The story of Atsushi Watanabe directing a stage play. (From the March 1929 issue of Shinseinen)

The story of an Atsushi Watanabe directed stage play

I found this article in the "Vanity Fair" section of the March 1929 issue of Shinseinen.

Surprising. It is a story about Atsushi Watanabe directing a stage play. Let's organize the information again.

• At the Tsukiji Little Theater

• Program: "The Masque of the Red Death" based on the original by Edgar Allan Poe

• Direction: Sei Wada, Atsushi Watanabe

• Cast: Japan Symphony Orchestra, Iwamura Dance Troupe
  
  That seems to be the story.

The Shuji Hasegawa or Shinjiro Nakamura question

It is believed that the person in charge of "Vanity Fair" is either Shinjiro Nakamura or Shuji Hasegawa, but I think that for this particular issue, it is Shuji Hasegawa.
The reason is that the content of the article overlaps with topics that Shuji Hasegawa would likely prefer, such as stories about Hollywood movies, the recently released film "The Fall of the House of Usher," and stories about fashion that Oscar Wilde used to wear, which are mentioned from the beginning.
Comparing the articles by Shinjiro Nakamura and Shuji Hasegawa from 1931 and 1933, I got the impression that Shinjiro Nakamura was talking about the "now." I felt the youthfulness of a young man who was looking at the trends of this very moment and swimming freely through the times.
On the other hand, Shuji Hasegawa has a tendency to talk about fashion and clothing from a historical perspective. While using references from as far back as ancient Rome, he thinks about current trends while paying respect to stylish seniors from about ten years ago (such as Junichiro Tanizaki). He values context and flow, and it feels like he just loves talking about it! (It is the writing style of someone who truly loves it, not someone showing off their knowledge.)
Therefore, I felt that the Oscar Wilde reference was also typical of Shuji Hasegawa.

I tried searching for performance information

This information about Atsushi Watanabe was not in the chronology. I am ignorant of this matter and do not know about it, but what on earth happened?

• First, I tried searching on Google for work by "Sei Wada," but I couldn't find anything.

• Next, I searched for the "Iwamura Dance Troupe," but there is very little information to begin with.

• I checked whether the Tsukiji Little Theater had performed Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death," but nothing came up for that either.

I searched using similar terms in the National Diet Library Digital Collections, but the results were almost the same and there was no information at all. It is likely that the project was abandoned.

Among the things I searched, I found one article that might be connected to this information.

Haruki Mizushina, "History of the Tsukiji Little Theater," Nichinichi Shobo, 1931. https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/1175696 (Accessed 2025-12-20)

A story about a performance of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Imperial Theatre around July 1928, with the assistance of the National New Symphony Orchestra and the Iwamura Dance Troupe.

Since it was a stage production featuring a symphony orchestra and the Iwamura Dance Troupe, the structure was similar to "The Masque of the Red Death" directed by Atsushi and Sei Wada. As I found this information by searching for the Iwamura Dance Troupe, it is likely that this 1928 performance was the first collaboration between the Iwamura Dance Troupe and the Tsukiji Little Theater.

Perhaps the plan for "The Masque of the Red Death" was brought up around the time of this performance, or by the following March 1929 issue (the manuscript was likely written in January).

Regarding the period of January 1929

Kaoru Osanai, the founder of the Tsukiji Little Theater, passed away on December 25, 1928. In other words, it seems the theater troupe was in a very unstable period just after Osanai's death. The Tsukiji Little Theater split up about three or four months later, on March 25. (*Reference: From Wikipedia information)

Atsushi Watanabe had left Shinseinen and was working as a freelance writer, living in Kamakura next to the Yokomizo family with his common-law wife, Mari. Perhaps it was also during this time that Atsushi lent a morning coat to Yokomizo for his father's funeral. Also, although it is not entirely clear, it is said that Shinjiro Nakamura had once stayed with Atsushi Watanabe during his Kamakura period, so he might have been nearby as well.

In any case, it had been about four or five months since Atsushi began his new life as a full-time writer around July of the previous year. Seishi Yokomizo wrote in "Sekishunfu" that Atsushi was extremely poor and had an unstable income, partly because he could not write long-form novels.

The talk of directing this "Masque of the Red Death" came up during such a time.

In short, Atsushi Watanabe was in an unstable situation without work, and the Tsukiji Little Theater was in a state of confusion following the death of Kaoru Osanai.

The connection between Atsushi Watanabe and Sei Wada

It seems their connection began around 1924.
According to a chronology, Atsushi Watanabe began frequently visiting "Oasis," the shop owned by Michiko Oikawa's father, around November 1924, when his work "Kage" (Shadow) was selected for a prize. It is said that Jun Tsuji, people related to the Tsukiji Little Theater, and fans frequented Oasis, and Sei Wada, who lived in the neighborhood, was also a regular. (*From "When Movies Were Young: Memories of Three Generations: Meiji, Taisho, and Showa" by Akira Iwasaki)
If Atsushi was attending the Tsukiji Little Theater, he might have been acquainted with Sei Wada even before Oasis, but it is highly likely that their friendship deepened as they saw each other often at Oasis.
Also, in November 1925, he reportedly worked hard on a performance by a young Russian dancer together with Sei Wada. (*From chronology)
From the above, it seems that Sei Wada and Atsushi Watanabe had a much closer relationship than the remaining documents suggest. Sei Wada began contributing to Shinseinen around the time Atsushi joined the magazine. This was likely due to Atsushi's connections.

Atsushi Watanabe and the talk of directing

Looking at the content of this performance, it is undoubtedly professional. Looking back at it again... (It would be a hassle to scroll back, right?)

• At the Tsukiji Little Theater in Japan

• Program: "The Masque of the Red Death" based on Poe

• Directors: Sei Wada, Atsushi Watanabe

• Performers: Japan Symphony Orchestra, Iwamura Dance Troupe

So, except for Atsushi who was directing, everyone was a professional among professionals. Atsushi had written several scenarios and was likely a professional as a screenwriter, but he should have had no experience in directing.
Doesn't the fact that a project of such a large scale was entrusted to Atsushi suggest that his directing skills were recognized to some extent? At the very least, it must mean he met Sei Wada's standards.

Atsushi, who wanted to be a film director

It seems Atsushi Watanabe told his older brother Keisuke that he "wanted to try being a film director" (from Keisuke's essay), but in reality, he ended his life without ever creating a film work. Therefore, we cannot know his specific techniques as a filmmaker, but thanks to this episode, we were able to learn that he might have possessed some technical ability to a certain extent.

Michiko Oikawa's "good mentor"

Michiko Oikawa, an actress and On's lover, wrote in her autobiography, 'Thorn Path,' that On was a 'good mentor.' Also, regarding Michiko Oikawa's film debut, he sent her a letter with acting advice (though it was gentle content, such as 'don't worry about it, just act naturally'), so it can be inferred that he did provide some advice on her acting.
I couldn't imagine the specific content of Michiko's 'good mentor' because I wondered, 'Can On, who is a professional writer, provide any guidance that would be useful for acting?' However, the fact that there was talk of him leading a production with Sei Wada and the Iwamura Dance Troupe made me think he must have had a knack for acting that could pass as professional.

Things that did not come to fruition

I believe the reasons this performance did not materialize are that the Tsukiji Little Theater was in an unstable situation, and I also suspect that the information was premature to begin with.

Possibility of a premature article

I believe the person who wrote this article was Shuji Hasegawa, and Shuji Hasegawa was a close friend of On Watanabe. And this article was written during the month of January.
Perhaps On told Shuji, whom he met for the first time in a while during the New Year holidays, 'A project like this has come up recently. I'm looking forward to it!' and Shuji thought it was almost certain and wrote this article. Since Shuji should have been living in Kobe at this time, I imagine he might have talked about it when he returned to Tokyo for the New Year holidays.
Was it a project that Sei Wada had offered to some extent and was about to be finalized, or was it just a conversation where Wada and On got excited, saying, 'The Iwamura Dance Troupe and the symphony orchestra that came to the Tsukiji Little Theater in July were amazing, so let's invite them and do a Poe work stage play together,' and it was published as if it were certain?
Even if the writer of this article was not Shuji but Shinjiro Nakamura, he was also close to On, so it is possible that he heard it and wrote it.

If the author of the article was Shuji Hasegawa, I think he might have written this article with the intention of supporting his close friend On, who had little work and was poor.

Also, during this period, On was not involved in the editing of Shinseinen, so he could not check the manuscript. Since he was in Kamakura, I don't think it was a distance where he could easily go to the editorial department. (Although it seems On was hanging out in Tokyo even during his Kamakura period, so it's hard to say.)
If On had been in the editorial department, he could have sent it back saying, 'This information is unconfirmed, so don't publish it,' but one could say that it was an article that was published precisely because On was not in the editorial department.

Summary

I have written at length about an article that was only a few lines long, but I will summarize what I have read from this article.

• On Watanabe had a considerable amount of directing skill that even a professional (Sei Wada) recognized.

• Sei Wada and On Watanabe were good friends.

• There is a possibility that On Watanabe was trying to challenge himself with various jobs during his time as a freelance writer.

That is about it.
Thank you for your time.

≡The End≡The End