Kawatake Shinshichi III was born in the Kanda district of Edo (now Tokyo) and became a leading pupil of kabuki playwright Kawatake Mokuami. Following his mentor’s death, he became the foremost Meiji playwright, with roughly 80 plays to his name. He adapted many of his stories from the oral storytelling stage (yose), including works, such as Kaidan botandoro (The Ghost Tale of the Peony Lantern, 1892), by the famous rakugo storyteller San’yutei Encho. Many of his plays are still performed on the kabuki stage today.
See also KODAN; THEATER REFORM.
Historical dictionary of modern Japanese literature and theater. J. Scott Miller. 2009.