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Kazuyoshi Kushida

くしだ かずよし

Kushida Kazuyoshi

Pen Names: Fujikawa Nobuya（Stage name used when performing as an actor）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1942-08-06 （Koganei, Tokyo, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Koganei, Tokyo, Japan → Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan (base for Matsumoto Performing Arts Center)

Career

Occupations
Actor, Theatre director, Set/production designer, Professor
Active Years
1965-
Affiliations
Don-gyu Club (agency), On Theatre Jiyu Gekijo (former company), Matsumoto Performing Arts Center Resident Company (TC Alp), Flying Theatre Jiyu Gekijo
Influenced By
Magoichi Kushida (father, essayist/philosopher), Shin Sato (theatre director), Ren Saito (actor/director)
Influenced
Younger directors and actors associated with the Matsumoto Performing Arts Center, A generation of directors bridging commercial and avant-garde theatre in Japan

Education

Seikei Elementary School
Country: Japan
Seikei Junior & Senior High School
Country: Japan
Nihon University College of Art (left before graduation)
Department of Theatre
Country: Japan
Withdrew before completing degree

Awards

Art Festival Prize (Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)
2006
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs / MEXT
Result: recipient
Yomiuri Theatre Award — Best Director
2007
Work: Tokaido Yotsuya Kaidan — North Edition (director)
Category: 演出
Organization: Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: winner
Order of the Purple Ribbon
2008
Organization: Government of Japan (Cabinet Office)
Result: recipient
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette
2013
Organization: Government of Japan (Cabinet Office)
Result: recipient
Sibiu International Theatre Festival — Walk of Fame
2015
Organization: Sibiu International Theatre Festival (Romania)
Result: recipient
Shinmai Award
2022
Work: Contributions to the arts and culture of Nagano Prefecture
Organization: Shinano Mainichi Shimbun
Result: recipient

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Shanghai Vanceking

1979 Play / Theatre

One of the flagship works of On Theatre Jiyu Gekijo, noted for its visual, ensemble-driven stage presentation.

Urban lifeEnsemble dynamicsVisual expression
Adaptations
  • [Film] Shanghai Vanceking (independently produced film) / 串田和美 (1989)

Cry More, Flapper

1977 Play / Theatre

A signature work from the On Theatre era blending human relationships with comedic elements.

Human dramaComedy

Cusco

Play / Theatre

A stage piece performed by On Theatre Jiyu Gekijo; see production materials for details.

Experimental theatre

Bibliography

  • Cry More, Flapper (1982)
  • The Curtain Rises (1996)
  • Kushida's Playhouse: Directing Kabuki (2007)

Adaptations

  • Independent film adaptation of Shanghai Vanceking (dir. Kazuyoshi Kushida, released 1989)
  • Instances of stage-to-screen and commercial adaptations of his theatrical work

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Visual staging integrated with set designEnsemble-driven narrativesIncorporation of Kabuki and classical elements
Recurring Motifs
Kabuki-inspired imageryItinerant / touring performancesPhysical performance and mask-like presence

Legacy

Played a key role in bridging experimental and popular theatre in postwar Japan, leaving a significant legacy in theatre direction, venue management, and education.

Academic Societies

  • Nihon University College of Art associations
  • Research groups related to the Matsumoto Performing Arts Center

In Popular Culture

  • Influence on commercial theatre via founding and artistic direction of Theatre Cocoon
  • Created intersections between Kabuki and contemporary theatre through Cocoon Kabuki

Trivia

  • Used the stage name "Fujikawa Nobuya" for acting work for a period.
  • His father was the poet and philosopher Magoichi Kushida.
  • Served as artistic director of Theatre Cocoon and was involved from early planning of the venue.