SEGAWA JOKŌ II 牟芸古雅志, using the pen name Kyōgendō 狂言堂.

Mugikogashi 瀬川如皐二世 [History & Lore of the Theater World].

Many woodcut illus. in Vol. II. 44.5; 24.5 folding leaves (pagination erratic). 8vo, orig. patterned semi-stiff wrappers, title-slips, new stitching. Edo: Matsumoto Heisuke 松本平助, 1827.

First edition of a rare book; no copy in World Cat. Segawa Jokō II (1757-1833) came from a multi-generational family of playwrights. He worked on more than 120 original dramas and more than 25 dance-dramas in both Edo and Osaka. He was expert in creating hengemono (pieces with a single actor playing different roles). and some of his dances are still in the kabuki repertoire.

This is Segawa Jokō II’s memoir of his life, immersed in the worlds of kabuki and puppet theater, based on his own personal experiences and stories told to him by older actors and writers. He provides an insider’s history of the origins of kabuki, behind-the-scene anecdotes of the theater arts in Edo and the Kansai region, and accounts of performance history, with historical analysis. Segawa Jokō II carefully describes the changes that took place over time and gives accounts of early actors and chanters, staging methods, and evolving theater settings. There are excellent descriptions of the styles of successive generations of actors and the secret techniques and customs passed down from one generation to the next.

The fascinating woodcuts in Vol. II include two double-page maps of the theater districts of Nihonbashi (showing the Nakamuraza and Ichimuraza venues) in 1632 and Yoshiwara in 1657. Four other illustrations show the Sakai cho and Fukiya cho areas with names of theaters and businesses. Two pages depict kanban (wooden advertising boards) with names of actors, placed outside the theater. A fascinating section illustrates the evolution of playbill styles.

In order to resemble a manuscript, our book was printed without woodcut borders. As a result, there are no “pillars,” and the leaf numbers are printed in the lower inner corner of the (Western) recto of each folding leaf.

Fine copy, preserved in a chitsu.

❧ Website: Kabuki21.com.