Playwright names:

Hôjô Hideji

Real Name: Iino Hideji

Existence: 7 November 1902 ~ 19 May 1996

Career:

7th of November 1902: born in Ôsaka.

1930s: he becomes a disciple of Okamoto Kidô and Hasegawa Shin.

July 1952: premiere at the Kabukiza of Hôjô Hideji's drama "Kitsune to Fuefuki" [casting].

July 1953: premiere at the Meijiza of Hôjô Hideji's drama "Ukifune" [casting].

September 1953: premiere at the Minamiza of Hôjô Hideji's drama "Ii Tairô", which is staged with a non-Kabuki troupe, the Shinkokugeki (New National Drama).

July 1954: premiere at the Meijiza of the drama "Genji Monogatari", with a new script written by Hôjô Hideji.

March 1956: Meijiza of Hôjô Hideji's drama "Ii Tairô" [more details].

February 1961: premiere at the Tôkyô Takarazuka Theater of Hôjô Hideji's drama "Korikori Banashi" with Hisaya Morishige (Inosuke), Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII (the priest Jûzen), Yamada Isuzu (Okiwa) and Miki Norihei (Matahei). Because both Hisaya Morishige and Yamada Isuzu were from Kansai, they were portrayed as Ôsaka natives and the play was set in Ôsaka.

November 1961: premiere in Kabuki at the Ôsaka Shinkabukiza of Hôjô Hideji's drama "Korikori Banashi" [casting].

November 1970: premiere at the National Theatre of Hôjô Hideji's drama "Tairô", a new drama which can be seen as an extended and more complex revision in 2 parts and 20 scenes of "Ii Tairô".

1973: Hôjô Hideji receives the 21st Kikuchi Kan Award in recompense for his career.

1987: Hôjô Hideji is put by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in the list of Japanese personalities who have made outstanding culture contributions in Japan (bunka kôrôsha).

19th of May 1996: Hôjô Hideji dies.

August 1996: revival at the Kabukiza of Hôjô Hideji's drama "Korikori Banashi", with a script revised by Nagawa Shôsuke [casting]. This is the Edo version of the drama and it was entitled "Edo Miyage" ("Souvenir from Edo").

Comments:

Hôjô Hideji was a prolific playwright and novelist of the Shôwa era, who wrote more than 200 dramas, including some important Shinpa or Kabuki dramas.

The poster of Hôjô Hideji's drama "Tairô", which was staged in November 1970 at the National Theatre