Danjuro ' s Girls is a fascinating history of Japan's female kabuki troupes, offering a penetrating investigation into three generations of kabuki actresses associated with the renowned Ichikawa Danjuro acting dynasty. Contextually grounding early female precedents in kabuki, the book focuses on the Ichikawa Girls' Kabuki Troupe, a unique and trailblazing company founded after Japan's defeat in World War II. The troupe became a national sensation in the 1950s, briefly becoming part of the otherwise impenetrable all-male kabuki establishment. Drawing on numerous interviews, as well as written and visual primary sources, Danjuro ' s Girls challenges readers to re-examine conventional notions about gender, performance, and traditional Japanese theatre.

List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Notes on Style Prologue: Danjuro's Girls Danjuro IX and the Actress Question The Formation of the Ichikawa Girls' Kabuki Troupe Name Recognition Cypress Stages Acting Like Men The Critics Respond Life Offstage Power Struggle The Final Years Epilogue: Kabuki as Invented Tradition Appendix: Play Titles in Translation Notes Bibliography Index

LOREN EDELSON has taught at The City College of New York, USA and The Japan Society and has published two translations of Japanese contemporary plays, including The Three Hagi Sisters (Hagi-ke no san shimai) by Nagai Ai.