Takarazuka Revue
宝塚少女歌劇 / 宝塚歌劇団
Timeline
Note: I may have translated a few things wrong here and there. If you notice any mistakes, please let me know through the contact form. Thank you!
Here is a short English language video shown by the Lincoln Center in 2016 to introduce Takarazuka to theater goers.
1900 - 1919
1907/10 - Ichizo Kobayashi becomes the managing director of the Minoh Arima Electric Tramway Company (箕面有馬電気軌道株式会社), later to be renamed Hankyu.
1911/03 - The Imperial Theater opens (Takarazuka will perform here during their Tokyo shows later).
1911/05 - The Umeda to Takarazuka railway line was opened.
1911/03 - The Imperial Theater opens (Takarazuka will perform here during their Tokyo shows later).
1911/05 - The Umeda to Takarazuka railway line was opened.
Image originally posted at www.library.takarazuka.hyogo.jp/sisi/meiji.html
1912/01 - "Don Braco" is published, the first Takarazuka show in 1914 will be an adaptation of it.
1912/02 - Kobayashi attends a theater show titled "Kumano" and becomes interested in the idea of musical theater.
1912/07 - The Paradise Hot Spring is opened to lure tourists out to Takarazuka, the furthest stop on the train line at that time. Unfortunately because it was a segregated hot spring/bath house it failed to draw out the desired number of passengers.
1912/02 - Kobayashi attends a theater show titled "Kumano" and becomes interested in the idea of musical theater.
1912/07 - The Paradise Hot Spring is opened to lure tourists out to Takarazuka, the furthest stop on the train line at that time. Unfortunately because it was a segregated hot spring/bath house it failed to draw out the desired number of passengers.
Image from pinterest
Photo originally posted at smtrc.jp/town-archives/city/nishinomiya/p07.html
1913/04 - Ichizo Kobayashi decides to convert part of the Paradise hot spring into a theater and begin to recruit girls for his new attraction.
1913/07 - Ichizō Kobayashi officially founds the Takarazuka Chorus 宝塚唱歌隊.
1913/12 - The Takarazuka Chorus is renamed "Takarazuka Girls Opera Training Company" 宝塚少女歌劇養成会
1914/03 - There is a scandal involving the president of the Minoh train company. Kobayashi assumes his shares in the company.
1914/04 - The Revue put on it`s first performance "Don Brako" at the "Paradise" 「パラダイス」 hot spring. This lured approximately 1,100 people a day to the hot spring. Later they would rebrand the place as the Paradise Theater (パラダイス劇場). Kobayashi writes a number of shows anonymously during this time.
1913/07 - Ichizō Kobayashi officially founds the Takarazuka Chorus 宝塚唱歌隊.
1913/12 - The Takarazuka Chorus is renamed "Takarazuka Girls Opera Training Company" 宝塚少女歌劇養成会
1914/03 - There is a scandal involving the president of the Minoh train company. Kobayashi assumes his shares in the company.
1914/04 - The Revue put on it`s first performance "Don Brako" at the "Paradise" 「パラダイス」 hot spring. This lured approximately 1,100 people a day to the hot spring. Later they would rebrand the place as the Paradise Theater (パラダイス劇場). Kobayashi writes a number of shows anonymously during this time.
1914/12 - The Takarazuka revue puts on it's first ticketed (ie you pay to get in) performance.
Image originally posted at www.library.takarazuka.hyogo.jp/sisi/meiji.html
1915 - Shinohara Asaji starts to become the first really popular Takarazuka actress.
1918/02 - The Minoo Tramway was renamed the Hanshin Kyūkō Railway Company (阪神急行電鉄株式会社) or "Hankyu" (阪急) for short.
1918/05 - The first Tokyo performance is held at the Imperial Theater (帝国劇場). Approximately 2,000 people a day show up for it.
1918/08 - The first issue of Kageki was published 「歌劇」. It is a quarterly magazine (published 4 times a year).
1918/08/17 - Yura Michiko, one of the first Takarazuka actresses who joined in 1913 at the age of 11, passes away at the age of 16 due to illness while still a member of the Takarazuka Revue. This is the first member of the Revue to pass away.
1918/11/05 - Uji Asako, another actress who joined in 1915 passes away due to Spanish Flu.
1919/01 - The Takarazuka Music School (宝塚音楽歌劇学校) is officially founded. Students attend the school for only one year before performing with the company. As a result the "Takarazuka Girls Opera" was disbanded and rebranded as the "Takarazuka Girl`s Opera Company" 宝塚少女歌劇団
1918/02 - The Minoo Tramway was renamed the Hanshin Kyūkō Railway Company (阪神急行電鉄株式会社) or "Hankyu" (阪急) for short.
1918/05 - The first Tokyo performance is held at the Imperial Theater (帝国劇場). Approximately 2,000 people a day show up for it.
1918/08 - The first issue of Kageki was published 「歌劇」. It is a quarterly magazine (published 4 times a year).
1918/08/17 - Yura Michiko, one of the first Takarazuka actresses who joined in 1913 at the age of 11, passes away at the age of 16 due to illness while still a member of the Takarazuka Revue. This is the first member of the Revue to pass away.
1918/11/05 - Uji Asako, another actress who joined in 1915 passes away due to Spanish Flu.
1919/01 - The Takarazuka Music School (宝塚音楽歌劇学校) is officially founded. Students attend the school for only one year before performing with the company. As a result the "Takarazuka Girls Opera" was disbanded and rebranded as the "Takarazuka Girl`s Opera Company" 宝塚少女歌劇団
Takarazuka music school, 1919 - From the official 50th anniversary book
1919/01 - 10 men are employed to perform as "Male Senka" (男子専科)
1919/03 - The Revue moves to perform in the Public Hall Theater 公会堂劇場 rather than at the converted Paradise Hot Spring pool.
1919/03 - The Revue moves to perform in the Public Hall Theater 公会堂劇場 rather than at the converted Paradise Hot Spring pool.
Public Hall Theater in Takarazuka - from the official 50th anniversary book
1919/05 Kumoi Namiko retires from the revue to get married. As a fun side note, Namiko would live to the amazing age of 102, passing away on August 20, 2003. She is currently the longest lived member of the Takarazuka Revue and the last person to survive as a first generation member of the Revue.
1919/10 - Male Senka has a trial performance entitled 「白隠和尚」「一休」
1919/11 - Male Senka is disbanded.
1919/10 - Male Senka has a trial performance entitled 「白隠和尚」「一休」
1919/11 - Male Senka is disbanded.
1920 - 1929
1921/03 - Kageki magazine becomes a monthly magazine.
1921/09 - Two troupes, Tsukigumi and Hanagumi were formed following test runs on previous shows of splitting the group. Tsukigumi was mostly made up of younger actresses while the more veteran ones tended to stay in Hanagumi. (Note: According to the 50th anniversary book Tsukigumi formed in September while Hanagumi formed in October.)
1921/09 - Two troupes, Tsukigumi and Hanagumi were formed following test runs on previous shows of splitting the group. Tsukigumi was mostly made up of younger actresses while the more veteran ones tended to stay in Hanagumi. (Note: According to the 50th anniversary book Tsukigumi formed in September while Hanagumi formed in October.)
Members of the new "Hanagumi" troupe - from the official 50th anniversary book
Members of the newly formed "Tsukigumi" troupe - from the official 50th anniversary book
1922/04 - The School becomes a 2 year program.
1922/05 - 50 men were recruited for the orchestra to expand it (prior to this actresses sometimes had to play music instruments while on stage).
1922/06 - Sports Day is held.
1923/01/22 - The Public Hall theater in Takarazuka caught fire and was damaged.
1923/03 - The Takarazuka Middle Theater (宝塚中劇場) is completed. From reports it's apparently not the sexiest theater ever built but they had to complete it in 2 months so you get what you get, I guess.
1923/03 - Following Anna Pavlova's visit to Japan in 1922, the Revue hires a ballet teacher.
1923/04 - The Takarazuka Music school moves into a new building.
1922/05 - 50 men were recruited for the orchestra to expand it (prior to this actresses sometimes had to play music instruments while on stage).
1922/06 - Sports Day is held.
1923/01/22 - The Public Hall theater in Takarazuka caught fire and was damaged.
1923/03 - The Takarazuka Middle Theater (宝塚中劇場) is completed. From reports it's apparently not the sexiest theater ever built but they had to complete it in 2 months so you get what you get, I guess.
1923/03 - Following Anna Pavlova's visit to Japan in 1922, the Revue hires a ballet teacher.
1923/04 - The Takarazuka Music school moves into a new building.
1923/09 - Great Kanto Earthquake causes the Tokyo theater to catch fire. The revue performs in Nagoya while it is repaired.
1923 - The age of admittance to the Takarazuka Music School is set at 13 - 19 years old.
1923/09 - Takasago Matsuko gets married but does not retire. This causes a small scandal as, prior to this, actresses retired when they married.
1924/07 - The Takarazuka Grand Theater (宝塚大劇場) is built to replace the Middle Theater. It could seat 3,500 people (note: the official Takarazuka page says 4,000 but wikipedia says 3,500).
1923 - The age of admittance to the Takarazuka Music School is set at 13 - 19 years old.
1923/09 - Takasago Matsuko gets married but does not retire. This causes a small scandal as, prior to this, actresses retired when they married.
1924/07 - The Takarazuka Grand Theater (宝塚大劇場) is built to replace the Middle Theater. It could seat 3,500 people (note: the official Takarazuka page says 4,000 but wikipedia says 3,500).
Image originally posted at http://oldphotos.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-37.html?sp
1924/06 - A third troupe, Yukigumi was formed.
1924/06 - A Sports Day is held.
1924/07 - Takarazuka Luna Park, an amusement park, is opened
1925 - Takarazuka begins putting on performances all year round.
1925/06 - Takasago Matsuko retires.
1926 - The Takarazuka Hotel is built across the river from the Theater near the train station. It is not initially owned by Hankyu but is purchased by them a few years later.
Images originally posted at www.library.takarazuka.hyogo.jp/sisi/taisyou.html
1926 - "Spring Dance" 「春のおどり」was performed for the first time. It was hugely popular and became a Takarazuka staple.
1927 - Tatsuya Kishida (岸田辰弥) creates "Mon Paris" after studying overseas. This show is immensely popular and becomes the foundation of the current "revue" format seen in two act shows. It is also the first time a line dance is used and a 16 step grand staircase is introduced. (currently the grand staircases are 26 steps).
1927 - Tatsuya Kishida (岸田辰弥) creates "Mon Paris" after studying overseas. This show is immensely popular and becomes the foundation of the current "revue" format seen in two act shows. It is also the first time a line dance is used and a 16 step grand staircase is introduced. (currently the grand staircases are 26 steps).
1927/07 - Vocal Senka and Dance Senka begin to form.
1930 - 1939
1930/08 - Tetsuzo Shirai (白井鐵造), after studying over seas, returns and puts on "Parisette" 『パリ・ゼット』. This is the first time the song "Sumire no Hana Sakukoro" 「すみれの花咲く頃」is performed. It is based off the 1928 song "Wenn der weisse Flieder wieder blüht" and will later become one of the most recognizable Takarazuka songs of all time (it's often heard at the end of sayonara shows now and it's played a lot on Sky Stage).
1930 - Otokoyaku begin to gain in popularity.
1931 - The silver bridge appears for the first time in the show "Rose Paris" 「ローズ・パリ」
1930 - Otokoyaku begin to gain in popularity.
1931 - The silver bridge appears for the first time in the show "Rose Paris" 「ローズ・パリ」
1932 - Otokoyaku cut their hair short for the first time in the show "Bouquet d`Amour" 『ブーケ・ダムール』. Takiko Mizunoe is credited as the first, though she was closely followed by others.
1933/05 - Vocal and Dance Senka become "Senka".
1933/07 - A fourth troupe, Hoshigumi was formed
1934/01 - The Tokyo Takarazuka theater (東京宝塚劇場) was built. It hosted both Takarazuka and non-Takarazuka shows.
1933/05 - Vocal and Dance Senka become "Senka".
1933/07 - A fourth troupe, Hoshigumi was formed
1934/01 - The Tokyo Takarazuka theater (東京宝塚劇場) was built. It hosted both Takarazuka and non-Takarazuka shows.
The Tokyo Takarazuka theater - photos from the official 50th anniversary book
1934/12 - Tomo no Kai (The official Takarazuka fan club) starts,
1935/01 - A fire breaks out backstage at the Takarazuka Grand Theater, damaging it. Performances are held at the old Takarazuka Middle theater while repairs are made.
1935/04 -The repaired Takarazuka Grand Theater reopens.
1935/01 - A fire breaks out backstage at the Takarazuka Grand Theater, damaging it. Performances are held at the old Takarazuka Middle theater while repairs are made.
1935/04 -The repaired Takarazuka Grand Theater reopens.
Image from ameblo.jp/amon3838/entry-12450925826.html
Inside of the Grand Theater. The 2nd and 3rd floor balconies were reported to have made it very difficult for patrons on those floors to see actresses when they walked out onto the ginkyou.
1935/10 - The Takarazuka Music School moves into a new building
1936 - GRAPH begins publication.
1938 - 1939 Takarazuka does it`s first overseas tour in Europe. The tour is in Berlin during Kristallnacht and one of the actresses documents the night in her diary.
1938 - 1939 Takarazuka does it`s first overseas tour in Europe. The tour is in Berlin during Kristallnacht and one of the actresses documents the night in her diary.
From the official 50th anniversary book
1938 - First publication of Takarazuka Otome
1939/04 - 07 - American international tour
1939/04 - 07 - American international tour
1939 - Hoshigumi was disbanded, returning the revue to having only 3 troupes.
1939 - Actresses began to use the "ken" (研) system to denote what "year" they are in the company. Prior to this actresses were collectively referred to as "graduates of the Takarazuka Dance School (宝塚音楽舞踊学校).
1939 - Actresses began to use the "ken" (研) system to denote what "year" they are in the company. Prior to this actresses were collectively referred to as "graduates of the Takarazuka Dance School (宝塚音楽舞踊学校).
1940 - 1949
1940 - The Takarazuka branch of the Japan`s Defense Women`s Association was formed. The actresses were encouraged to join.
1940 - The company was renamed The Takarazuka Revue 宝塚歌劇団
1940 - Kageki and GRAPH stop publication due to the conservation of resources for the war effort.
1941 - The song "Goodbye Everyone" 「さよなら皆様」was performed for the first time as part of the show Takarazuka Princess Kaguya『宝塚かぐや姫』. It becomes one of Takarazuka`s most recognized songs and currently plays in the grand theaters at the end of each show as the lights come up and you leave.
1941/12/08 - Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
1941/12 - Almost all Takarazuka shows from this point on focused on patriotic and war time themes.
1942/09 - 10 - China Tour
1940 - The company was renamed The Takarazuka Revue 宝塚歌劇団
1940 - Kageki and GRAPH stop publication due to the conservation of resources for the war effort.
1941 - The song "Goodbye Everyone" 「さよなら皆様」was performed for the first time as part of the show Takarazuka Princess Kaguya『宝塚かぐや姫』. It becomes one of Takarazuka`s most recognized songs and currently plays in the grand theaters at the end of each show as the lights come up and you leave.
1941/12/08 - Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
1941/12 - Almost all Takarazuka shows from this point on focused on patriotic and war time themes.
1942/09 - 10 - China Tour
1943/03 - The Takarazuka Grand Theater was taken over by the Japanese navy and used as a barracks. The final show was "The Battle of Tsubasa". As a result many actresses went to work in factories or field while a handful toured around the country doing performances.
1943/05 - 07 - 2nd China Tour
1943/10 - The Hanshin Kyūkō and Keihan Electric Railway were merged, and renamed Keihanshin Kyūkō Railway Company (京阪神急行電鉄株式会社) or "Keihanshin", (京阪神).
1944/03 - Performances at the Tokyo Takarazuka theater are suspended due to war.
1945/8 - Atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrenders.
1945/11 - One male student was accepted into the Revue as part of a 3 year training program before being allowed to perform.
1945/12 - Four additional male students are accepted into the revue.
1945/12 - The Tokyo Takarazuka theater is seized by the US army and renamed the Ernie Pyle Theater (as far as I know the Takarazuka Revue did not perform there during this time since people of Japanese nationality were not permitted to attend the theater at this time since it was intended to give foreign army personnel a "taste of home".).
1946 - The Music School is renamed 宝塚音楽学校
1946 - Kageki once again beings publication.
1946/3 - Three male students are accepted into the Revue.
1946/04 - The Takarazuka Grand Theater is reopened and performances begin again.
1947 - GRAPH begins publication again.
1947 - The age limits for the music school are shortened to 16 - 18 years old.
1947/4 - The final five male students are accepted into the Revue (leading to a total of 13 male students).
1947/12 - The male performers were permitted to sing onstage with a female member in the show "Farewell Youth" but they would not be permitted to perform again due to backlash from the female actresses and fans.
1948 - Hoshigumi was reformed.
1948 - Yearly Takarazuka Stage Albums begin publication.
1943/05 - 07 - 2nd China Tour
1943/10 - The Hanshin Kyūkō and Keihan Electric Railway were merged, and renamed Keihanshin Kyūkō Railway Company (京阪神急行電鉄株式会社) or "Keihanshin", (京阪神).
1944/03 - Performances at the Tokyo Takarazuka theater are suspended due to war.
1945/8 - Atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan surrenders.
1945/11 - One male student was accepted into the Revue as part of a 3 year training program before being allowed to perform.
1945/12 - Four additional male students are accepted into the revue.
1945/12 - The Tokyo Takarazuka theater is seized by the US army and renamed the Ernie Pyle Theater (as far as I know the Takarazuka Revue did not perform there during this time since people of Japanese nationality were not permitted to attend the theater at this time since it was intended to give foreign army personnel a "taste of home".).
1946 - The Music School is renamed 宝塚音楽学校
1946 - Kageki once again beings publication.
1946/3 - Three male students are accepted into the Revue.
1946/04 - The Takarazuka Grand Theater is reopened and performances begin again.
1947 - GRAPH begins publication again.
1947 - The age limits for the music school are shortened to 16 - 18 years old.
1947/4 - The final five male students are accepted into the Revue (leading to a total of 13 male students).
1947/12 - The male performers were permitted to sing onstage with a female member in the show "Farewell Youth" but they would not be permitted to perform again due to backlash from the female actresses and fans.
1948 - Hoshigumi was reformed.
1948 - Yearly Takarazuka Stage Albums begin publication.
1950 - 1959
1951 - A live horse is used on-stage for the show "Gubijin" and creates a lot of renewed interest in Takarazuka
1951 - The first use of hand held microphone on stage after a director traveled to the US and observed handheld microphones being used in Broadway shows. (prior to this actresses would stand in front of a stationary mic on the edge of the stage to sing)
1952 - 12 men were proposed to appear onstage as part of the Takarazuka Revue. Again, facing backlash from the fans the company finally relented in March 1954 after Gu Bijin proved that the Revue could succeed with just female actresses and the company released all the men from their contracts. A book about these male performers was written in 2004 titled "Takarazuka Boys". A play was subsequently created based off of it.
1951 - The first use of hand held microphone on stage after a director traveled to the US and observed handheld microphones being used in Broadway shows. (prior to this actresses would stand in front of a stationary mic on the edge of the stage to sing)
1952 - 12 men were proposed to appear onstage as part of the Takarazuka Revue. Again, facing backlash from the fans the company finally relented in March 1954 after Gu Bijin proved that the Revue could succeed with just female actresses and the company released all the men from their contracts. A book about these male performers was written in 2004 titled "Takarazuka Boys". A play was subsequently created based off of it.
The Takarazuka Boys in 1953
1953 - The age range for the music school are lengthened to 15 - 18 years old.
1954 - The final remaining male performers left the Revue and it returned to being all female.
1954 - The movie "Madame Butterfly" is filmed in Italy. Members of the Revue are flown out to perform in it.
1955/01 - The Tokyo Takarazuka theater is finally returned to Hankyu and performances resume with the show "Gu Bijin".
1955 - Dry ice is used for the first time to create smoke effects in the show "Blue Hawaii".
1955/04 - Takarazuka participates in the Hawaii Sakura Festival in Hawaii
1956 - The current grey uniform with red bow tie required for Takarazuka Music School students to wear is introduced.
1956/03 - 04 - Takarazuka again partiiaptes in the Hawaii Sakura Festival
1957 - A 50 step grand staircase is used in the revival of "Mon Paris"
1957/01 - Ichizo Kobayashi dies.
1957/04 - 05 - Takarazuka participates in the Hawaii Sakura Festival for a third time.
1958/02 - A fire breaks out at the Tokyo Takarazuka theater and 3 people are killed.
1954 - The final remaining male performers left the Revue and it returned to being all female.
1954 - The movie "Madame Butterfly" is filmed in Italy. Members of the Revue are flown out to perform in it.
1955/01 - The Tokyo Takarazuka theater is finally returned to Hankyu and performances resume with the show "Gu Bijin".
1955 - Dry ice is used for the first time to create smoke effects in the show "Blue Hawaii".
1955/04 - Takarazuka participates in the Hawaii Sakura Festival in Hawaii
1956 - The current grey uniform with red bow tie required for Takarazuka Music School students to wear is introduced.
1956/03 - 04 - Takarazuka again partiiaptes in the Hawaii Sakura Festival
1957 - A 50 step grand staircase is used in the revival of "Mon Paris"
1957/01 - Ichizo Kobayashi dies.
1957/04 - 05 - Takarazuka participates in the Hawaii Sakura Festival for a third time.
1958/02 - A fire breaks out at the Tokyo Takarazuka theater and 3 people are killed.
Image from vintaka.fc2web.com/tohofire.html
1958/04/01 - Tsukigumi actress Hiromi Katsuki 香月弘美 is killed during a performance at the Takarazuka Grand Theater when her costume is caught in the mechanics of the lift following the end of a scene and an upcoming quick change for the next scene. She was wearing an underskirt with a metal band about the waist and when her costume became stuck there was no way to free herself. Her feet were dragged into the moving mechanism and the metal band cut into her torso, killing her. Following her death the lifts had safety guards installed, the speed at which they were dropped and raised was slowed, and all metal costume parts were removed and replaced with bamboo. A memorial was built for her at the Takarazuka Music School and every April 1st the TMS students place flowers on it.
1959/07-11 - Canadian and American International Tour
1959/07-11 - Canadian and American International Tour
1960 - 1969
1960/3/01 - The amusement park area (I believe originally called "Lunar Park") near the theater in Takarazuka is renamed "Takarazuka Family Land"
1961 - Teruko Akashi, a very popular otokoyaku star, gets the first sayonara show for her taidan.
1964 - Takarazuka begins airing a weekly show on Fuji TV
1965/09 - 10 - Paris Tour
1967 - Takarazuka begins to put on popular Western musicals such as West Side Story and Oklahoma
1968/06 - The first shinjinkoen is performed. They are only performed once per show.
1961 - Teruko Akashi, a very popular otokoyaku star, gets the first sayonara show for her taidan.
1964 - Takarazuka begins airing a weekly show on Fuji TV
1965/09 - 10 - Paris Tour
1967 - Takarazuka begins to put on popular Western musicals such as West Side Story and Oklahoma
1968/06 - The first shinjinkoen is performed. They are only performed once per show.
1970 - 1979
1970 - The Osaka Expo is held. To encourage visitors to ride the Hankyu train all the way out to Takarazuka the performance time of shows was shortened and a 30 minute break between acts (or shows and revues) was established as it was felt longer performances would bore tourists and potential new fans.
1972/7 - A retirement age of 57 was introduced. However this age does not apply to actresses who are also members of the board. The retirement age was later raised to 60.
1973 - The peacock tail style feathers wore on the back of top stars begins to make an appearance. They won't really begin to match what we're used to seeing today until later in the 70s.
1973/04 - The Keihanshin Kyūkō Railway Company was renamed Hankyu Corporation (阪急電鉄株式会社).
1974 - "Rose of Versailles" is performed for the first time. It is hugely popular. It is estimated approximately 1.4 million people attended the performances. It is credited with saving the Revue as its viewership had been decreasing prior to this.
1976 - "Gone With the Wind" is performed for the first time. It is the first time an otokoyaku wore facial hair . Note: I don't know how legit this information is because I've seen postcards from the 1930s with actresses wearing fake beards.
1977 - A new form of contract was introduced where the actresses are under contract to the company for the first 7 years. Afterwards they could negotiate their own contracts to continue performing with the company.
1978 - The Bow Hall is opened.
1972/7 - A retirement age of 57 was introduced. However this age does not apply to actresses who are also members of the board. The retirement age was later raised to 60.
1973 - The peacock tail style feathers wore on the back of top stars begins to make an appearance. They won't really begin to match what we're used to seeing today until later in the 70s.
1973/04 - The Keihanshin Kyūkō Railway Company was renamed Hankyu Corporation (阪急電鉄株式会社).
1974 - "Rose of Versailles" is performed for the first time. It is hugely popular. It is estimated approximately 1.4 million people attended the performances. It is credited with saving the Revue as its viewership had been decreasing prior to this.
1976 - "Gone With the Wind" is performed for the first time. It is the first time an otokoyaku wore facial hair . Note: I don't know how legit this information is because I've seen postcards from the 1930s with actresses wearing fake beards.
1977 - A new form of contract was introduced where the actresses are under contract to the company for the first 7 years. Afterwards they could negotiate their own contracts to continue performing with the company.
1978 - The Bow Hall is opened.
1980 - 1989
1980s - The current Top Otokoyaku / Top Musumeyaku star system was established. Prior to this lead roles were shared between popular members of each of the troupes with no one pair guaranteed to have all the top roles.
Early 1980s - The unofficial fan clubs begin to form and rules, such as not shouting out during performances or excessive clapping, are unofficially established among the fans. An attempt was also made to try to classify the troupes such as Hanagumi being known for dancing, Tsukigumi being known for dramas, Yukigumi being known or nihonmono type shows, and Hoshigumi being known for elaborate costumes.
1984 - The shinjinkoen schedule is revised and are now performed twice per show (previously they were only performed once).
1985 - Daichi Mao and her partner Kuroki Hitomi retire together, setting the precedent for top star partners to retire together (though this is not always the case).
1986: A line dance of 126 people is conducted during a Hoshigumi performance, the largest line dance of it's time.
1987 Kohei Kobayashi 小林公平, the grandson of Ichizo, becomes president of the Takarazuka Music School .
1987 - "Me and My Girl" is performed for the first time.
Early 1980s - The unofficial fan clubs begin to form and rules, such as not shouting out during performances or excessive clapping, are unofficially established among the fans. An attempt was also made to try to classify the troupes such as Hanagumi being known for dancing, Tsukigumi being known for dramas, Yukigumi being known or nihonmono type shows, and Hoshigumi being known for elaborate costumes.
1984 - The shinjinkoen schedule is revised and are now performed twice per show (previously they were only performed once).
1985 - Daichi Mao and her partner Kuroki Hitomi retire together, setting the precedent for top star partners to retire together (though this is not always the case).
1986: A line dance of 126 people is conducted during a Hoshigumi performance, the largest line dance of it's time.
1987 Kohei Kobayashi 小林公平, the grandson of Ichizo, becomes president of the Takarazuka Music School .
1987 - "Me and My Girl" is performed for the first time.
1990 - 1999
1992 - 1993 - The Takarazuka Grand Theater was rebuilt.
1995/01 - The Takarazuka Grand Theater was heavily damaged during an earthquake. It was quickly fixed but attendance levels remained low until 2001.
1996 - "Elisabeth" was performed for the first time, helping to rebuild some of Takarazuka's popularity.
1997/12 - The Tokyo Theater is closed in order to be rebuilt. A new temporary theater, called "The 1,000 days Theater" is opened to house Takarazuka`s Tokyo performances in the meantime.
1998 - Soragumi was formed.
1998/12 - The Takarazuka music school moves to a new building.
1995/01 - The Takarazuka Grand Theater was heavily damaged during an earthquake. It was quickly fixed but attendance levels remained low until 2001.
1996 - "Elisabeth" was performed for the first time, helping to rebuild some of Takarazuka's popularity.
1997/12 - The Tokyo Theater is closed in order to be rebuilt. A new temporary theater, called "The 1,000 days Theater" is opened to house Takarazuka`s Tokyo performances in the meantime.
1998 - Soragumi was formed.
1998/12 - The Takarazuka music school moves to a new building.
2000 - 2009
2000 - All nibantes (2nd ranked actresses about to become top stars) and sanbantes (third tier actresses who may or may not become top stars or older popular actresses who support the Top Star) were transferred to Senka. This period became known as "New Senka". This move was extremely unpopular with the fans as it made it difficult to follow their favorite actresses and they missed seeing the familiarity of actresses who had been performing together for years. Eventually all the nibantes and sanbantes were gradually returned to troupes as this system was abandoned.
2001 - Sky Stage, Takarazuka`s dedicated satellite channel began broadcasting.
2001 - The new Tokyo Grand Theater opened.
2003 - The Takarazuka Music school, in partnership with Koyodai High School, began offering an option curriculum to allow students who did not graduate from high school to work towards getting a high school diploma.
2003/8/31 - Takarazuka Family Land, the amusement park next to the theater was closed, partially due to competition from Universal Studies in Osaka.
2004 - The Takarazuka Music school began teaching English as part of its curriculum.
2007 - The 7 year contract requirement established in 1977 was shortened to 6 years for actresses graduating from the 93rd class.
2008 - The Takarazuka Music school removed English as part of its curriculum.
2009 - The performance run for main theater shows was shortened to ensure every troupe performs 2 grand theater shows per year.
2009 - The Entrance exam for the Takarazuka music school was significantly revised to allow students who could not perfectly execute the required singing and dancing portions the chance to enter the school if the testers believed there was "potential" for them to learn to do so.
2009 - The Takarazuka Music school curriculum was also changed and new classes were added while others were removed or became optional.
2009 - 2011 - 96th Class Bullying incident: (Because this is still impacting some active members of the Revue I'll go into more detail since fans may still run across this referenced in places).
The company was sued multiple times by a former Takarazuka Music School student who was expelled from the 96th class prior to the graduation. Her classmates had accused her of stealing from them and from a local convenience store. The girl denied having stolen anything and, in turn, accused the school of allowing her to be bullied by her former classmates and then expelling her for a false reason (theft). In December of 2008 to January 2009 the student and her parents sued the school over her expulsion. A blog that had been posted and maintained by a former member of the 96th class whom she had accused of bullying her did appear to collaborate the expelled student`s claim of ongoing bullying by her classmates as it contained photos of members of the 96th class reenacting photos of them physically assaulting her as well as claims of theft they had made against her.
The student won the first case and the court ruled she should still be a member of the music school. The music school expelled her for a second time on January 17th in defiance of the court order. The girl and her family filed a complaint in March of 2009 and the court imposed a daily fine of 10,000 yen on the school for every day they refused to allow her to return. However the school ignored the court`s orders and refused to overturn her expulsion or pay the girl's family. The school took the court case to a higher court but in August 2009, that court sided with the original court decision. The music school still refused to allow the student to return despite the higher court ruling against it.
For a third time the expelled girl and her family filed a case against the Music School on November 1st, 2009, this time demanding 10 million yen (~$90,000 USD) as compensation for their refusal to reinstate her.
Teachers at the music school, the principal, and 13 members of the 96th class were called to testify at this third trial. Before the court could announce their ruling on the outcome, the Music School decided to settle with the expelled student (potentially due to the bad PR they were getting in newspapers and how public the issue had become. Their arguments that the girl had not been bullied by her peers was also screwed by the blog kept by a member of the 96th class during the time of the alleged bullying which detailed incidents of fellow classmates acting extremely inappropriately towards the expelled student.). Her expulsion was removed from her record and she was given a diploma from the school. However she was not permitted to perform with the Revue and subsequently did not appear in either the bunkasai or on stage as an official member of the graduating class. No information on a monetary settlement or apology from the company was published.
Due to members of the 96th class being called to testify at the third trial, the trial being open to the public (a number of fans attended and took and shared notes of the testimonies online so everyone knew who did/said what), and the public blog that had been maintained by a former member of the 96th class during 2008-2009 period when the bullying occurred, news about the case quickly spread among the fans and it became an embarrassing scandal for the company and impacted a number of the newly graduated 96ths that the company was pushing. Interest over the issue would again flare up when the company quietly allowed the student who had created and ran the blog that detailed the bullying of the other student to rejoin the music school (she had been forced to "voluntarily" drop out when the blog came to light over Christmas 2009) long enough to finish her degree and perform in the 98th bunkasai in 2012. This actress was immediately retired following her performance in the bunkasai and was never allowed to perform in an official show. She had previously apologized to the bullied student for the blog and had written a letter submitted at the third trial stating that she had not accused the bullied student of shoplifting (a number of 96ths had testified that she had said she'd seen the girl shoplifting which was why they believed she had done so and the school officials had sought to use this accusation as the basis for them expelling the bullied student.).
This website has a large amount of info on it regarding the incident as well as testimonies from the 3rd trial. Note: The web author does straight up call out a current member of the Revue who was the bullied girl's roommate by name and while it uses letters to try to mask the other actress names it contains enough information for you to figure out what letter stands for what member of the 96th class pretty easily. If you don't want this to color your impression of certain current actresses, I'd suggest letting it lie until they retire. The whole thing happened over 10 years ago and people do grow up so it'll lie until you're ready. The school admin itself also holds a lot of blame here for either not supervising these kids or just straight up ignoring bullying. They were also doing some pretty shady stuff involving accusations and testimonies so they look like they deserve a whole lot of the blame here as well. Also, blowing off the court orders? Are you kidding? Crazy.
2001 - Sky Stage, Takarazuka`s dedicated satellite channel began broadcasting.
2001 - The new Tokyo Grand Theater opened.
2003 - The Takarazuka Music school, in partnership with Koyodai High School, began offering an option curriculum to allow students who did not graduate from high school to work towards getting a high school diploma.
2003/8/31 - Takarazuka Family Land, the amusement park next to the theater was closed, partially due to competition from Universal Studies in Osaka.
2004 - The Takarazuka Music school began teaching English as part of its curriculum.
2007 - The 7 year contract requirement established in 1977 was shortened to 6 years for actresses graduating from the 93rd class.
2008 - The Takarazuka Music school removed English as part of its curriculum.
2009 - The performance run for main theater shows was shortened to ensure every troupe performs 2 grand theater shows per year.
2009 - The Entrance exam for the Takarazuka music school was significantly revised to allow students who could not perfectly execute the required singing and dancing portions the chance to enter the school if the testers believed there was "potential" for them to learn to do so.
2009 - The Takarazuka Music school curriculum was also changed and new classes were added while others were removed or became optional.
2009 - 2011 - 96th Class Bullying incident: (Because this is still impacting some active members of the Revue I'll go into more detail since fans may still run across this referenced in places).
The company was sued multiple times by a former Takarazuka Music School student who was expelled from the 96th class prior to the graduation. Her classmates had accused her of stealing from them and from a local convenience store. The girl denied having stolen anything and, in turn, accused the school of allowing her to be bullied by her former classmates and then expelling her for a false reason (theft). In December of 2008 to January 2009 the student and her parents sued the school over her expulsion. A blog that had been posted and maintained by a former member of the 96th class whom she had accused of bullying her did appear to collaborate the expelled student`s claim of ongoing bullying by her classmates as it contained photos of members of the 96th class reenacting photos of them physically assaulting her as well as claims of theft they had made against her.
The student won the first case and the court ruled she should still be a member of the music school. The music school expelled her for a second time on January 17th in defiance of the court order. The girl and her family filed a complaint in March of 2009 and the court imposed a daily fine of 10,000 yen on the school for every day they refused to allow her to return. However the school ignored the court`s orders and refused to overturn her expulsion or pay the girl's family. The school took the court case to a higher court but in August 2009, that court sided with the original court decision. The music school still refused to allow the student to return despite the higher court ruling against it.
For a third time the expelled girl and her family filed a case against the Music School on November 1st, 2009, this time demanding 10 million yen (~$90,000 USD) as compensation for their refusal to reinstate her.
Teachers at the music school, the principal, and 13 members of the 96th class were called to testify at this third trial. Before the court could announce their ruling on the outcome, the Music School decided to settle with the expelled student (potentially due to the bad PR they were getting in newspapers and how public the issue had become. Their arguments that the girl had not been bullied by her peers was also screwed by the blog kept by a member of the 96th class during the time of the alleged bullying which detailed incidents of fellow classmates acting extremely inappropriately towards the expelled student.). Her expulsion was removed from her record and she was given a diploma from the school. However she was not permitted to perform with the Revue and subsequently did not appear in either the bunkasai or on stage as an official member of the graduating class. No information on a monetary settlement or apology from the company was published.
Due to members of the 96th class being called to testify at the third trial, the trial being open to the public (a number of fans attended and took and shared notes of the testimonies online so everyone knew who did/said what), and the public blog that had been maintained by a former member of the 96th class during 2008-2009 period when the bullying occurred, news about the case quickly spread among the fans and it became an embarrassing scandal for the company and impacted a number of the newly graduated 96ths that the company was pushing. Interest over the issue would again flare up when the company quietly allowed the student who had created and ran the blog that detailed the bullying of the other student to rejoin the music school (she had been forced to "voluntarily" drop out when the blog came to light over Christmas 2009) long enough to finish her degree and perform in the 98th bunkasai in 2012. This actress was immediately retired following her performance in the bunkasai and was never allowed to perform in an official show. She had previously apologized to the bullied student for the blog and had written a letter submitted at the third trial stating that she had not accused the bullied student of shoplifting (a number of 96ths had testified that she had said she'd seen the girl shoplifting which was why they believed she had done so and the school officials had sought to use this accusation as the basis for them expelling the bullied student.).
This website has a large amount of info on it regarding the incident as well as testimonies from the 3rd trial. Note: The web author does straight up call out a current member of the Revue who was the bullied girl's roommate by name and while it uses letters to try to mask the other actress names it contains enough information for you to figure out what letter stands for what member of the 96th class pretty easily. If you don't want this to color your impression of certain current actresses, I'd suggest letting it lie until they retire. The whole thing happened over 10 years ago and people do grow up so it'll lie until you're ready. The school admin itself also holds a lot of blame here for either not supervising these kids or just straight up ignoring bullying. They were also doing some pretty shady stuff involving accusations and testimonies so they look like they deserve a whole lot of the blame here as well. Also, blowing off the court orders? Are you kidding? Crazy.
2010 - 2019
2010/05 - Kohei Kobayashi 小林公平 dies.
2013/07 - A 100th anniversary ceremony was held for the Revue.
2014/04 - A new Takarazuka museum is opened in the Takarazuka Grand Theater.
2016 - Due to popular shows such as Lupin III and Rurouni Kenshin, the popularity of the Takarazuka Revue skyrocketed with theaters reaching 100% capacity for the year. Sagiri Seina, Yukigumi's top otokoyaku, in particular managed to achieve 100% ticket sales for five consecutive shows at the Takarazuka Grand Theater. While this has been fantastic for the company, it has frustrated many fans who were unable to get tickets, leading to a larger number of shows being broadcast in local movie theaters.
2018 - Attendance rates continue to exceed 100% in both the Tokyo and Takarazuka grand theater.
2020/02 - Shows are temporarily suspended due to virus fears.
2020/03 - The original Takarazuka hotel is closed and a new one is opened in May next to the Takarauka Grand Theater.
2013/07 - A 100th anniversary ceremony was held for the Revue.
2014/04 - A new Takarazuka museum is opened in the Takarazuka Grand Theater.
2016 - Due to popular shows such as Lupin III and Rurouni Kenshin, the popularity of the Takarazuka Revue skyrocketed with theaters reaching 100% capacity for the year. Sagiri Seina, Yukigumi's top otokoyaku, in particular managed to achieve 100% ticket sales for five consecutive shows at the Takarazuka Grand Theater. While this has been fantastic for the company, it has frustrated many fans who were unable to get tickets, leading to a larger number of shows being broadcast in local movie theaters.
2018 - Attendance rates continue to exceed 100% in both the Tokyo and Takarazuka grand theater.
2020/02 - Shows are temporarily suspended due to virus fears.
2020/03 - The original Takarazuka hotel is closed and a new one is opened in May next to the Takarauka Grand Theater.