Policy and Theater

Last semester I took a class called Japanese Contemporary Issues. For the better half of the semester we talked about the Meiji Restoration (1868), a cultural, social, economic, mercantilistic transformation in Japan's perception of the world. We know that during this time, Noh theater was not sponsored by the government. It's interesting that the revival of Noh following this period was only initiated after Ulysses S. Grant and his wife visited Japan and were apparently entertained by a Kyogen performance. What strikes me is the way the Japanese are so efficient in the use of cultural capital. Domestically, Noh represented an anchor to the past with the notions of Sun worship and the Emperor's lineage. So they ban it. Though also, there was a natural cultural gravitation towards anything western, as soon as Noh became relevant again, they have a revival.