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Tanaka Chikao (1905-1995) was a Japanese playwright and dramatist whose screenplays focused on the mental, physical, and religious hardships of post WWII Japan.

Tanaka's writing differed greatly from that of other Japanese playwrights at the time because he wrote of essential human conflicts through the eyes of a Christian, which was atypical of the majority of his countrymen. His word structure and dramatized style creates an intense and lyrical force which has been satisfying for many theater enthusiasts; both to his own audience and to foreign audiences as well. ^[1] Tanaka is perhaps the first modern Japanese playwright about whom this can be said. He is notable for his play Head of Mary (1959) and his expanded dramatic structures that convey metaphysical, spiritual, and existentialist themes in the form of masterful rhythmic dialogue.

Life and Work

Life and Influences

Tanaka was born in 1905 in the rather culturally diverse city of Nagasaki, Japan where his father practiced medicine. His father was a scholar and could fluently speak Chinese [kambun]. He would constantly make a young Tanaka read Chinese literature as a primary school student. This became the first major influence in the way Tanaka composed his later plays, because as he described it, "Reading in that fashion produces in you a sense of rhythm: consciousness and resilience. That sense of rhythm has remained behind in me, and I feel it has had some effect on the way I compose my own plays". ^[2] At the time, Nagasaki was considered a city that had one of the longest cosmopolitan traditions in Japan. ^[3] During the time, hundreds of families in Nagasaki were able to freely conduct public rituals of Christianity. The presence of these people in Nagasaki gave a peculiar flavor, in speech and in attitude, to the psychology of the region.

These Western influences and ideologies interested Tanaka and other intellectually minded students of the time. In fact, he became so interested in Western ideas that in 1923 he became a student at Tokyo University and intently studied French literature. As a student, he joined many small troupes in attempts to try his hand in acting. Finally, in 1927 after not much success, he joined Shingeki Kenkyusho (‘New Theater Research institute’) in hopes of better understanding Westernized theater. The theater was lead by Kishida Kunio who is regarded as one of the most prominent Japanese dramatist and writers of the early 20th century. Kishida was fluent in French and had an excellent grasp on European dramaturgy at the time. ^[4] Impressed and influenced by his instructor, Tanaka began reading French literary works, most of which were full of fanciful and poetic dialogue. After the demise of the Shingeki Kenkyusho Institute in 1929, Tanaka composed a short play titled Ofukuro ('ma' or 'mom') which became a great success and seemingly overnight, Tanaka was thrown into the spotlight as a promising dramatist. However, this promise was short-lived as he struggled to produce any meaningful works after the success of Ofukuro. It wasn't until after 1945, when the war was quieting down, did Tanaka produce the outpour of work that he is most notable for today.

Head of Mary

First performed in 1959, Head of Mary: A Nagasaki Fantasia (Maria no Kubi: Nagasaki Gensokyoku) written by Tanaka Chikao, is a Roman Catholic drama about survivors of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.^[5] The play is a rhythmic allegory of the effort by Christians in Nagasaki to reconstitute their faith after the destruction of the Urakami Cathedral on August 9, 1945. It is also a comprehensive metaphor for the difficulties of rebuilding faith after the terrors of the early 20th century. The play tells the story of a group of survivors that plot to steal the statue of Mary so that they may rightfully restore their faith. The group is led by Shika, a woman who works as a nurse by day and a prostitute by night. However, Shika faces opposition as some believe that time would be better spent through political activism in an effort to ban atomic bombs. Shika does not sway, she firmly stands her ground and voices that absolute justice is what she craves, and only god can provide that. ^[6] In the last scene of the play, Shika and her co-conspirators struggle to move the head of Mary, the last remaining piece of the icon. They fail, but the head suddenly speaks to them: “Ill let you suckle at my breast. Ill let you drink to your hearts’ content. My milk is so sweet, oh so sweet! First drink, then ill listen to your prayers. So come, come!” It is the nurturing voice of softness, but the head does not budge. In the end, Shika and her group are unsuccessful in moving the head, but, efforts to reconstruct their faith, although incomplete, are rewarded.

Other Works

References