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Kaitaro Tsuno

つの かいたろう

Tsuno Kaitaro

Aliases: 鈴木（本姓）

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1938-04-06 （Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan）
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan → Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
theatre director, editor, critic, university professor, library director
Active Years
1962-2024
Affiliations
Shobunsha (publisher), Wako University, Kurotento (Black Tent Theatre)
Memberships
Kurotento (Black Tent Theatre), June Theatre (co-founder)
Influenced By
Jin'ichi Uekusa, Richard Brautigan, Yuji Takahashi, Bertolt Brecht

Education

Waseda University
Faculty of Letters / Department of Japanese Literature
Degree: 学士 (Bachelor of Arts)
Country: Japan
Member of the university theatre club during his studies

Awards

Nitta Jiro Literary Prize
2003
Work: The Ridiculous Giant (Tsubouchi Shōyō's Dream)
Organization: Nitta Jiro Literary Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Art Encouragement Prize (Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)
2009
Work: Jerome Robbins Is Dead
Organization: Agency for Cultural Affairs / Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan)
Result: 受賞
Yomiuri Literary Prize (Essay/Travel)
2019
Work: The Last Reading
Category: 随筆・紀行賞
Organization: The Yomiuri Shimbun
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Critique of Tragedy

1970 criticism

An early collection of critical essays on theatre and tragedy.

theatre criticismtragedy

Theatre Beyond the Gate: Contemporary Theatre Theory

1972 theatre studies

A collection of essays on contemporary theatre, presenting theoretical perspectives on playwriting and directing.

contemporary theatredirection

The Plague and the Theatre

1980 theatre criticism

An essay collection examining the relationship between social events and the theatre.

society and theatremedia theory

Books and Computers

1993 essays / media studies

Reflections on publishing, reading, and the rise of computers (digitization).

e-bookspublishing theoryreading culture

The Ridiculous Giant (Tsubouchi Shōyō's Dream)

2002 biographical criticism

A biographical examination of Tsubouchi Shōyō with cultural-historical readings.

biographyhistory of Japanese literaturecultural studies

Jerome Robbins Is Dead: Musicals and the Red Scare

2008 biographical essay / cultural critique

A cultural-historical study of choreographer Jerome Robbins and the Red Scare, discussing intersections of American musicals and politics.

biographyAmerican culturecensorship & politics

The Last Reading

2018 essays

A collection of essays on reading and life, exploring the meaning of reading from a personal perspective.

reading theoryessaysreflections on life

Hanamori Anji: The Man Who Changed Japanese Living

2013 biography

A biography of magazine editor Hanamori Anji that portrays changes in modern Japanese daily life through his life and work.

biographyhistory of editingmodern Japanese culture

Don't Underestimate E-Books: The Third Revolution in Book History

2010 essay / media studies

An argument for the significance and potential of e-books, situating them within the history of the book.

e-bookspublishing culturemedia history

Reading to Live

2024 essays

A recent essay collection on how reading can be a source of strength in life.

readingways of livingpersonal essays

Bibliography

  • Critique of Tragedy
  • Theatre Beyond the Gate: Contemporary Theatre Theory
  • The Plague and the Theatre
  • The Need for Small Media
  • Narratives: The Occupation of the Japanese
  • Walking Books: Dreams Seen by a Bookman
  • Books and Computers
  • Walking Solitudes
  • How Books Disappear
  • New Ways to Engage with Books: From Print to E-books
  • For Whom Is the Digital Library?
  • Desire to Read, Desire to Edit
  • The Ridiculous Giant (Tsubouchi Shōyō's Dream)
  • The Book Trembled! 1997-2001
  • Jerome Robbins Is Dead: Musicals and the Red Scare
  • Strange Times: Days with 'WonderLand' and Black Tent
  • I Won't Do What I Don't Want To: The Youth of Jin'ichi Uekusa
  • Don't Underestimate E-Books: The Third Revolution in Book History
  • Hanamori Anji: The Man Who Changed Japanese Living
  • Reading Techniques to a Hundred Years Old
  • Reading and the Japanese
  • The Last Reading
  • The Book He Wrote Last
  • Reading to Live
  • Proposals on Editing (editor)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
analytical theatre criticism blended with essayistic proseconcise, insightful essayscross-disciplinary criticism touching media and publishing
Recurring Motifs
readingbookstheatreeditingmedia and digitizationmodern Japanese culture

Legacy

As a director, editor and critic, he has had a major influence on Japanese theatre, publishing and reading culture. Through his editorial work at Shobunsha, direction with the Black Tent troupe, and early advocacy for e-books, he is respected in both editing culture and media studies.

Archives

  • Aozora Bunko (Works by Kaitaro Tsuno)

In Popular Culture

  • NHK 'SWITCH Interview: Masters' — Suzuki Toshio × Tsuno Kaitaro (appeared 2020)

Trivia

  • Birth surname was Suzuki.
  • Graduated from Waseda University, Faculty of Letters; was active in the university theatre club.
  • Joined Shobunsha in 1965 and served as editorial director until 1998, involved in many publications.
  • Worked as director and producer with the theatre company Kurotento (Black Tent).
  • Early advocate and popularizer of e-books and digital libraries.
  • Awards: Nitta Jiro Literary Prize (2003); Art Encouragement Prize—Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (2009); Yomiuri Literary Prize (Essay/Travel, 2019).