‘Touched by the Genius of a Little Woman…’: Hanako’s Hungarian Tour and the Question of the Authenticity of Japanese Theatre Between 1910 and 1911

Abstract

Hanako 花子 (1868–1945) was one of the most renowned Japanese actress in Europe in the early 1900s. From 1904 her performances were organised by the era’s famous dancer and impresario, Loïe Fuller. Hanako became hugely successful due to her roles in Japanese dramas with naturalistic death scenes written by Loi-Fu. Nevertheless, the Japanese dramas were not traditional pieces, but were actually only Japanese-styled dramas written by Fuller to satisfy the contemporary audience’s eagerness for the exotic. Hanako visited Budapest twice, in 1908 and 1913. Moreover, between the two visits she also participated in a Hungarian tour.

This paper focuses on the – thus far undiscovered – Japanese actress’s Hungarian tour between October 1910 and May 1911. Furthermore I analyse and reconstruct the two dramas staged during the tour, In the Tea House and Otake. Thanks to the attached map and timetable, the route of the four-member Japanese troupe was precisely traced, and it is visible which performances were realised and which had to be cancelled due to illness or technical reasons. By reviewing the itinerary, it becomes clear that the Hungarian audience had the opportunity to see Hanako and her troupe in 21 locations, including various city theatres, as well as a few times in the cities’ prominent hotels and associations. In most cases, the arrival of the troupe was preceded by extraordinary interest and enthusiasm. What is more, contemporary reviews reported a successful reception. However, this was not primarily due to the quality of the performances. The content of the plays In the Tea House and Otake can be analysed thanks to surviving theatre posters, but it becomes clear that the plots of both were extremely simple. Actually, in the plays, the ‘main attraction’ was the death of the character portrayed by Hanako. Overall, it can be said that the success of the performances was more due to curiosity about the exotic rather than artistic merit.

In the study, I also examine the question of this repertoire’s authenticity, which arose in connection to the cancellation of a performance in Marosvásárhely. In order to show a detailed view of Hanako’s tour and the opinion of audience, I primarily use contemporary newspaper articles and theatre posters.