Japanese theatre, with its rich traditions of Noh, Kabuki and Bunraku has been captivating audiences for centuries. Yet the introduction of Western ideas and techniques into these traditional styles is still a recent phenomenon. It was only during the Meiji period (1868 – 1912) when Japan opened to the rest of the world that Western plays started to influence the native forms.
This blend of Western and Eastern theatrical techniques led to the emergence of new forms of Japanese theatre like shingeki (new drama). Shingeki refers to Japanese plays focused on modern realism and reinterpretations of Western classics like the works of Shakespeare.
One of the most impressive recent shingeki plays is Medea from Satoshi Miyagi, which breathes new life into the classic Greek tragedy from Euripides. Let’s take a deeper look at Medea along with nine other remarkable Japanese adaptations of Western classics.
1. Shizaru Kidan: Jiyu no Tachi Nagori no Kireaji (1884) – Adaptation of Julius Caesar
Japanese Representation Of Julius Caesar in Meiji Japan (1868–1912)
Shakespeare was arguably the first great Western playwright that the Japanese took to, perhaps because of the universality of his work. The first Shakespeare play to receive a full translation in Japanese was Julius Caesar in 1884. This was done by the writer and university professor Shoyo Tsubouchi.
The Japanese translation meant The Sharp Edge of Freedom’s Sword, a nod to the ideas that are explored in the original about unchecked ambition and fate versus free will. However, the play wasn’t performed when it was first translated and served more as a bridge to what Japanese theatre could potentially become when flavoured with Western influences.
2. Sakuradoki Zeni no Yononaka (1885) – Adaptation of the Merchant Of Venice
Japanese Representation Of Shylock in Meiji Japan (1868–1912)
1885 was a landmark year for Japanese theatre because it marked the first time a Shakespeare play was performed live on stage in a Kabuki style. This was an adaptation of a scene from The Merchant of Venice called Sakuradoki Zeni no Yononaka (Money Is Everything In This World, No Matter Which Cherry Blossoms Are In Bloom or The Season Of Cherry Blossoms: The World Of Money).
The play was renamed after the famous haiku of the same name by Issa Kobayashi. The haiku is satirical and cynical, expressing that material wealth overshadows even the beauty and glory of cherry blossoms. In other words, the play is appropriately named because these themes are present in The Merchant of Venice where wealth is prioritised over all other values through characters like Bassanio, Portia and Shylock.
These themes were transmitted and localised for the people of Osaka and set in the Edo period when the play was first performed by the Nakamura Sojuro Kabuki company. The Edo period setting was appropriate for the themes because this era was marked by an increase in fortune for merchant classes and other social climbers. Poignant and innovative, Sakuradoki Zeni no Yononaka set the standard for many other Shakespeare adaptations to come.
3. Takarazuka Revue’s Concise Chocho-san (1931) – Adaptation of Madame Butterfly
Image Credit: Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus
The shingeki phenomenon wasn’t just about exploring Western ideas in a Japanese format. It provided new opportunities for Japanese women to be on stage and explore roles that hadn’t been available to them before through a fresh medium.
An example of Japanese women being in the spotlight is the 1931 interpretation of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. Performed by the all-female musical troupe Takarazuka Revue, the Japanese version of the play emphasised the impact of 1930s domestic politics on Japanese women. This was a deliberate choice from Tsubouchi Shiko, the writer who said he wrote the play to be a “concise dictionary” so that it could be performed in under an hour.
This version of Madame Butterfly is an ode to the minimalist aesthetics favoured in Japan. The production highlighted how Western operatics works and narratives could be blended seamlessly with Japanese performance styles.
4. Nagato Miho’s The Mikado (1948) – Adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado
Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera The Mikado is one the most enduring satirical performances that have been adapted for Japanese sensibilities. The original work, set in a fantastical Japan to lampoon 19th-century British politics and institutions, has remained controversial to this day for its inclusion of Asian stereotypes.
From a Japanese point of view, the play has been adapted several times and the first was by the Nagato Miho production company in 1948. A big budget performance with several delays, the Japanese Mikado was taken with good humour by many of the attendees. This included Prince Nobuhito Takamatsu, brother of the Emperor of Japan, Hirohito.
On the other hand, there was a mixed reaction according to the New York Times. “Prince Nobuhito Takamatsu, brother of Emperor Hirohito of Japan, accompanied by his wife and by Prince Kumi, brother of the Empress, it is reported from Tokyo, attended there a few days ago the first performance in Japanese of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado.
Prince Nobuhito, we are told, said that it was “very interesting” and that he had “enjoyed it very much.” Other Japanese in the audience, however, called it “unreal” and “fantastic,” and perhaps the Emperor’s brother, despite his laudatory comment, also decided that the Japan portrayed in that miniature masterpiece of the two inimitable Savoyards was, in comparison with the real Japan, a thing of utter unreality and unbridled fantasy.”
Despite the mixed reaction, Nagato Miho performed the opera thousands of times and inspired other Japanese production companies to do the same.
5. Yukio Ninagawa’s Macbeth (1980)
Yukio Ninagawa was a heavyweight in directing Japanese theatre productions inspired by Western stories. For instance, his interpretation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a beautiful and tragic story that taps into all the themes of the original which cover the corrupting power of ambition and shades of morality.
Ninagawa’s Macbeth is a swaggering samurai bound by honour to his warlord in the height of cherry blossom season. Sakura blossoms are a constant theme throughout the play, underpinning the looming presence of death against a backdrop of cackling Kabuki witches.
These haunting motifs have remained the same ever since the first rendition of the play in 1985, which has been going strong for thirty years.
6. The Three Hagi Sisters (2000) – Adaptation of Three Sisters
Ai Nagai has earned a reputation for being one of the most innovative Japanese playwrights of the 21st century. Her talent was on full display when her version of Anton Chekov’s Three Sisters was produced for the first time in 2000.
The Three Hagi Sisters is a tale of contemporary Japanese living. All the characters live in provincial towns and deal with timeless themes of identity, agency and purpose. Each of the four acts is connected to the four seasons to emphasise the transience of life. This point is driven home by the end, as the characters come to understand that nature will outlast humanity.
7. Ninagawa’s Twelfth Night (2009)
Ninagawa’s vision of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night was the first time he’d ever directed a play in the Kabuki tradition. In an interview with Performing Arts Network Japan, Ninagawa explained he chose this approach to challenge himself and “the possibility that it would lead” to “some new discoveries” because “there is still a big gap between Kabuki and contemporary theatre because we only see the Kabuki world from out front in the audience.”
Indeed, it was a bold approach for the legendary director as his Twelfth Night made use of the hayagawari (quick change) technique. This involved one actor playing the siblings Viola and Sebastien and shifting between costumes. By incorporating this technique, Ninagawa paid homage to Shakespeare through an acknowledgement of Viola being disguised as a man and the idea of cross-dressing as an expression of identity.
8. Oliver! – Adaptation by Cameron Mackintosh (2021)
Image Credit: The Theatre Times
In 2021, the theatre titan Cameron Mackintosh created an adaptation of Charles Dickens’s classic Oliver Twist for a Japanese audience. The cast was all Japanese and provided an opportunity for emerging actors like Hayato Evans, Kentaro Koshinaga, Tasuku Kobayashi and Ryota Takahata to spend time in the spotlight.
The performance was well received by Japanese audiences because of the universal themes of resilience and the stark contrast between poor versus the rich.
9. John Caird and Moako Imai’s Spirited Away Adaptation (2024)
Among anime fans, Studio Ghibli is legendary for its high-quality and fantastical stories that have delighted audiences for decades. Spirited Away is certainly one of the most popular films to be produced by the studio and it was only a matter of time before it was adapted in other formats.
While Spirited Away is a Japanese story, John Caird and Moako Imai’s stage adaptation deserves a place on this list because of the blend of Western techniques that were used to bring it to life for theatre. It was a team effort of East meets West to rehearse throughout the height of Covid and create a magical experience for audiences in Japan and the UK.
10. Medea by Satoshi Miyagi (18th – 21 June 2025 at The Coronet Theatre)
Last but certainly not least, Satoshi Miyagi’s Medea channels the treachery and ambition of Euripedes’s original. Set in the Meiji era, Miyagi’s Medea takes place in a Japanese restaurant with a group of male diners summoning women waiters for entertainment. This sets off a chain of events of a play-within-a-play.
This Japanese take on a Western classic showcases the issues of gender oppression and colonial violence through the lens of modernisation. These themes are highlighted through each character being played by two performers. One is a speaker, played by a man. The other is a mover, played by a woman, with the motion inspired by Kabuki techniques.
Medea has been shown in over 20 cities and received international acclaim. The latest showing is at The Coronet Theatre in London between the 18th – 21st June at 7.30 PM. You can book tickets here.
