WORLD OF DREAMS-EDO KABUKI, Illustrated edition   by Yukio Hattori, illustration by Kei Ichinoseki April 2001, 330 x 232 mm, 56 pages (includes 32 four color plates), 2,600- Kabuki is a representative form of Japanese classical theatre, and underwent major development during the Edo period (1603-1868). In fact the performance style established during this period remains unchanged to this day. This groundbreaking illustrated book conveys for the first time the attractions of Kabuki through elaborate illustrations depicting performances at the Nakamuraza Theater in Nihonbashi, Edo (present-day Tokyo). Portraying a young apprentice playwright as the narrator, the author describes a typical production as it might have occurred during the peak of Kabuki's popularity in the late Edo period, including the activities of actors and stagehands from the opening to closing performances. The book's creators demonstrate through highly detailed and realistic illustrations and text that a Kabuki production was in fact a type of festival involving both producers and audience members. The book project required eight years of hard work and close cooperation between author and illustrator. The writer conducted a thorough study of the literature on Kabuki and provided the illustrator with a great deal of information beyond the accompanying text to enable her to produce the accurate drawings, and often had the illustrator redraw the pictures many times. One anecdote states that the author asked the illustrator to include 1,000 people in each picture. The notes at the end of the book provide detailed explanations of each picture. About the Author and Illustrator Yukio Hattori Born in 1932, Yukio Hattori is professor emeritus at Chiba University. Hattori's publications include Kabuki Language; Grand Playhouse: Festive Space for Kabuki Performances in the Edo Period; and Deciphering Theater Drawings from the Edo Period. Kei Ichinoseki Born in 1950, Kei Ichinoseki is a cartoonist who graduated from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Ichinoseki has authored Hiroshige's Tea Boxes; and illustrated Manabu Tsukamoto's Lighting in the Edo Period.