ЗУСТРІЧ ЯПОНСЬКОЇ ТА УКРАЇНСЬКОЇ КУЛЬТУРИ. УКРАЇНСЬКА ТЕАТРАЛЬНА ТРУПА В ЯПОНІЇ У 1916 РОЦІ

Y. Okabe

doi:10.15407/skhodoznavstvo2021.87.031

THE MEETING OF JAPANESE AND UKRAINIAN CULTURE. A UKRAINIAN THEATRICAL GROUP IN JAPAN IN 1916

PDF (Українська)

https://doi.org/10.15407/skhodoznavstvo2021.87.031

Y. Okabe

Kobe Gakuin University

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6438-6908

Abstract

There is minimal research on the background of Ukraine and Japan’s relations. In this study, we examined in detail and analysed the arrival of the Ukrainian theatre group led by Karmelyuk-Kamensky Konstantin Leontievich in Japan in 1916. After staging plays with the popular actress, Matsui Sumako, Kamensky’s troupe was invited to tour Japan the following year. Thus, from the end of May to that of July 1916, the theatre troupe travelled and performed throughout Japan. The tour was extremely successful, as indicated by the packed auditoriums. In addition to staging plays throughout Japan, Kamensky’s troupe introduced the Japanese audience to Ukrainian folk songs and dances, as well as to the folk costumes. Based on the descriptions of Ukrainian wreaths in Japanese newspapers of the time, it is clear that the Japanese, on seeing the Ukrainian folk costumes for the first time, were extremely impressed by Ukrainian culture. The troupe’s repertoire included many Ukrainian folk songs and dances, and the dramas and plays were likely staged in Ukrainian. Although the language barrier impeded a complete understanding of the plays, a well-chosen repertoire compensated for this limitation, as evidenced by the positive reviews of the troupe’s performances in the Japanese press. Therefore, we conclude that the first acquaintance of the two cultures was successful. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the first short-term visit of Smirnova’s ballet troupe to Japan, the Russian Embassy in Tokyo held a series of ceremonial events. These events included the mention of the successful tour of the Ukrainian troupe ‘Kamensky’, which did not last three days – as was the case of Smirnova’s tour – but for two consecutive months. This fact, however, is not well known. Thus, this state of affairs has gradually led to the loss of a significant cultural layer of common memory in Ukrainian-Japanese relations. As such, my work attempts to rehabilitate the forgotten cultural heritage achieved by the joint efforts and cooperation of Ukrainians and Japanese. Given that there is still a tendency to reduce the achievements of Ukrainian cultural figures to the common denominator of the achievements of ‘Russians’ or ‘white Russians’, we will continue to work in the field of “cultural archaeology” to “excavate” forgotten and lost Ukrainian names from the history of Japanese-Ukrainian relations.

How to Cite

Okabe, Y. (2021). THE MEETING OF JAPANESE AND UKRAINIAN CULTURE. A UKRAINIAN THEATRICAL GROUP IN JAPAN IN 1916. The Oriental Studies, (87), 31-50. https://doi.org/10.15407/skhodoznavstvo2021.87.031

Article views: 81 | PDF Downloads: 49

Keywords

Japan-Ukraine Relationship, Kamensky’s troupe, Matsui Sumako, Ukrainian culture, 1916

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