User:Asimko/Kabuki shinpō

Kabuki shinpō (歌舞伎新報; meaning Kabuki news in English) was a Japanese magazine which provided news from kabuki, traditional theatre of Japan, during the Meiji period. The magazine was in circulation between 1879 and 1897.

History and Cultural Importance
Historically, kabuki was an all-day activity for viewers. Because of its long run-time and high costs to attend the show, kabuki was often only enjoyed by upper class citizens in Tokyo. Luckily for farmers, however, the culture of kabuki extended beyond merely the in-person performance to allow nearly everyone in Japan to appreciate kabuki. Some of these methods included magazines critiquing performances, books retelling kabuki stories, art pieces depicting sets and actors, etc.

During its publication period, Kabuki shinpō was a popular method for commoners to enjoy kabuki without attending the costly, time-consuming performances. The contents of kabuki shinpo included everything from “scripts and plots, updates of actors, critiques of performances” to “articles like chronicle, and theatrical paragraphs.”

Kabuki shinpō was published by Genrokukan Studios in Tokyo. Also the primary funding source for the magazine, Genrokukan Studios was a photography studio created by famous “millionaire photographer” Seibei Kajima. Kajima was recognized for his innovative photography techniques and “lavish spending habits.”