Publisher's Synopsis
Excerpt from Plays of Old Japan the 'No'
With the consolidation of the new regime many old things took a new lease Of life, the and being one of them. Not only has the utai revived, but those who ought to know say that never in the long history of its existence has it been so extensively patronised as it is to-day. Patrons of the art are by no means confined to the aristocratic classes, albeit it is not so popular asthe ordinary theatrical play, and never could be from the nature Of the thing.
This book will, therefore, well repay study on the part Of any one desirous of knowing and appreciating the working of the Japanese mind, and the author and her colleague are rendering a good service to the public of the West by initiating them into the subject. As the author frankly admits, to translate the utai into a European language is a most difficult task, and, in my opinion, it is a well-nigh impossible one. The meaning Of the original may be conveyed - its spirit to a certain extent - but never the peculiarities Of the original language, on which the beauty of the utai mainly rests. It was very brave Of Dr. Marie Stopes and Prof. Sakurai to undertake what I should deem an impossible task, and I am glad to be able to extend to them my sincere congratulations on their remarkable achieve ment. They have succeeded in their work to the best extent any one can hope to succeed, and in my opinion have placed Western students Of Japanese art and literature under a debt of gratitude to them.
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