Meiji Era Kabuki: Three Shintomiza Tsuji Banzuke Part Three – 1912

Third and final part of the Meji Era Kabuki series by Kabuki collector and researcher Trevor Skingle!

The performance date places the performance this tsuji banzuke advertised on 8th February 1912, the last year, 46, of the Meiji era, which ended that same year with the death of Emperor Meiji on 30th July 1912, which had been a time of major changes in Japanese society. The developing Japanese fascination with photography and ‘bromides’ as they were called was reflected in the growing numbers of Kabuki images that became available and their collectors, usually rendered as postcards as is evidenced in those for

Meiji Era Kabuki: Three Shintomiza Tsuji Banzuke Part Two – 1899

Second in a three-part series by Kabuki collector and researcher Trevor Skingle!

Having adopted the Western calendar in 1873 the turn of the century was on the horizon in Japan. Many changes had taken place in the previous century, not least some pivotal ones for Kabuki.

In 1872, with the ending of the Tokugawa prohibitions on the location of the Kabuki Theatres, following the lead of Morita Kanya XII (the owner of the Shintomiza) the Kabuki theatres had

Meiji Era Kabuki: Three Shintomiza Tsuji Banzuke Part One – 1891

First in a three-part series by Kabuki collector and researcher Trevor Skingle!

After completing my research on a 1922 Shintomiza Kabuki theatre face pressing or oshiguma I bought three Kabuki playbills or tsuji banzuke advertising performance runs at the Shintomiza.

Initially located in the Pleasure Quarter of Saruwaka-cho the Shintomiza, originally called the Moritaza, was one of the three major Kabuki theatres or Edosanza of Tokyo. It was