Hit Kabuki Film atmet Japans Theatern neues Leben ein

For years, Japan’s traditional performing arts — exquisite spectacles of dance, costume and music — have suffered declining audiences and dwindling numbers of actors and instrumentalists. Now a hit film is bringing in audiences to theatres that many feared had fallen into terminal decline.

Kokuho, meaning “national treasure”, has been seen by 9.5 million people in the three months since its release and made ¥13.3 billion (£67 million) — making it the second most successful live action Japanese film ever. It has imparted new life to the theatrical tradition that is at the heart of its story, the world of kabuki drama.

Kabuki theatres report a surge of interest and increased ticket sales from fans of Kokuho — which tells the fictional story of the friendship and rivalry between two kabuki actors, one of who comes from a family of yakuza gangsters. Some cinemas have begun filming screenings of the famous kabuki plays that feature in the film.