Acting like a Woman in Modern Japan : Theater, Gender and Nationalism

Weaving together careful readings of plays and reviews, memoirs and interviews, biographies and critical essays, this text traces the emergence of the first generation of modern actresses in Japan, a nation in which male actors had long dominated the public stage.

What emerges is a colourful and complex picture of modern Japanese gender, theater, and nationhood.

Using the lives and careers of two dominant actresses from the Meiji era, the author reveals the fantasies, fears, and impact that women on stage created in Japan as it entered the 20th century.