Traditional National Kabuki Theatre (Japan): Tours in the USSR (Traditsionnyy natsionalnyy teatr Kabuki. Gastroli v SSSR), 1987. In Russian

Традиционный национальный театр Кабуки (Япония). Гастроли в СССР.
Москва: Союзрекламкультура, 1987.
12 с. : цв. ил. Мягкая издательская обложка, энциклопедический формат.
***
Traditional National Kabuki Theatre (Japan). Tours in the USSR.
Moscow: Soyuzreklamkultura, 1987.
12 pp.: color ill. Softcover, encyclopedic format. In Russian.

This 1987 program booklet is a vibrant cultural artifact documenting the historic performances of the Japanese Kabuki Theatre in the Soviet Union. Published by Soyuzreklamkultura, the official advertising and cultural agency of the late Soviet era, this large-format publication served as a guide for Soviet audiences experiencing one of the world's most stylized and ancient dramatic arts during the height of Perestroika. The 1987 tour featured a meticulously curated selection of plays that showcased the diverse schools and technical mastery of Kabuki: "Sumidagawa" (The Sumida River): A poignant masterpiece of the Kiyomoto school, blending music and dance to tell a tragic story of maternal grief. "Kanjincho" (The Subscription List): A cornerstone of the Kabuki repertoire dating back to 1840. It is famously part of the "Kabuki Juhachiban" (The Eighteen Great Plays) and is celebrated for its dramatic tension and the iconic mie poses of the actors. "Keisei Hangonko": A play adapted from the Ningyo-joruri (puppet theatre) tradition, demonstrating Kabuki's ability to absorb and transform other classical Japanese performing arts. The booklet is richly illustrated with color photographs of the actors in full Kumadori makeup and elaborate silk costumes, providing a visual bridge for the audience to understand the symbolism behind the performance. It includes historical context on the development of Kabuki and explanations of the unique stagecraft, such as the hanamichi (flower path) ramp. For historians of theatre, orientalists, and collectors of theatre ephemera, this program is a rare record of international cultural exchange between the USSR and Japan. It represents a moment of high artistic diplomacy, bringing the "Floating World" of the Edo period to the stages of Moscow and Leningrad.