Tsutsui Tokujirō

Tsutsui Tokujirō (1881-1953) was a Japanese performer born in Osaka, Japan.

Career
Tokujirō began his performance career at 19, performing in a shinpa troupe led by Fukui Mohei :23 In 1920 he joined a group of actors who were not satisfied with the work of Sawada Shōjirō, the artistic director of Shinkokugeki (New National Theatre). :23 Together they formed a new troupe, which toured the Kansai region, though they also had several shows in Asakusa. :23 As part of the troupe he 'established a solid reputation in kengek swordplay dramas. :21

Western tour (1930-31)
The Tsutsui Troupe was one of the first groups to bring traditional Japanese performance to the United States and Europe. His troupe performed in twenty-two countries, :3 with attendees including seminal directors such as Bertolt Brecht, :255 Jacques Copeau, Charles Dullin, and Vsevolod Meyerhold. :154, n.192

They had a repertoire of sixteen plays that were based on Kabuki plays 'in a mélange of styles with an emphasis on swordplay to appeal to audiences.' :154, n.192 Four of the plays were presented only for Japanese residents in California, and were absent from the rest of the tour. :35 Tsutsui emphasised that he 'wanted to put the Western audience in the presence of the true Japanese theatre, such as the Japanese conceive it'. :135 Contemporary critics, however, questioned this authenticity, noting the number of changes Tsutsui made to traditional Japanese theatre. :136 These included the shortened length of the plays (which had to be under two hours), :33 the use of painted scenery and 'enormous stage settings' in a Western style, 'the troupe's replacement of onnagata ', roles traditionally played by male transvestites, with actresses. :136