frank criticism, for he made it quite clear
to me that he had little or no sympathy with our methods. He felt that
he was talking to an artist and that he could afford to be natural; but
after this very candid opinion there was a slight pause, which I
hastened to break by putting a question on the subject of his own drama.

[Illustration: APRICOT-BLOSSOM STREET]

The drama of Japan, he told me, was greatly improving; the actors
nowadays have chances which in the early days they had not, and it is
easier for them to create fine scenic effects. They have the chance of
studying great masterpieces at museums; they may copy costumes there,
and, above all, they have the superb opportunity of studying colour and
form. Then, many of the great Japanese actors possess collections of
very fine pictures, while the actors of early times could only study
from badly printed woodblocks which were nearly all inaccurate. Schools
for actors have been occupying his attention, and he hopes that some day
they will be established all over Japan. Actors, in his opinion, should
be taught when they are quite young the science of deportment and of
graceful movement, to be artists as well as actors, and above all to
avoid exaggeration.

Danjuro prefers as an audience the middle classes. "They are more
sympathetic," he said; "the diplomats and politicians who have come in
touch with the West, and are dressed in European dress, seem somehow to
lose sympathy with us, and are not helpful as an audience. Perhaps it is
that they can never entirely divest themselves of the sense of their own
importance."

After considering Danjuro's views concerning the Japanese drama, I was
interested to hear the views of the dramatic author, and Fukuchi and I
spent many delightful afternoons together discussing this all-absorbing
topic. "What do you claim to be the chief advantages of Japanese as
compared with European theatres?" I asked him on one occasion. "Well,"
replied Fukuchi without a moment's hesitation, "before everything else I
should place the Hanamichi (flower-paths). This is absolutely
indispensable to the Japanese stage, and allows of endless
possibilities. With it we have far greater scope for fine work, and
dramatically it is of tremendous advantage. Then there is the revolving
stage, which is a great improvement on Western mechanism, for while one
scene is being acted, another can be prepared."

On this particular afternoon the dramatist and I wer