The "Actors' Analects", or "''Yakusha Rongo''" is a collection of 17th and early 18th century writings on the practice and aesthetics of acting in Japan's [[kabuki]] theatre form, compiled during or around the [[Genroku]] era (1688-1704). Though not providing much direct information about the origins or history of the development of kabuki in prior periods, the works collected were written at a time when many of the standards of kabuki were being established and formalized; the work thus reflects the philosophies and aesthetics of one of kabuki's most formative periods. One of the earliest extant versions was originally published in 1776, as a set of [[woodblock printing|woodblock printed]] books in four volumes. It is unclear whether the Analects were printed as a collection before this time, but references to the "seven writings" indicate that the works were considered together as a group, even if they were not published in such a fashion, since their creation in the early 18th century. | The "Actors' Analects", or "''Yakusha Rongo''" is a collection of 17th and early 18th century writings on the practice and aesthetics of acting in Japan's [[kabuki]] theatre form, compiled during or around the [[Genroku]] era (1688-1704). Though not providing much direct information about the origins or history of the development of kabuki in prior periods, the works collected were written at a time when many of the standards of kabuki were being established and formalized; the work thus reflects the philosophies and aesthetics of one of kabuki's most formative periods. One of the earliest extant versions was originally published in 1776, as a set of [[woodblock printing|woodblock printed]] books in four volumes. It is unclear whether the Analects were printed as a collection before this time, but references to the "seven writings" indicate that the works were considered together as a group, even if they were not published in such a fashion, since their creation in the early 18th century. |