Kōhei Tsuka

was a Korean-Japanese playwright, theater director, and screenwriter. He was one of Japan's most influential theater figures, to the extent that recent Japanese theatrical history has been divided into pre-Tsuka and post-Tsuka periods. His pen name is derived from "itsuka kohei", meaning "equal someday." He focused less on text, often improvising based on the written play, and used the everyday language of the youth. The sets of his plays were minimal, with the stage almost empty. His system, called jikogekika, compels actors to put themselves and their ideas on stage, with little concern for society as a whole.

Tsuka took a break from the stage from November 1982 to February 1989.

Selected works 1970 Yūbinya-san chotto 1971 Sensō de shinenakatta otōsan no tame ni 1972 Shokyū kakumei kōza hiryūden 1973 Atami satsujin jiken (, The Atami Murder Case) 1980 Sutorippā monogatari 1981 Kamata kōshinkyoku 1982 Bara Hoteru 1982 Tsuka-ban Chūshingura 1983 Seishun kakeochiban 1987 Kyōko

Awards

Kunio Kishida Drama Prize for "The Atami Murder Case" (1974) 86th Naoki Literary Prize for the film Fall Guy (1981) Japan Academy Prize for Screenplay of the Year for the film Fall Guy (1983)