Shakespeare in Japan

Since the late Meiji period, Shakespeare has held a central place in Japanese literary culture. This book examines what happened when Shakespeare's works met another tradition which was no less long and sophisticated but almost totally different, both culturally and linguistically. The authors explore and reassess the conditions of Shakespeare's reception and assimilation in Japan. The first part considers the cultural and linguistic problems of translation, focusing on the work of Shoyo Tsubouchi, Tsuneari considers the cultural and linguistic problems of translation, focusing on the work of Shoyo Tsubouchi, Tsuneari Fukuda, and Junji Kinoshita. The second half provides an extensive survey of the most significant Shakespearean productions, adaptations, and interpretations in theatre, film, and literature. Throughout, they provide fascinating examples of how Japanese writers responded to and tried to reinterpret a playwright who belongs to a different culture.