Joruri as Living Theater: Representations of Women in the Golden Age of Joruri in Early Modern Japan

2023 Fiscal Year Research-status Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K13068
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: 高井 詩穂 早稲田大学, 文学学術院, 准教授 (60813780)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2025-03-31
• Keywords: Puppet theater / Female performers / Representation of women / Adaptation / Performance

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

In the research in AY2023, I continued to develop my research into the historical roles of the female performers (especially female gidayu chanters) and their potential development in the future. Based on the presentation "From Transgression to Culture: The Roles of Female Gidayu Joruri Performers in the Male-Dominant Traditional Performative Arts" I made in November 2022, I started conversation with international scholars of theater to discuss for exploring the topic of traditional theater and gender. I also revised the paper I presented at the Association for Asian Studies 2023 Annual Conference (Boston, USA) in March 2023 for a publication in an international journal issue to be published in 2025.

Current Status of Research Progress

3: Progress in research has been slightly delayed.

Reason

Unfortunately, I was not able to meet the deadline for submitting the revised conference paper "From Transgression to Culture: The Roles of Female Gidayu Joruri Performers in the Male-Dominant Traditional Performative Arts" for the journal issue for AY2023 due to delay in collecting necessary research materials. Also, the international and interdisciplinary panel on representations of mothers in East Asian literature and theater that we proposed for the AY2024 Association for Asian Studies (AAS) in Seattle was unfortunately not accepted. As a result, although I did attend the conference as a non-presenter, I missed opportunity to present and get feedback on our studies.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

As I mentioned in my report for AY2023, I extended my research period for two years. With the connections I was able to build with international scholars at the AAS conference in AY2023 (such as a kabuki scholar Prof. Maki Isaka, Beijing Opera scholar Prof. Guanda Wu, and a Japanese scholar on womanhood Prof. Aiko Tanaka), I will continue developing my research on female performers in joruri and submit the revised paper on the topic within AY2024. I would also like to revise our potential panel on motherhood for a different international conference.

Causes of Carryover

I left some budget to be used in AY 2024, since I extended two more years of research back in AY 2023 to compensate for the parental leave
I took. I will continue to use the budget to purchase books, computer-related goods, stationery goods, and to conduct research-related travel.