Tanaka Chikao | |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 October 1905 Nagasaki, Japan |
| Died | 29 November 1995 |
| Occupation | Playwright, director, dramatist, poet |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Alma mater | Tokyo University |
| Genre | Shingeki |
Chikao Tanaka (田中 千禾夫, Tanaka Chikao, 1905-1995) was a Japanese playwright and dramatist whose plays focused on the mental, physical, and religious hardships of post-World War II Japan.
Tanaka's writing differed greatly from that of other Japanese playwrights at the time because he wrote of essential human conflicts through the eyes of a Christian, which was atypical of the majority of his countrymen. His word structure and dramatic style creates an intense and lyrical force which has been satisfying for many theater enthusiasts, both to his own audiences and to foreign audiences as well.[1] Tanaka is perhaps the first modern Japanese playwright about whom this can be said.[citation needed] He is notable for his play Head of Mary (1959) and his expanded dramatic structures that convey metaphysical, spiritual, and existential themes in the form of masterful, rhythmic dialogue.