is a Japanese theatre company. Along with the

Mingei Theatre Company The is a Japanese theatre company that stages Shingeki plays. Along with the Haiyuza Theatre Company and Bungakuza it is considered one of the "Big Three" among Shingeki theatre troupes. History Gekidan Mingei, meaning "The People's Art Theat ...

and the

Haiyuza Theatre Company The is a Japanese theatre company based in Tokyo. Along with the Mingei Theatre Company and Bungakuza, it is considered one of the "Big Three" among Shingeki (new theatre) troupes. History The Haiyuza Theatre Company was founded in February 194 ...

it is considered one of the "Big Three" among

Shingeki was a leading form of theatre in Japan that was based on modern realism. Born in the early years of the 20th century, it sought to be similar to modern Western theatre, putting on the works of the ancient Greek classics, William Shakespeare, Moli ...

theatre troupes.

History

The company was founded by

Kunio Kishida Kunio Kishida (岸田國士, Kishida Kunio, 2 November 1890 – 5 March 1954) was a Japanese playwright, dramatist, novelist, lecturer, acting coach, theatre critic, translator, and proponent of Shingeki ("New Theatre"/”New Drama"). Kishida sp ...

Mantarō Kubota was a Japanese author, playwright, and poet. Early life Kubota was born in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, to a clothing merchant family. He became interested in stage plays at an early age, largely due to the influence of his grandmother, who ...

and

Bunroku Shishi , real name , was a Japanese novelist, playwright and director of the Bungakuza theatre company. Shishi was born in Yokohama. In 1922 he traveled to France to study modern French theater, and worked in the atelier of Jacques Copeau. Selected b ...

on September 6, 1937. Its name means "Literature Theatre". On March 25, 1938, the company staged its first public performances with the plays "Magnificent Woman" (''Migoto na Onna''), "Peace at Home" (''Wagaya no Heiwa''), and "Knock" (''Kunokku''). After suffering repression at the hands of the state leading up to and during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, Bungakuza reemerged in the early

postwar period A post-war or postwar period is the interval immediately following the end of a war. The term usually refers to a varying period of time after World War II, which ended in 1945. A post-war period can become an interwar period or interbellum, w ...

. In the 1950s, many Shingeki theatre troupes were viewed as left-wing or even communist. However, Bungakuza was considered one of the least ideological troupes. Thus many people were surprised when Bungakuza's leaders agreed to stage a tour of Communist China in 1961. Even more controversial was the decision to modify the script of the company's flagship play, "The Life of a Woman" (''Onna no isshō''), to accommodate the ideological demands of their Chinese hosts, which was seen as an abridgment of artistic freedom. This angered many of the younger members of the troupe, and in 1962, right in the middle of the company's New Year's production, 29 members abruptly left the troupe to found their own company, the Cloud Theatre Company (''Gekidan Kumo''). Another controversy arose in 1963. The author

Yukio Mishima Kimitake Hiraoka ( , ''Hiraoka Kimitake''; 14 January 192525 November 1970), known by his pen name Yukio Mishima ( , ''Mishima Yukio''), was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, Ultranationalism (Japan), ultranationalis ...

, who had a long-running affiliation with Bungakuza dating back to the early 1950s, wrote a play for the company called , but star actress and other actors refused to perform it because the protagonist held

anti-communist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communist beliefs, groups, and individuals. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in Russia, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when th ...

views and had lines criticizing a conspiracy of

world communism World communism, also known as global communism or international communism, is a form of communism placing emphasis on an international scope rather than being individual communist states. The long-term goal of world communism is an unlimited ...

. As a result of this ideological conflict, Mishima quit Bungakuza along with around 10 other members. Mishima and those who supported him formed their own troupe, since "Bungakuza" means "literature theatre" this was a way of saying "New Bungakuza" in French. Mishima's new troupe successfully staged ''The Harp of Joy'' in May 1964. Despite these controversies, Bungakuza survived and continued to thrive, and continues to stage plays today, although it has long since dropped the "Shingeki" moniker.

Notable members

;Male actors ;Female actors

Former notable members

Tsutomu Yamazaki is a Japanese actor. He won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor in 1984 for '' The Funeral'' and '' Farewell to the Ark''. Yamazaki is known for his roles as Goro in '' Tampopo'' (1985) and Nenbutsu no Tetsu on the television jidaigeki '' Hiss ...

Shinobu Terajima is a Japanese actress. Her feature films include '' Akame 48 Waterfalls'' (2003) and '' Vibrator'' (2003). For her role in ''Caterpillar'' (2010), Terajima won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 60th Berlin Film Festival while her perform ...

Kaori Momoi is a Japanese actress. Life and career Momoi was born in Tokyo, Japan. At the age of 12, she traveled to London to study dance at the Royal Ballet Academy. After three years, she returned to Tokyo. She graduated from Japan's Bungakuza School ...

Isao Hashizume is a Japanese actor. He also worked as a narrator for documentaries, both on television and film. He trained as an actor at Bungakuza is a Japanese theatre company. Along with the Mingei Theatre Company and the Haiyuza Theatre Company it ...

Masatoshi Nakamura is a Japanese actor and singer from Onagawa, Miyagi. He graduated from Keio University. Nakamura joined the Bungakuza theater troupe in 1973 and made his television debut in 1974 with "Warera Seishun. Masatoshi made his film debut with "Fureai" ...

Tappie Shimokawa was a Japanese actor. He attended Musashino Art University, but withdrew before completing his degree. In 1964, he joined Bungakuza Theatre Company but left in 1977. He is well known for his role as Chōsan (Detective Tarō Nozaki) in the dete ...

Hiroki Hasegawa , nicknamed , (born March 7, 1977, in Tokyo) is a Japanese stage, film, and television actor. Trained as a stage actor at the Bungaku-za after graduating from Chuo University, he first began to appear on Japanese TV in small roles in 2008, and t ...

Hiroshi Akutagawa was a Japanese stage and film actor and director. In his 30 years spanning career, he appeared in numerous stage productions and films by directors such as Shirō Toyoda, Tadashi Imai, Heinosuke Gosho, Akira Kurosawa and Nagisa Ōshima. Biograp ...

Deceased members

Ken Mitsuda Ken Mitsuda (29 April 1902 – 28 November 1997) was a Japanese film actor. He appeared in 53 films between 1940 and 1983. Selected filmography * ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' (Grumpy) (voice Japanese version) * ''Lady and the Tramp'' ...

Haruko Sugimura was a Japanese Theatre, stage and film actor, actress, best known for her appearances in the films of Yasujirō Ozu and Mikio Naruse from the late 1940s to the early 1960s. Biography Sugimura was born in Nishi-ku, Hiroshima, Nishi-ku, Hiroshima. ...

Kiwako Taichi was a Japanese film actress. She appeared in 20 films between 1967 and 1985. Biography Kiwako Taichi was born in Tokyo on 2 December 1943. She graduated Shoin Junior and Senior High School and, after training in the Haiyuza Theatre Compan ...

Yūsaku Matsuda was a Japanese actor. In Japan, he was best known for roles in action films and a variety of television series in the 1970s as well as a switch to a wider range of roles in the 1980s. His final film appearance was as the villain Sato in Ridley ...

Research establishment alumni

Chō is a Japanese actor and narrator. His former stage name was . He is a graduate of the Nishogakusha University Department of Literature and received training at Bungakuza's research establishment and the Seinenza Theater Company before attachi ...

Urara Takano , known by her stage name , is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator from Togane, Chiba. She is currently affiliated with and representative of REMAX. Her most prominent role has been in the ''Sakura Wars'' video game franchise, where s ...

Katsuhiko Yokomitsu is a Japanese actor and politician of the Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP), who serves as a member of the House of Representatives in the National Diet (national legislature). Overviews A native of Usa, Ōita and graduate of the Universi ...

References

External links

*
Official blog
{{Authority control Performing groups established in 1937 1937 establishments in Japan Japanese voice actor management companies Shinjuku Organizations based in Tokyo Theatre companies in Japan