Originally devised for a Japanese audience, to mark the 400th anniversary of Japan and the UK’s trading relationship (giving or take a few centuries of cloistered isolation on the part of Japan), this play makes its premier appearance on the London stage in 2013. The drama tells the story of William Adams, a shipwrecked sailor who would eventually come to be known as Anjin, the most influential foreigner in the land, alongside the tragic power struggles of the great lords of Japan.
isually, Anjin is stunning. Dreamy golden clouds float around magnificent screen paintings. All the iconography of the floating world is on display (to sometimes cliched effect): cherry blossom floats down on the titular character and his lover, and snow whirls around as the play draws to a close. With dreamy koto strings and beautiful costuming, it’s not hard to feel transported back to samurai era Japan- or at least the Tom Cruise version of the period.
Staged in both English and Japanese, with subtitles each way, both the Japanese and British audience in attendance could in theory easily follow the action. In the initial scenes, perhaps to convey the discomforting feeling the sailors experienced by their lack of understanding of the Japanese language, translators would talk over the actors. This led to a babble effect, where neither the English nor Japanese could be clearly distinguished, however this problem seemed to right itself as the play moved along, and Anjin eventually picks up the native tongue.
Encompassing both Anjin’s internal struggles over his newfound Japanese identity and English heritage and wider Japanese political turmoil, the play has a lot to pack in, and some scenes feel overly long. Those without a basic knowledge or interest in seventeenth century Japanese politics (a topic which stretch can the attention span of even for the most avid Japanophile) may occasionally find themselves lost in the historical fog. Although there is plenty of comic relief throughout the drama, occasionally the slapstick jars with the stabs at more serious dramatic content.
Overall however, much like a gruelling long-haul flight to Japan itself, Anjin is worth the effort, for both Japanophiles and lovers of a good historical romp. For many western travellers in 2013, Japan remains a mysterious and foreign land, and is perhaps one of the most romanticised destinations in the world. This is especially true among the thriving online community of Japan fans, who like the awkward and occasionally pompous Adams, find comfort and self discovery in losing themselves in a strange new land.
