High Rise Tower to Replace Tokyo's Kabukiza

The Kabukiza, the 60-year-old premier home to Japanese kabuki drama, closed on Friday, April 30. It is now being razed to make room for a high rise tower. AFP reported an estimated 2,000 audience members at the final two performances.

Kabuki is a 400-year-old style of drama in which male actors act out stories using intricate make-up and costume design. The first Kabukiza was built in Ginza in 1889, where it remained open until it was destroyed by fire in 1921. During its reconstruction over the next two years, it was destroyed once again by the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. 1924 opened a brand new Kabukiza that was fireproof and structurally sound. This theatre was destroyed in May of 1945 during the World War II bombing of Japan. A new Theatre Opened in 1951, where it has been open since.

A new Kabukiza will inhabit the first few floors of the high rise tower. It will meet building safety codes that the former Kabukiza did not, and combine modern and classic designs. It is expected to open in 2013. Until then, lovers of kabuki must turn to the Shimbashi Embu and National Theatre for presentations of the art form.

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