As part of its FY 2022 ARC-iJAC project, the Shochiku Otani Library released a digital archive of pre-war theater programs of the Kabuki-za Theater in Tokyo on July 1, 2022.

Based on an agreement between the library and the Art Research Center (ARC), these digitized programs have been integrated into the Shochiku Otani Library's Shibai Banzuke Browsing System (松竹大谷図書館所蔵・芝居番付検索閲覧システム), developed and made available to the public by the ARC.

Shochiku Otani Library <Shibai Banzuke Browsing System>
< https://www.dh-jac.net/db1/ban/search_shochiku.php?enter=shochiku&lang=en >

In 2020, the library launched a crowdfunding initiative to raise funds for digitizing and preserving approximately 1,180 volumes of pre-war theater programs--also known as sujigaki (筋書)--of the Kabuki-za Theater (歌舞伎座).

With this release, it has been possible to search and browse the Kabuki-za Theater sujigaki programs from the theater's establishment in Meiji 22 (1889) to the pre-war period on the web.

The Shibai Banzuke Portal Database made available by the ARC allows users to simultaneously search not only the ARC's own banzuke collection but also those of the Shochiku Otani Library and other institutions.

Along with the release of the sujigaki of the Kabuki-za held by the Shochiku Otani Library, the pre-war sujigaki of the Imperial Theater in Tokyo (帝国劇場) in the ARC collection are also made available for viewing.

We strive to continue our efforts to facilitate research in Japanese theater studies through digital archives.