Kōhei Tsuka


Kōhei Tsuka was a Korean-Japanese playwright, theater director, and screenwriter. He was one of Japan's most influential theater figures, to the extent that recent Japanese theatrical history has been divided into pre-Tsuka and post-Tsuka periods.
He died of lung cancer in Kamogawa, Chiba Prefecture at age 62.
WWW tsuka.co.jp

Early life

Tsuka was a second-generation Korean-Japanese whose experience as a member of a minority informed his work. His pen name is derived from "itsuka kohei", meaning "equal someday." Tsuka started his theater career with "A Red Beret for You" as a student at Keio University.

Career

In 1974, Tsuka started his own group, Tsuka Kōhei Jimusho, a part of the second generation of modern Japanese theater. He focused less on text, often improvising based on the written play, and used the everyday language of the youth. The sets of his plays were minimal, with the stage almost empty. His system, called jikogekika, compels actors to put themselves and their ideas on stage, with little concern for society as a whole.
Tsuka took a break from the stage from November 1982 to February 1989.

Selected works

  • 1970 Yūbinya-san chotto
  • 1971 Sensō de shinenakatta otōsan no tame ni
  • 1972 Shokyū kakumei kōza hiryūden
  • 1973 Atami satsujin jiken
  • 1980 Sutorippā monogatari
  • 1981 Kamata kōshinkyoku
  • 1982 Bara Hoteru
  • 1982 Tsuka-ban Chūshingura
  • 1983 Seishun kakeochiban
  • 1987 Kyōko

Awards