We just received an inquiry from Prof. Tokuichi Tanaka from Nihon
University in Shizuoka, Japan regarding Ben’s portrait of Tokujiro Tsutsui, a Japanese actor/manager who came with his repertory company to America in January 1930 to present 16 Ken-Geki dramas in California and New York. Ken-Geki was a style of theater, a sword play that he created. His company played 15 performances on Broadway in March 1930.
Ben also drew the Chinese actor Mei Lan Fang less than a month
before. Time magazine has an interesting article comparing the two styles of drama from Asia.
Prof. Tanaka is doing research on the oversea performances of Tokujiro Tsutsui’s Theatre Troupe and their impact on cultural relations for a class he teaches.
The portrait of Tokujiro Tsutsui was included in our Fall 2005 exhibition of Ben’s Black and White work.
