Meiji-za


The Meiji Theatre is a theatre in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan. It was originally constructed in 1873. It presents kabuki and Western stage plays.

History

The Meiji Theater first opened in the district of Hisamatsu-chô as the Kishôza in 1873. Six years later it reopened under the name of Hisamatsuza. In February 1885 it opened under a third name, Chitoseza, but burned down in 1890. In November 1893 it was rebuilt as the Meijiza, the name that it holds today.
In 1904 the Meijiza underwent renovations, only to be burned down in the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. Until the Meijiza was rebuilt in Hama-chô, the Suehiroza, a small theater in the Azabu Jûban district, served as a temporary replacement.
The Meijiza was burned down in the bombings of World War II, but reopened in December 1950. After a fire in 1957, it was reopened the next year.
The Meijiza put on two especially grand kabuki performances in March and April 1993 to celebrate three years of extensive renovations.