's new work is a substantial revamping of his earlier tome: a considerable amount of material has been added, and the format has been altered.?-References and Services Quarterly

?New Kabuki Encyclopedia is completely revised and expanded; the increase in number of entries (about one-third) is impressive, but it is the expansion in entry content that is truly magnificent.... The entries themselves are clearly written, accessible to specialists and nonspecialists alike. The text is profusely illustrated with photographs and line drawings....[T]ruly the most comprehensive reference work on Kabuki in English... it belongs in all academic and research libraries serving Japanese and theater studies.?-Choice

"ÝT¨his massive, important volume is far more than a "revision" of Leiter's earlier effort. Over ninety-five percent of the 1979 Kabuki Encyclopedia has been completely rewritten, and extensive new material has been added. The result is a clear, nearly exhaustive study of one of the world's most significant theater genres....The book is of tremendous value not only to those interested in kabuki, but to anyone seeking spirited details about daily life in the Edo period....Every library with Japanese materials ought to have a copy of this outstanding work."-Asian Thought and Society An International Review

"Leiter's new work is a substantial revamping of his earlier tome: a considerable amount of material has been added, and the format has been altered."-References and Services Quarterly

"[T]his massive, important volume is far more than a "revision" of Leiter's earlier effort. Over ninety-five percent of the 1979 Kabuki Encyclopedia has been completely rewritten, and extensive new material has been added. The result is a clear, nearly exhaustive study of one of the world's most significant theater genres....The book is of tremendous value not only to those interested in kabuki, but to anyone seeking spirited details about daily life in the Edo period....Every library with Japanese materials ought to have a copy of this outstanding work."-Asian Thought and Society An International Review

About the Author

SAMUEL L. LEITER, Professor of Theatre at Brooklyn College, CUNY, and the Graduate Center, CUNY, has been editor of Asian Theatre Journal since 1992. He is the author or editor of ten previous books, including the three-volume The Enyclopedia of the New York Stage, 1920-1930 (1985), 1930-1940 (1989) and 1940-1950 (1992), From Belasco to Brook: Representative Directors of the English-Speaking Stage (1991), and From Stanislavsky to Barrault: Representative Directors of the European Stage (1991), all published by Greenwood Press. His articles have appeared in publications such as Literature East and West, Educational Theatre Journal, Drama Survey, Theatre History Studies, Players, Theatre Crafts, and Asian Theatre Journal. He is also an actor and director.