Between Reason of State and the Stage: Sacrifice and Dramaturgy in The Sad Story of a Woman

Abstract

This study analyzes the unpublished Brazilian translation of the play One Woman's Sad Story: The Tale of Foreigner Okichi (2025), by Yamamoto Yūzō, published by Editora UFPR, translated by Takao Namekata and revised by Márcia Hitomi Namekata. The objective of this review is to examine the publication's relevance to Japanese theatre studies in Brazil and its engagement with discussions on politics, gender, and stagecraft. The core question explores how this drama reveals the tensions between Japan's forced modernization and female oppression. The methodology is based on a critical analysis of the dramatic text and translation choices, structured around three main axes: the instrumentalization of the protagonist Okichi's body by reason of State, her physical and moral degradation as a critique of social hypocrisy, and translation strategies oriented toward theatrical performance and speech rhythm. It is concluded that the work goes beyond a historical recovery of the real-life figure Saitō Kichi by exposing patriarchal and political violence masked as national interest, while the translation offers a fluid, performative text suitable for contemporary staging.