PUBLIC ORDER, MORALITY, HYGIENE: REGULATING THEATRICAL PERFORMANCES IN EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY JAPAN.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the regulation of theatre performances in Japan in the early twentieth century and, more specifically, from 1900 to 1945. A survey of the body of legislation enacted in this period indicates that major trends in the regulations concerning performative activities reflect considerable continuity with the late nineteenth century. The rules introduced from 1900 onwards allowed for tight control of theatres and actors, with the intention of stigmatising immorality and neutralising threats to public order. In this respect, they are not dissimilar to the regulations of performances passed from the Tokugawa period up to 1900. Furthermore, just like the Meiji State, the early Shōwa State used theatre as a powerful means to pursue the national interests. Whereas in the Meiji period national theatre was purposely acknowledged as a dignified branch of art showing Japan’s cultural credentials as a first-tier nation, in the first half of the twenty century, and especially in the «dark valley» period (1931-1945), theatre was seen as a precious ally in the national mobilisation campaign.