KEISEI HANGONKÔ
(THE COURTESAN OF THE HANGON INCENSE)
Yamanote Jijôsha is one of the representative young experimental theatrical companies in Japan. Initially active as a student theatre in Waseda University(the birthplace of Tadashi Suzuki's SCOT and many other major theatrical companies in Japan), it was officially founded in 1984 by Masahiro Yasuda, Narushi Ikeda, and others. Since its foundation, the company has sought to create an acting style that expresses the way of living of contemporary Japanese through group creation. One of its early experiments was called "hyper-collage", simultaneous enacting of different stories on the stage. Now it is well known for its unique performance style(known as "yojôhan") and highly evaluated original reinterpretations of the classic texts of Japan as well as the West. Its recent productions include:Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus(1999), Chikamatsu's Hangonko(1999), Maeterlinck's L'oiseau bleu(2000), Botandoro(2001), a famous ghost story popularized by the late 19th century rakugo storyteller Sanyutei Encho, Sophocles's Oedipus(2002), Sayogoromo Oshidori no Tsurugiha(The Deadly Dagger in the Lovebirds' Nest,2003), the revival of Namiki Sosuke's play almost for the first time in 250 years since its premiere, Funabenkei(Benkei in the Boat,2003), a retelling of a famous noh play, Dôjyôji(2004), based on three different sources in the same name, and A Midsummer Night's Dream(2004).
In December 1993 Yamanote Jijôsha was incorporated as Uptown production,Co.,Ltd. (the company director: Masahiro Yasuda). In April 2004, it acquired a rehearsal studio in Setagaya,Tokyo.
Yamanote Jijôsha has also developed "Yamanote method" for training actors. It has been taught at workshops held all over Japan and attracted more and more attention from theatrical and educational institutions.