Shiko ˉ Tsubouchi ’ s Unpublished Letters to Edward Gordon Craig with an Introduction about Their Intercultural Context Yoko Yamaguchi (Nagoya) Introduction: Intercultural Context The correspondence between the young Japanese critic, Shik ō Tsubouchi (1887 - 1986, hereafter Shik ō ) 1 and the standardbearer of theatre reform, Edward Gordon Craig (1872 - 1966) is preserved in the Edward Gordon Craig Collection at the National Library of France. 2 The main topics of their letters are Craig's theatre school, Arena Goldoni, translations of Craig ’ s works into Japanese, Craig ’ s designs for Hamlet in Moscow, Shik ō’ s article “ The Drama in Japan ” (1912) in Craig ’ s magazine The Mask 3 and Shik ō’ s participation in Lawrence Irving's theatre company. The close acquaintance between Shik ō and Craig probably lasted less than one year, from 1911 to 1912, after which the correspondence ended, and it does not seem to have had a very happy ending. Despite this short period, the significance of their contact with respect to the history of 20th century theatre is worth considering. In 1910, before meeting Shik ō , Craig had already reviewed Marcelle Azra Hincks ’ The Japanese Dance (1910) in The Mask and shown his interest in Japanese (and Eastern) performing arts. 4 This must have been strengthened by his personal relationship with Shik ō , who not only studied theatre, but was also an actor and a dancer himself. The Japonism at the beginning of the 20th century could be regarded as the background for this meeting, because the Eastern Art expert at the British Museum, Laurence Binyon, who introduced Shik ō to Craig, obviously knew of Craig ’ s interest and expressed hope in his letter to Craig that Shik ō “ may be of use to you ” . 5 Binyon, whose friends included Craig, William Butler Yeats, Ernest Fenollosa and his wife, Ezra Pound, and Yone (Yonejir ō ) Noguchi (Isamu Noguchi ’ s father), was a key figure in Japonism in England. 6 Fig. 1: Masuku (Mask), Vol. 1 (1923), cover. The Museum of Modern Japanese Literature. Even after the end of his acquaintance with Shik ō , Craig ’ s influential magazines, The Mask and The Marionnette [sic], published articles on Japanese culture and Japanese theatre. These journals made major contributions to international and intercultural exchanges of knowledge about theatre and helped to build personal and cultural networks between modernists around the world. 7 For Shik ō , the interactions and conflicts with Craig must have played an important role in the development of his own identity as a stage performer, critic, and scholar in modern Japan. Moreover, beyond their individual experiences, the interactions and conflicts between them illustrate cross-cultural contact between the East and the West Forum Modernes Theater, 28/ 2 (2013 [2018]), 193 - 203. Gunter Narr Verlag Tübingen in the history of 20th century theatre. Craig ’ s influence on Shik ō was symbolically revealed by the fact that Shik ō , who organized a small working group for drama research from 1923 to 1924, gave the title Masuku (Mask) to its bulletin (Figure 1). Shik ō Tsubouchi was the nephew and temporary adopted son of Sh ō y ō (Y ū z ō ) Tsubouchi (1859 - 1935, hereafter Sh ō y ō ). Sh ō y ō was a leading critic, novelist, playwright, translator, and scholar who played an immense role in the modernization of Japanese society and culture. Under the influence of Richard Wagner, he wrote Shin gakugeki ron (New Theory on Music Drama) (1904) and some dance dramas to improve theatrical performances. Thus, he led Shin buy ō und ō (The New Dance Movement). 8 He also established an actor ’ s training institute, presented Hamlet, and translated Shakespeare ’ s complete works into Japanese. As the correspondence between Shik ō and Craig shows, through Shik ō’ s mediation, Sh ō y ō became a member of the International Committee for Craig ’ s theatre school, Arena Goldoni, along with theatrical celebrities including the Kabuki actor K ō shir ō Matsumoto, Ellen Terry, Sarah Bernhardt, and Konstantin Stanislavsky (See Fig. 2). 9 Shik ō himself was an actor, a dancer of Japanese dance, a director, a theatre and dance critic, a translator, and an Anglicist. He later became a professor at Waseda University. Obedient to his adoptive father, Shik ō submitted himself to a rigorous training program for traditional Japanese dance, starting in his childhood. He learned also other traditional performing arts such as kenbu (sword dance), yokyoku (noh singing), gidayu, kyogen and komai (small dance). 10 According to Shik ō , it was Sh ō y ō’ s dream to "establish a new dance drama to be proud of in the world, supported by adopted children". 11 Shik ō studied English literature at Waseda University, and in 1909, soon after graduation, he went to the USA to study theatre studies under Prof. George Pierce Baker at Harvard University. From 1911 to Fig. 2: International Committee of Arena Goldoni. Sh ō y ō’ s name is given after his real name Y[ ū z ō ]. Tsubouchi. Edward Gordon Craig, A Living Theatre, Florence, 1913. Nabu Public Domain Reprints, n. d., [75]. Courtesy of the Edward Gordon Craig Estate. 194 Yoko Yamaguchi 1915, Shik ō lived in London. After his relationship with Craig deteriorated, he took part in a theatre company led by Lawrence Irving, Henry Irving ’ s second son, most notably as an actor in the play Typhoon. After his return to Japan in June 1915, Shik ō worked as a director and dramatic advisor for the famous all-female troupe, Takarazuka Revue Company, and then for the Toho Theatre Company. He married a star from the Takarazuka Revue, Namiko Kumoi (Misao Takai, 1901 - 2003), and their daughter Mikiko Tsubouchi (1940-) also became an actress. As a professor at Waseda University and other universities, he published numerous works, including books about Shakespeare and about his uncle and temporary adoptive father, Sh ō y ō Tsubouchi. He served on the judging committee for the dance competition held by T ō ky ō Shinbun (Tokyo Newspaper) and endeavoured to cultivate dancers in Japanese dance. 12 Craig's account of Shik ō is not known. Shik ō published recollections from their acquaintance, but they sometimes show contradictions and ambiguities. The most important source of information on the relationship is his essay “ Shitashiku atta kaigai geijyutsuka no insy ō : Hakuun no Kuregu shi ” ( “ The Impression of the Foreign Artists with Whom I Was Familiar (4): Mr. Craig, like White Clouds in the Sky ” ) (1916) 13 , in which he vividly describes his conversations with Craig. Besides this essay, his book Seiy ō shibai miyage ( “ Souvenir Stories about Theatre in Western Countries ” ) (1916) is worth mentioning. This work includes essays on Craig and on Shik ō’ s activities at Lawrence Irving ’ s company. 14 The “ Correspondance de Shiko Tsubouchi à Edward Gordon Craig ” at the National Library of France The letters between Shik ō and Craig are all in one envelope. Besides their correspondence, there are three other documents in the envelope that are somewhat related to Japan. However, these other documents are not part of this paper because their contexts are not clear. 15 The symbols Tsu1, etc., which are attached to each letter, are used for convenience in this paper; there are no such markings in the original materials. Tsu3, Tsu6, and Tsu10 are picture postcards. For Tsu3, a Japanese postcard is used (Figure 3, front and back). Shik ō’ s other letters are folded cards without envelopes. An unsigned typewritten letter marked Cr1 is considered - based on the date and its contents - to be a copy of a letter sent by Craig (Fig. 4). Though there are quite a few small grammatical mistakes in the original texts, they are neither corrected nor annotated here. 16 Additionally, each word correction or insertion is not annotated, and the orthographical inconsistencies are not unified. [Tsu1] 1 Alfred Place, South Kensington, London, S. W. Oct 10 th. 1911. Dear Sir, Enclosing the letter of Mr. Binyon, 17 I humbly beg you that you would kindly let me know when and at where I may able to have the pleasure to see you. Believe me Yours very truly Shiko Tsubouchi 195 Shiko ˉ Tsubouchi ’ s Unpublished Letters to Edward Gordon Craig [Tsu2] 1 Alfred Place, South Kensington, S. W. Dear Sir; I have recieved your kind letter with great pleasure. I am delighted to call on yours at 7 Smith Sq., on Saturday at 11 o ’ clock. 18 Very sincerely yours Shiko Tsubouchi Oct 13 th 1911. [Tsu3] Please send my best wishes to Mrs. Craig 1 Alfred Place, E. G. Craig Esq. S. W. 7 Smith Sq. Oct 17 th [1911] London, S. W. Dear Sir; I wrote to Japan about the translation of your “ The Art of Theatre ” , and expect to have it in a few weeks. I send you a Japanese illustrated magazine which, I hope, will interest you. Very truly yours S. Tsubouchi [Cr1] October 28th., 1911. Dear Mr Tsubouchi, In connection with my School, I very much wish to have the name of the Representative Artist of the Theatre for Japan So far as Foreign Countries go, France is already represented on my School by Madame Sarah Bernhardt - and her name will stand for the West. Would you please advise me who I should invite from the East? 19 Perhaps you have a few minutes to spare on Monday morning before, say, 12 o ’ clock, to kindly call and see me; or, if this day is inconvenient, on Wednesday at about the same hour. I should consider it a great pleasure to see you, and hope to hear from you (by Telephone if you wish) that you can come. Yours sincerely, S. Tsubouchi, Esq. 1 Alfred Place, S. Kensington. Fig. 3: A Japanese postcard from Shik ō to Craig, Tsu3 (front and back). Bibliothèque nationale de France, EGC Correspondance de Shik ō Tsubouchi à Edward Gordon Craig. Courtesy of Mrs. Mikiko Sakurai (Tsubouchi) and the Edward Gordon Craig Estate. 196 Yoko Yamaguchi [Tsu4] 1, Alfred Place South Kensington, S. W. My Dear Mr. Craig; I thank you ever so much for your kindness to send me the copy of Mr. Strange ’ s lecture on the Japanese printing. 20 I have expected to call on you as soon as I have some answer from Japan, but I am so sorry I haven ’ t got any yet. 21 Though I began to write a note about Japanese play which “ The Mask ” asked me so kindly, 22 I can not finish it for I want some illustration. Anyway, I hope to see you soon before you go to Russia. “ Hamlet ” at Moscow under your designs! 23 How sweet and triumphantly it sounds! Sincerely yours Shiko Tsubouchi Dec. 4. 1911. Fig. 4: Typescript of the letter from Craig to Shik ō , Cr1, unsigned. Bibliothèque nationale de France, EGC Correspondance de Shik ō Tsubouchi à Edward Gordon Craig. Courtesy of the Edward Gordon Craig Estate. 197 Shiko ˉ Tsubouchi ’ s Unpublished Letters to Edward Gordon Craig [Tsu5] 1, Alfred Place, South Kensington S. W. My Dear Sir; It was very kind of you to write me while you were so busy. I wrote to Mr. Harry Ife, and I think he will add my father ’ s name in your list. 24 As for the picture of ‘ King Lear ’ , I am going to see Mr. Binyon in the Museum. I know it is very impudent to ask you, but please, please send me some pictures Your ‘ Hamlet ’ in Moscow. I am very glad to pay for them. Sincerely yours Shiko Tsubouchi Dec. 15. 1911 [Tsu6] 25 c/ o Mrs. James Mrs. and Mr. G. Craig, 7, Shottery R ’ d. 120 Long Acre. Stratford upon Avon, London, W. C. Dec. 31. 1911 Dear Mrs. and Mr. Craig; I wish you a Happy New Year. Coming here few days ago, I am enjoying my self very much. Though this is not the season to come here, it is much better for me as it is very quiet. Yours truly S. Tsubouchi [Tsu7] 1, Alfred Place South Kensington, S. W. Dear Mr. Craig; I have heard from Mr. Ife that you have returned home to stay for a few days. Though I wish to see you, am afraid it will trouble you when you are busy. So, I send you in the separate package the booklet in which an article by a friend of mine on your “ Art of the Theatre ” (the first one) is printed. Beside that, I put in there a Japanese poster of some play, one little fan and a towel. There is a strange custom in Japan that all actors (of old school) change their stage names after some celebrated traditional or hereditary stage names when they became more skillful. To get the more celebrated name of some ancient actor is the greater honour to a new actor. A fan or a towel is sent to his patrons with thanks telling that he had changed his stage name and taking the advantage to advertise his new name to some others. I wish to see you when you returned home next time, and you would kindly introduce me to your mother, Miss Ellen Terry. 26 Believe me Very sincerely yours Shiko Tsubouchi Feb. 10. 12 [Tsu8] 1, Alfred Place, South Kensington S. W. Dear Mr. Craig; Thanks for your card. I will, of course, be very much pleased if you will give me a letter of your mother. But, it is more delightful for me, excuse this plain speaking, if you would kindly introduce me personally when you return here again, because I should like very much to do some short dances in presence of both of you whom I respect most in England. Though I do not think I can dance well, it is a great honour and pleasure to me if only I can show you something like Japanese dances. 27 It is quite easy, I believe, to publish your book in Japan. Just let someone translate it and add some your preface in English, then 198 Yoko Yamaguchi they will certainly be glad to publish it. I will write and ask about it to Japan with greatest pleasure whenever you want it. Believe me Yours very truly Shiko Tsubouchi Feb. 13. 12. [Tsu9] 30, Kingscote R ’ d, Bedford Park, W. Dear Mr. Craig; I am delighted having recieved your kind and encouraging letter just now. Of course I - no, I dare say, we - must strive against the modern degenerated arts, but I am only sorry that I haven ’ t any talent at all. How I wish I could speak or write English freely and understand all other languages! Too much to learn, too much to express! There are many or rather too many and quick made books about Japanese pictures, but why not books about Japanese stage? I have been very keen to write some, but it is one of the hardest works for me, specially to get the illustrations. Anyway, I will try soon. I will try anything for the art ’ s sake. By the way, I removed to the above, and expect to try a short trip in England, and to go to Paris at the end of May to stay there about half a year. But I hope to see you here once more, because I can not leave England without seeing Miss Ellen Terry. Believe me Yours very sincerely Shiko Tsubouchi Apr. 20. 12. [Tsu10] 28 184, Woodstock R ’ d. Gordon Craig, Esq. Oxford, 226. Rue de Revoli May 2. 1912. Paris Dear Mr. Craig; I recieved your card at this city and very sorry I can not see you at once. Will you tell me how long are you staying in London? Yours very truly Shiko Tsubouchi [Tsu11] 30, Kingscote R ’ d. Bedford Park, W. May. 23, 1912. My Dear Mr. Craig; Thank you for your kind letter. When I came back to London from my short trip around Warwickshire, I went to Chelsea hoping I see you there, but of course I was too late. I am greatly disappointed to hear from you that I may not be able to see your mother soon. Though I told you before I am going Paris this month I have something to do left here, beside I want to see the players from Ireland who are coming, if I am not mistaken, early next month. 29 So probably I will stay here till you will come back to London again. I have noticed that you publish the French edition of the Mask. 30 I am very glad your ideas are coming forward gradually, though the establishment of the school seems to be a little hard. I am surprised recieving a magazine from Japan which few of my classmates are publishing in Tokio, because it contains a translation of some parts of your new ‘ Art of the Theatre ’ . What would you think about it? What would you say about it? I will certainly tell him what you want to say to him. Of course if you will kindly allow him to do it, he will be deeply thankful for you. I send the booklet to you. 31 Very sincerely yours Shiko Tsubouchi 199 Shiko ˉ Tsubouchi ’ s Unpublished Letters to Edward Gordon Craig [Tsu12] 30, Kingscote R ’ d. Bedford Park, W. June. 7, 1912. Dear Mrs. Craig; How delightful it was to see you all in London again and in such a good health! I will certainly see you at 3 on Saturday at Chelsea. Only sorry I cannot see Miss E Terry. I thank you and Mr. Craig heartily for your kind estimation of me. Mr. L. Irving told me his tour will begin from July 22 th and ends on December 14 th . He would pay me 2 pounds per week beside the expenses of travelling. He would ask me to play any such parts as he requires me to and in particular to help him in the production of “ Typhoon ” . And he said too that I can leave him at a fortnight ’ s notice, but he hopes I would stay with him till the end of the tour. 32 Above is the offer he made, and I replied him simply “ I will join your company. ” I told him nothing about Mr. Craig because I thought I can join to Irving ’ s on 22 th July and can leave him anytime I want. But would ask to Mr. Craig to explain me these things once more? 1. Though I know it ’ s better to stay and study under Mr. Craig as long as possible, yet I wish to know how long I shall stay in Paris in the minimum? 2. What kind of things I can do for him as I am quite afraid I have no particular talent at all? 3. Is it expensive to live and work in Paris? I ask you these because my father, who has started his new work, can send me the money only until August, so that I must prefer to go back to Japan to live in helping him, or to stay abroad getting some support to live on. It is very impolite to write you these private matter, but I think it is better to tell you every thing. Please tell me what he would say after you see me dancing at Chelsea. With kindest regards to you all, I am Yours very sincerely Shiko Tsubouchi Acknowledgements: I would like to express my gratitude to Mr. Tony Taylor at the Edward Gordon Craig Estate, to Mrs. Mikiko Sakurai (Tsubouchi), and to the Museum of Modern Japanese Literature for permission to publish the figures, and to the Society of Authors for citing from Binyon ’ s letters. I am also very grateful to Mr. Patrick Le Boeuf in the Bibliothèque nationale de France for his kind and detailed comments on the materials and to Mrs. Annick Tillier for her support. I would also like to thank my college professors, Prof. Dylan McGee, Prof. Mark Weeks, and Prof. Mitsuharu Matsuoka for their helpful suggestions, as well as the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science for supporting the research by KAKENHI (23520164, 26370164). This paper is a conflation and revision of my two earlier studies, Yoko Yamaguchi, “ Tsubouchi Shik ō to Edow ā do G ō don Kureigu: Mik ō kai shokan ni miru t ō zai engeki no bunka sessyoku (Shiko Tsubouchi and Edward Gordon Craig: Intercultural Contact between East and West reflected in Shiko ’ s Unpublished Letters) ” , in Engekigaku ronsh ū (Theatre Studies: Journal of the Japanese Society for Theatre Research) 62 (2016), pp. 81 - 91 and Yoko Yamaguchi, “ Tsubouchi Shik ō no Edow ā do G ō don Kureigu ate mik ō kai syokan: Honyaku to genbun (Shiko Tsubouchi ’ s Unpublished Letters to Edward Gordon Craig: Translations and 200 Yoko Yamaguchi Originals) ” in: Gengo bunka ronsy ū (Studies in Language and Culture), 38(2), Nagoya University 2017, pp. 133 - 155. Anmerkungen 1 The first name of Shik ō Tsubouchi is not a pen name as in the case of Sh ō y ō Tsubouchi (I will mention him later), who is often called only by the pen name "Sh ō y ō ", but in order to distinguish the two, I will hereafter use the names "Shik ō " and "Sh ō y ō ." 2 Bibliothèque nationale de France, EGC Correspondance de Shiko Tsubouchi à Edward Gordon Craig. L. M. Newman has already mentioned the meeting and the correspondence between Shik ō and Craig. L. M. Newman, Gordon Craig Archives, London 1976, p.24, note 13. 3 Sheko [sic] Tsubouchi, “ The Drama in Japan, ” in The Mask 4(4) (1912), pp. 309 - 320. The reason for the misspelling of his first name is possibly that in Shik ō’ s signature “ i ” is often written like an “ e. ” 4 “ The Japanese Dance by Marcelle Azra Hinckes [sic] ” in The Mask, 3(4 - 6) (1910), pp. 90 - 91. 5 Binyon ’ s letter to Craig, October 14, 1911. Bibliothèque nationale de France, EGC Correspondance de Laurence Binyon à Edward Gordon Craig. See also letter Tsu1 and its note. 6 On Binyon ’ s friendship, see John Hatcher, Laurence Binyon, Oxford 1995. It has already been pointed out that Yeats may have read Shik ō’ s article “ The Drama in Japan ” before Ezra Pound acquired Fenollosa ’ s notes. Louise Blakeney Williams, Modernism and the Ideology of History, Cambridge 2002, p. 239. 7 On the role of these magazines in modernism in an international context, see Olga Taxidou, The Mask: A Periodical Performance by Edward Gordon Craig, London and New York 2013. 8 Sh ō y ō had never been abroad, but he was clearly aware of modern dance in the West and of the contemporaneity of his activities. See, for example, Sh ō y ō Tsubouchi, "Nihon buy ō no sh ō rai (The Future of Japanese Dance) (1908), in Sh ō y ō Tsubouchi, Sh ō y ō sensyu (Selected Works), ed. Sh ō y ō ky ō kai (Sh ō y ō Society), Tokyo 1977, Vol. 3, pp. 671 - 678. 9 L. M. Newman has already pointed out the name Y. Tsubouchi in the list of the committee members. L. M. Newman (ed.) The Correspondence of Edward Gordon Craig and Count Harry Kessler, Leeds 1995, p. 107, note 20. 10 Shik ō Tsubouchi, Koshikata ky ū j ū nen (My Ninety Years ’ Life), Tokyo 1977, pp. 28 - 37. 11 Shik ō Tsubouchi, Tsubouchi Sh ō y ō kenky ū (Studies on Sh ō y ō Tsubouchi), Tokyo 1984, p. 69. 12 On Shik ō’ s career as a dancer and a dance critic, see: Asako Hashimoto, "Tsubouchi Shik ō to nihon buy ō ni kansuru k ō satsu (A Study of Tsubouchi Shik ō and Nihon Buy ō )," Gakush ū in daigaku jinbunkagaku ronsh ū (Gakushuin University Studies in Humanities), 22 (2013), pp. 219 - 249. 13 Shiko Tsubouchi, “ Shitashiku atta kaigai geijyutsuka no insy ō : Hakuun no Kuregu shi ( “ The Impression of the Foreign Artists, With Whom I Was Familiar (4): Mr. Craig, like White Clouds in the Sky ” , Hereafter “ Hakuun no Kureigu shi ” , in Shinch ō 25(3) (1916), pp. 26 - 33. 14 Shik ō Tsubouchi, Seiy ō shibai miyage (Souvenir Stories about Theatre in Western Countries), Tokyo 1916. On Shik ō’ s activity as a member of the Irving ’ s company see also: Masafumi Nishimura “ Tsubouchi Shik ō (1911 - 1915) - Rondon no nihonjin yakusha (Shik ō Tsubouchi (1911 - 1915) - A Japanese actor in London) ” , Hirofumi Wada, Masahiro Manabe, Masahiro Nishimura, Junko Miyauchi, Keiko Wada, Gengo toshi Rondon 1861 - 1945 (London, City in Language, 1861 - 1945), Tokyo 2009, pp. 365 - 376. 15 One of these other documents is not a letter; it is a large piece of paper folded in half with the handwritten title [? ] “ JAPAN ” . The annotations on the right half of the back of the paper seem to be related to Craig ’ s theatre school. Another one is a note dated October 21, 1911, from “ Frederick Whelen ” to “ Mr. 201 Shiko ˉ Tsubouchi ’ s Unpublished Letters to Edward Gordon Craig Ife, ” the last is a letter dated "Saturday 21 October" from “ H White ” to “ Whelen. ” 16 For example, Shik ō always spells "receive" as “ recieve. ” 17 Binyon ’ s letter, probably enclosed in the envelope, was also left at the National Library of France. In this letter, Binyon writes: “ Will you let me introduce to you a young Japanese gentleman whom I think you will be interested to meet, Mr Tsubouchi? / Mr Tsubouchi is a student of dancing & of the theatre. He has read some of your articles; & he is himself trained in pantomimic dancing. His father translated Hamlet & produced it in Japan. / I feel sure you will like to make his acquaintance: [. . .]. ” Binyon ’ s letter to Craig, October 9, 1911. Bibliothèque nationale de France, EGC Correspondance de Laurence Binyon à Edward Gordon Craig. 18 Because October 13, 1911 is Friday, their meeting must have been “ on Saturday ” , October 14. Another piece of evidence of this meeting is an annotation in a copy of Craig ’ s The Art of the Theatre preserved in the Tsubouchi Memorial Theater Museum in Tokyo. This annotation was most likely written by Shik ō : “ Met with the author/ Oct 14th 1911./ at 7 Smith Sq./ S. W./ at 11. o ’ clock. ” Edward Gordon Craig, The Art of the Theatre, Edinburgh 1905, p. 55 (Waseda University Tsubouchi Memorial Theater Museum, C2 4550. This finding has already been published by Yamaguchi: “ Tsubouchi Shik ō no Edow ā do G ō don Kureigu ate mik ō kai syokan, ” p. 136, Fig. 2. 19 According to Shik ō , Craig asked him for names of a literary person and an actor for the founding prospectus of the school, and he recommended his adoptive father Sh ō y ō and the famous Kabuki actor, K ō shir ō Matsumoto. (Shik ō , “ Hakuun no Kureigu shi, ” p. 30). As Fig. 2 shows, both were members of the committee. 20 “ Mr. Strange ’ s lecture on the Japanese printing ” seems to be the Japanese Art expert Edward F. Strange ’ s lecture “ Toyokuni I and His Theatrical Colour Prints, Read before the Japan Society of London ” on 11 December 1907. I was able to confirm that this lecture was bound and stored in the Edward Gordon Craig Collection. Edward F. Strange, “ Toyokuni I and His Theatrical Colour Prints, ” London n. d., Bibliothèque nationale de France, 4-EGC-965. 21 This seems to indicate Sh ō y ō’ s answer to Craig ’ s request for his participation in the International Committee of Arena Goldoni. 22 This most likely means Shik ō’ s article “ The Drama in Japan ” in The Mask. Craig highly appreciated Oriental arts and theatre because of their tradition and conservatism. However, in his article, Shik ō criticized Western admiration of Japanese traditional arts, because they were already “ the ghost ” or “ the empty shadow ” of the past. Though he introduces bugaku, noh, and kabuki to Western readers, he argues that Japanese traditional arts should blend with modern Western arts so that “ a new national art ” suitable for “ the modernized Japan ” will be created. Sheko Tsubouchi, “ The Drama in Japan, ” p. 309. Craig seems to have been displeased with this argument. A small article entitled “ Japanese Artists in the West ” in the editorial note of The Mask in July 1913 made sarcastic remarks about Shik ō’ s essay, quoting phrases from it. The article criticizes the Japanese artists ’ nationalistic tendency and their belief in modernization and advises “ dear little Japanese man ” to “ venerate and keep alive that Past. ” ( “ Japanese Artists in the West, ” The Mask 6(1) (1913), p. 89 - 91). The fact that Shik ō mentioned “ badmouthing ” in The Mask implies their worsening relationship. Shik ō Tsubouchi, Seiyo shibai miyage, p. 455. 23 Shik ō does not seem to have seen the production himself. However, in 1918, after returning to Japan, Shik ō translated Hamlet into Japanese, staged it, and played the lead role himself. Shik ō also published a book on Hamlet, which includes, besides his translation and other author ’ s writings, the first appearance of the well-known account of the Hamlet in Moscow by Kaoru Osanai. Shik ō Tsubouchi, Hamuretto oyobi Hamuretto no kenky ū (Hamlet and Studies on Hamlet), Tokyo 1918. 24 Shik ō’ s “ father, ” Sh ō y ō , most likely gave his consent to Shik ō Sh ō y ō’ s name appearing in 202 Yoko Yamaguchi the International Committee of Arena Goldoni list. 25 Picture postcard. The caption beneath the photo on the front: “ Avenue, Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-on-Avon. ” 26 Shik ō asked Craig for an introduction to Craig ’ s mother, the actress Ellen Terry, many times in the correspondence (Tsu7, Tsu8, Tsu9), and was disappointed to find out that it was not possible to make her acquaintance (Tsu11, Tsu12). 27 Shik ō’ s recollections contain several contradictory statements about what kind of dance he danced and who saw it. From the contents of the letter Tsu12, it seems like he danced for Craig and his wife, without his mother, Ellen Terry. 28 Picture postcard. The caption beneath the photo on the front: “ Oxford Trinity College, Lime Tree Walk. ” 29 Craig wrote a letter to Shik ō on May 24, 1912, a day after Shik ō’ s letter, in which he mentioned the Irish theatre: “ The Irish players are very good in Ireland I believe - their Poet Yeats I admire very much. Their stage & art (as a theatre) so far as I can tell (I saw them some years ago) repeats with old methods. - / This houses[? ] about the best company Britain has to show. ” This handwritten letter was photocopied and published in the Japanese theatre journal: Edward Gordon Craig, “ Goruzun Kureigu shi tegami (Mr. Gordon Craig ’ s Letter), ” in Shibai (Theatre) 1(7) (1912), cover, inside cover, p. 23. 30 According to Edward Craig, Edward Gordon Craig ’ s son, his father had some stationery printed for the French edition of The Mask, although it was never published (Edward Craig, Gordon Craig: The Story of his Life, New York 1985, p. 262). Shik ō may have seen the stationery and misunderstood that the plan had been going forward smoothly. 31 In the above-mentioned letter, Craig expressed his displeasure over the unauthorized translation: “ I wonder how my book translated & why? & why only a portion? That is not very sweet - very noble - what? -/ A whole book should be translated Alltogether or left unfingered. Don ’ t you feel like that about it? ” This is most likely about Yuzuru K ō no ’ s translation from Craig ’ s On the Art of the Theater (1911): Edow ā do Goruzun Kuregu (Edward Gordon Craig), “ Mirai no gekijy ō geijyutuka no tame ni (For the Artist of the Theatre of the Future) ” translated by Yuzuru K ō no, in Shibai (Theatre) 1(4,5), (1912), pp. 4 - 28. 32 Shik ō played in the stage production Typhoon at Lawrence Irving ’ s theatre company. In his memoir, Shik ō wrote that Craig invited him to work at the Arena Goldoni theatre school, but, after hesitation, he decided to join Irving ’ s theatre company. According to him, the reasons were not only his financial problems, which he explains in the letter Tsu12, but also Craig ’ s reputation for never keeping his promises. Shik ō Tsubouchi, Seiy ō shibai miyage, pp. 452 - 456. 203 Shiko ˉ Tsubouchi ’ s Unpublished Letters to Edward Gordon Craig