Otojiro Kawakami and Sadayakko: Special exhibition, 2011
Among the most celebrated residents of modern Chigasaki were Otojiro Kawakami (1864-1911) and his wife Sadayakko (a.k.a. Sada Yacco) (1871-1946), who settled in the village after their European tour in 1902. The itinerary records of the Kawakami troupe list more than ten countries, including the United States, England, France, Germany, Italia, Spain and Russia, and Sadayakko's legendary performances around the world and especially at the 1900 world exposition in Paris were praised at the time by such contemporary luminaries as Andre Gide, Auguste Rodin, Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee and Giacomo Puccini.
Kawakami and Sadayakko purchased their villa in 1902 and named it Banshoen, meaning “garden of myriad pine trees.” Here they began their preparations for the nation’s first performance of Shakespeare’s Othello, which opened at the Meijiza theater in Tokyo, 1903. Rehearsals were reportedly held at the Chigasaki-kan inn, which is still in business today. Sadayakko's performance in one of the main roles was a historic moment for the Japanese theater, in which female roles are traditionally played by men.
The year 2011 is the 100th anniversary of Otojiro's death and the 140th anniversary of Sadayakko's birth. In September 2011, the Chigasaki City Museum of Art will unveil a special exhibition commemorating the couple whose vision, integrity and determination were so instrumental in the development of modern Japanese theater.
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