Kawatake Mokuami was a prominent [[kabuki]] playwright of the [[Bakumatsu]] and [[Meiji period]]s, and one of the most celebrated kabuki playwrights today. He is known chiefly for ''shiranamimono'' (stories of charming thieves) and other ''[[kizewamono]]'' (a type of play set in low-class contemporary settings, focusing on gamblers and thieves). Roughly 360 of his works survive today; many are still performed today, with [[Benten Kozo|Benten Kozô]] ([[1862]]) being the most famous. | Kawatake Mokuami was a prominent [[kabuki]] playwright of the [[Bakumatsu]] and [[Meiji period]]s, and one of the most celebrated kabuki playwrights today. He is known chiefly for ''shiranamimono'' (stories of charming thieves) and other ''[[kizewamono]]'' (a type of play set in low-class contemporary settings, focusing on gamblers and thieves). Roughly 360 of his works survive today; many are still performed today, with [[Benten Kozo|Benten Kozô]] ([[1862]]) being the most famous. |