ABSTRACT
Anton Chekhov played an important role in the evolution of modern Japanese theatre. The translation of Chekhov’s works started with Kayo Senuma’s 1903 rendition of The Moon and People , followed by the translations of his full-length plays, including Uncle Vanya in 1912, and The Cherry Orchard and Ivanov in 1913. These were followed by translations by Rokuro Ito and Masao Kusuyama. The assimilation of Chekhov’s works continued during the 1910s, culminating in 1919, when a complete collection of his works began to appear. By then, translations into Japanese of all his important works had already been published. Famous novelists such as Hakucho Masamune and Kazuo Hirotsu referred to Chekhov, but Japanese dramatists had yet to reflect Chekhov’s works in their plays. His plays first began to be introduced in Japan in 1909, when the Free Theatre, which is now regarded as the starting point of modern Japanese theatre, presented The Proposal as its second production. Before the absorption of Chekhov by Japanese dramatists was to occur, however, they had to experience productions of his major plays on the Japanese stage. Such productions started later at the Tsukiji Little Theatre, which was established in 1924.
