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Michizo Toida

といだ みちぞう

Toida Michizo

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1909-03-25 （Tokyo）
Died
1988-03-24 age 78
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese

Career

Occupations
critic, Noh and kyogen critic, film critic
Active Years
1933-1988

Education

Waseda University
Department of Japanese Literature
Country: Japan

Awards

Japan Essayists' Club Award (17th)
1968
Work: Thoughts on Kimono
Organization: Japan Essayists' Club
Result: winner

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

On Noh Arts

1948 criticism

A study linking Noh performance and the imperial system, employing folkloristic and anthropological perspectives on Noh.

Nohimperial systemfolkloreanthropology

The Performance of the Japanese

1959 criticism

Criticism discussing performance and everyday expressive acts among Japanese people.

performanceexpressioncultural studies

Thoughts on Kimono

1968 essays/criticism

Essays reflecting on Japanese culture and aesthetics through the kimono; one of his notable works that won the Japan Essayists' Club Award.

Japanese cultureaestheticsclothing

Noh: The Art of Gods and Beggars

1964 criticism

A critical examination of Noh's religiosity and social aspects, exploring its essence through the contrast of gods and beggars.

Nohreligionsocial history

Bibliography

  • On Noh Arts
  • The Performance of the Japanese
  • Escape from Festivals
  • Performance: Expressive Acts in Daily Life
  • Noh: The Art of Gods and Beggars
  • Thoughts on Kimono
  • Kanze Masters Kan'ami and Zeami
  • Thoughts Without Curtains
  • Journeys of History and Landscape: Oranges and Sarutahiko
  • Kyogen: The Transformation of Fallen Gods
  • Izumo Fudoki
  • Deer and Sea: Deep Historical Journeys
  • There Are No True/False Answers in Living
  • Japanese Gods
  • In the Theater Corridor
  • Scared of the Sweet Bun: The World of Rakugo
  • The Structure of Forgetting
  • After the Festival: Deep Journeys in the Onokoro Archipelago
  • Color and Sheen in Japanese Culture
  • In the Theater Corridor: Continued
  • Thoughts on Eating
  • The Books of Michizo Toida Vol.1-4 (ed. Ryuta Imafuku)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Interdisciplinary criticism using folkloristic and anthropological methodsEssayistic, observational prose
Recurring Motifs
Noh theatrefestivals and local culturedialogue between tradition and modernity

Legacy

A critic who interpreted Japanese tradition and folkloric aspects through criticism of Noh and kyogen. Through newspaper reviews and numerous works, he influenced Noh studies and cultural criticism.

Academic Societies

  • Japan Essayists' Club

Trivia

  • He served as the Noh reviewer for the Mainichi Shimbun starting in 1954.
  • He won the 17th Japan Essayists' Club Award for "Thoughts on Kimono."
  • A collected edition "The Books of Michizo Toida" Vol.1-4 has been compiled.