The is a theatre in the

Ginza Ginza ( ; ja, 銀座 ) is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaichō, and north of Shinbashi. It is a popular upscale shopping area of Tokyo, with numerous intern ...

neighborhood of Tokyo,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It is a major kabuki venue, though other types of performances take place there as well.

History

The theatre was originally built in 1925 to provide a venue for the ''Azuma Odori'' geisha dance performances, by

Kawamura Tokutarō Kawamura ( or ) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Aki Kawamura (), gravure idol and television idol * Hikaru Kawamura (), gravure idol * Kawamura Sumiyoshi, Sumiyoshi Kawamura (), Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Nav ...

, manager of the Morikawa geisha house, who raised two million yen in

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

and established the Shinbashi Enbujō Corporation.�
新橋演舞場について
」 (''shinbashi enbujō ni tsuite'', "About the Shinbashi Enbujō"). ''Kabuki-bito.'' 2006-2008: Shochiku Co. Ltd. Accessed 29 October 2008. The site, by chance, was formerly that of the Matsudaira clan residence which serves as the setting for the kabuki play "'' Kagamiyama Kokyō no Nishikie''." Construction began in 1923, and was halted following the

1923 Great Kantō earthquake The struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshū at 11:58:44 JST (02:58:44 UTC) on Saturday, September 1, 1923. Varied accounts indicate the duration of the earthquake was between four and ten minutes. Extensive firestorms an ...

, but was completed in 1925. The theatre entered into a contract in 1940 with Shōchiku,''Kabuki techō: Kabuki Official Data Book 2008''. Nihon Haiyū Kyōkai (Japan Actors' Association). 2008: Tokyo. p312. a major film and theatre production company, today the chief kabuki production company. Since becoming associated with Shochiku, the theatre has regularly seen productions ranging from modern drama and

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

to the '' shinpa'' (New School) genre developed in the Meiji period, as well as kabuki. The Kabuki-za, located several blocks away, is the chief kabuki theatre in the world. It plays somewhat the role of a storehouse of tradition, and its stage is usually dominated by the top star actors in the genre. By contrast, many more experimental forms within the kabuki genre, as well as plays starring younger actors, are performed at the Shinbashi Enbujō. These include the

Super Kabuki Super may refer to: Computing * SUPER (computer program), or Simplified Universal Player Encoder & Renderer, a video converter / player * Super (computer science), a keyword in object-oriented programming languages * Super key (keyboard butto ...

form pioneered by

Ichikawa Ennosuke III , better known by the stage name , is a Japanese kabuki actor, famous for his love of '' keren'' (stage tricks). He is considered the king of ''chūnori''; he has flown out over the audience, held aloft on strings, over 5000 times. Biography Enno ...

, which incorporates Western music, Chinese, Indian, and other non-Japanese stylistic influences, and over-the-top stage special effects beyond that seen in typical kabuki, and the performances featuring the younger generation of kabuki stars. The building was destroyed in the

Allied An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

bombing of Tokyo during World War II, but was reconstructed in 1948. Major renovations were undertaken in 1982, incorporating technological upgrades, extra seating, and expanding to take over the nearby

Nissan , trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...

Motors Building. The Shinbashi Enbujō was the main kabuki theater from 2010 until March 2013 while the Kabuki-za theater was undergoing construction.Kabuki-za to be rebuilt from 2010
" '' Yomiuri Shimbun''. 26 October 2008. Accessed 28 October 2008.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shinbashi Enbujo 1925 establishments in Japan Kabuki theatres Buildings and structures in Chūō, Tokyo Buildings and structures in Japan destroyed during World War II Ginza Theatres in Tokyo Theatres completed in 1925