Four Major Plays of Chikamatsu

Four Major Plays of Chikamatsu is a collection of four major dramas by the famous Japanese playwright Chikamatsu Monzaemon. The four plays were first translated by Donald Keene in 1961, and have appeared in various collections and books over the years; Four Major Plays contains a Preface, an Introduction, and two appendices in addition, and is published by Columbia University Press.

Four Major Plays of Chikamatsu
"Behind the scenes at an Edo puppet theater of 1690"
AuthorChikamatsu Monzaemon; Keene wrote the Preface, the Introduction, and the two appendices
TranslatorDonald Keene
IllustratorNot listed
Cover artistBenjamin S. Farber
LanguageEnglish
Seriesas "Major Plays of Chikamatsu", was Number LXVI of the "Records of Civilization Sources and Studies"; it was also included in the "Japanese Translations Series" of the UNESCO Collection of Representative Works[1]. Also part of Columbia University Press's "Translations from the Asian Classics"
GenreDrama
PublisherColumbia University Press
Publication date
the 4 plays, 1961; with Preface, 1998
Publication placeUSA
Media typePrint (softcover )
Pages220 pages
ISBN0-231-11101-0 (1998 Columbia University Press edition)
OCLC37904817
895.6/232 21
LC ClassPL793.4 .A6 1998

The Preface gives a more popular account of matters, mentioning that Keene's translations of the plays have actually been performed; the lengthy introduction gives a brief biographical sketch of Chikamatsu and a discussion of various literary features and other background useful for understanding Chikamatsu's plays.

Contents

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Plays

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Appendices

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The two appendices are:

  • A Note on Prostitution in Chikamatsu's Plays
  • Contemporary Puppet Performances of Chikamatsu's Plays