To what extent did the social expectations and views of Japanese women lead to the support and success of the Takarazuka Revue?

The aim of this thesis was to determine to what extend did the social expectations and views of Japanese women lead to the support and success of the all-female Takarazuka Revue. I shall do this through evaluating numerous different factors which contributed to the success of the Takarazuka Revue in varying extents. These factors are: the history of Kabuki theatre, society during and after the Meiji Period, the business decisions of Kobayashi, the Takarazuka Music school and the otokoyaku(male role) within the Takarazuka Revue’s performances. To successfully answer this thesis, I will use the qualitative method of literature analysis; specifically, on the well-known books by Jennifer Robertson and Makiko Yamanashi which include interviews, statistics, critics and journalists that comment on Japanese society and the Takarazuka Revue. The conclusion of this thesis indicates that the social expectations and views of Japanese women was the ultimate reason for the support and success of the revue due to its underlying links and impacts this had on the other contributing factors which were discusse