Meiji-za
The Meiji Theatre (明治座, Meijiza) is a theatre in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally constructed in 1873.[1] It presents kabuki and Western stage plays.
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| Address | 東京都中央区日本橋浜町二丁目31番1号 2-31-1 Nihonbashi-Hamacho, Chūō-ku Tokyo  |
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| Coordinates | 35.687967°N 139.78688°E |
| Owner | Meiji-za Corporation |
| Type | Kabuki theater |
| Capacity | 1,368 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1873 |
| Rebuilt | 1885, 1928, 1950, 1958, 1993 |
| Website | |
| www.en.meijiza.co.jp/ | |
History
The Meiji Theater first opened in the district of Hisamatsu-chô as the Kishôza in 1873.[2] Six years later it reopened under the name of Hisamatsuza.[2] In February 1885 it opened under a third name, Chitoseza,[2] but burned down in 1890.[2] In November 1893 it was rebuilt as the Meijiza, the name that it holds today.[2]
In 1904 the Meijiza underwent renovations, only to be burned down in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake.[2] Until the Meijiza was rebuilt in Hama-chô,[2] the Suehiroza, a small theater in the Azabu Jûban district, served as a temporary replacement.[2] The Meijiza was burned down in the bombings of World War II, but reopened in December 1950.[2] After a fire in 1957, it was reopened the next year.[2]
The Meijiza put on two especially grand kabuki performances in March and April 1993 to celebrate three years of extensive renovations.[2]