KODAMA, Ryuichi

Name： KODAMA, Ryuichi
Title： Professor
Research Field： Theater Studies, History of Performing Arts
Biography：
Kodama Ryuichi’s research focuses on Japanese theatre, particularly classical forms such as Kabuki and Bunraku. He studies the transmission and evolution of performance and direction, concentrating especially on the interaction between Kabuki and Bunraku and the exchange of subject matter. The defining characteristic of Japan’s classical theatre lies in its continued existence to the present day as a form of theatre transmitted through the body. Consequently, its development and transformations in the modern and contemporary periods constitute significant subjects for investigation and research. Through over twenty years of writing Kabuki theatre reviews, he has gained profound insight into contemporary Kabuki trends. His extensive experience includes numerous dialogues and symposiums with theatre professionals, and he has served as President of the Kabuki Society since 2018. He also lectures on theatre history as an instructor for the National Theatre’s training programmes, teaching Kabuki actors, Kabuki musicians, and Bunraku performers. Involved in exhibitions at Waseda University’s Theatre Museum, his research encompasses not only books and historical documents but also museum artefacts. He has served as Vice Director since 2013 and as Director since 2023. He was involved in editing the Iwanami Lectures: Kabuki and Bunraku (1997-1998) and served as an editorial committee member for the Kabuki Character Encyclopaedia (2006) and the Latest Edition Kabuki Great Encyclopaedia (2012). His work also covers the relationship between Kabuki and modern theatre, as well as Kabuki and early cinema, and he edited Classical Performing Arts in Film (2010).