Eirakukan Kabuki Theatre（出石永楽館）, is one of the oldest Kabuki theatre in the Kansai region. It is the oldest Kabuki theatre building in Japan for over 123 years and things haven't really change ever since they first opened.
63 years later, in 1964, the Kabuki theatre was closed due to declining popularity of movies in general, but then it was reopened to the public in 2008. Various performances such as grand Kabuki, Kyogen, and Rakugo are performed even today since its restoration.
Features:
-Stages
-Kabuki paintings
-Top and bottom of the Mawari-Butai
-Name plates of the Kabuki actors
-Paper lanterns
-Hanamichi
-Yudono
The Eirakukan Kabuki theatre is still in use today, with performers of Rakugo (storyteller performances), Kabuki, and others taking to the stage every year in this impressive Kabuki theatre. Visitors are taken behind the scenes on a guided tour, where they can see the main runway, the original production signs, below the stage, and into the dressing rooms.
History of Izushi Eirakukan
1901: A permanent theater opened in the castle town of Izushi. It was named "Eirakukan" after the family crest of the Sengoku clan, the lord of Izushi Castle.
1906: Two kabuki performances, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, were held at the Izushi Hatsuuma Festival, and the theater was a huge success, with tickets sold out.
Meiji to Taisho: Mainly kabuki performances, the theater was also a popular venue for swordplay, samurai dramas, new school dramas, vaudeville shows, and political speeches.
Taisho period: World War I, and the number of motion picture performances increased.
1930: Projection room was established.
1931: Movies began to change to talkies (movies with sound). Around this time, under the Peace Preservation Law, police officers were stationed at the theater, and the censorship and control of ideological entertainment became stricter.
After 1945: Movie screenings became the main focus. From 1951, movies entered the era of color. In addition, local theater companies has hosted performances by the Hanabishi Achako Theater Company, the Takarazuka Revue Company, and the Kabuki Mataichiro Troupe.
1964: Closed due to the popularity of television and the diversification of entertainment.
2008: Reopened after major renovations in the Heisei era.
Stepping into the Eirakukan Kabuki theatre feels like slipping back 100 years in time.
Visitors are able to stand on the Kabuki stage and take photos. Standing on the Kabuki stage will make you feel as if you are one of Eirakukan’s many famous performers.
Visitors are able to stand on the Kabuki stage and take photos. Standing on the Kabuki stage will make you feel as if you are one of Eirakukan’s many famous performers.
Take a tour of the behind-the-scenes aspects and discover the interesting stage tricks of the world of Kabuki theatre.
