.
By Allison M. Sutton, Jonas Yela, Carol Berthold, Nolan Vallier, and Somya Behave
Collection Overview
Title: Shozo Sato Papers, ca. 1930-2023
ID: 12/12/21
Primary Creator: Sato, Shozo (1933-)
Extent: 23.3 cubic feet
Arrangement:
The materials are arranged in four series: Series 1) Kabuki and Noh Theater Production Records, Series, 1969-2010; 2) Japanese Traditional Arts, 1964-2023; Series 3) Personal Papers and Photographs, 1930-2018; and Series 4) Publications, Drafts, and Awards, 1969-2010.
Series 1 is arranged by title of production and chronologically therein. It contains 18 subseries, which chronicle Sato's engagement with Kabuki.
Series 2 is arranged in four sub-series: Sub-series 1) Photo Albums and Scrapbooks, Sub-series 2) Caligraphy, Sub-series 3) Japan House, and Sub-series 4) Audio-visual Recordings. Sub-series 1 and 3 are arranged chronologically. Sub-series 4 follow the original order of the materials. Note Sub-series 2 is currently inaccessible and unavailable for research.
Series 3 is arranged chronologically by material type.
Series 4 is arranged into two sub-series: Sub-series 1) Publications and Drafts and Sub-series 2) Awards. Sub-series 1 is arranged alphabetically by title of publication and Sub-series 2 is arranged chronologically by award.
Date Acquired: 03/28/2008. More info below under Accruals.
Subjects: Faculty Papers, Fine and Applied Arts, College of, Illinois Theatre, Kabuki, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Music -- Japan, Theatre, Theatre Department
Languages: Japanese, English, German
Scope and Contents of the Materials
Consists of scrapbooks, correspondence, notes, scripts, playbills, news releases, lectures and demonstrations, promotional posters, awards, and honors, relating to Krannert Center for Performing Arts; Ikebana; Japanese tea ceremony; the creation, design, and construction of Japan House (1979-2005, 2017); Kabuki productions of Achilles, Medea, Iago's Plot, Othello, Macbeth, Madame Butterfly, and others; as well as press coverage, materials, and photographic documentation of workshops in the US, Japan, and Europe. Of particular note are Sato's scrapbooks of Kabuki productions, which include photographs, concert programs, and correspondence about each of the productions.
Biographical Note
Shozo Sato (1933-) was born in Kobe, Japan on May 18, 1933. The son of Takami Sato, he and his brother Tomoyaso were raised by his father's sisters, Hatsuko and Shizuno Sato, after his father accepted a military position managing a hospital in China during WWII. Sato's life in Japan during WWII had a profound impact on his artistic goals. After the war, he pursued a degree in Fine Arts from the Bunka Gakuen College in Tokyo, trained in Tea Ceremonies under Kishimoto Kosen, studied music at the Tokyo Seisen School, and enrolled at the Toho Academy of Performing Arts in Tokyo, where he studied with the master Kabuki artist, Nakamura Kanzaburo XVII.
Sato came to the University of Illinois as a visiting artist in 1964. He became an artist in resident for the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in 1969, offering courses and workshops in traditional Japanese arts including calligraphy, Sumi-e, Ikebana, Kabuki, and Tea Ceremony. He is best recognized for his adaptations of traditional western theatre, Macbeth, Medea, Othello, Faust, Achilles, Madame Butterfly and, The Mikado, in the style of Kabuki productions beginning in 1978.
In 1979 he was promoted to the rank of Assistant Professor of Art and eventually became a full professor. His work as a Kabuki dancer at the University of Illinois was officially recognized by the Nakamura family in 1985, when he was adopted into the Kabuki family and given the name Nakamura Kanzo IV.
Sato founded the Japan House at the University of Illinois in 1979. A center for traditional Japanese arts, the Japan House features tea rooms, a tea garden, and a rock garden. The gardens were expanded throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Nick Offerman--an American actor and student of Shozo Sato while attending the the University of Illinois, assisted in the design and construction of a pergola near the Japan House in 2017.
After retiring from the University in 1992, Sato continued to develop workshops on traditional Japanese arts in the United States and abroad from a second Japan House established in Northern California. His Kabuki play Iago's Plot, which was developed during a residency at Towson State University from 1994-1995, was performed in Baltimore, Cairo, and Weimar.
Sato is the author of The Art of Arranging Flowers: A Complete Guide (1968) and The Art of Sumi-E: Appreciation, Techniques, and Application (1984). Sato is a past recipient of the Joseph Jefferson Award in Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award, the Hollywood Drama Guild Award, South Africa's Vita Award, and the Baltimore Sun Award for directing and design. In 1992, the Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs honored him with the Certificate of Commendation for promoting Japanese culture globally and in 2004 he was awarded The Order of the Sacred Treasure with Rosette by the Emperor of Japan.
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository:
The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music
Accruals:
Additions accquired January 24, 2012; June 19 and 26, July 17 and 31, and August 7, 2024.
Acquisition Source:
Shozo Sato
Acquisition Method:
gift
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Series:
[
Series 1: Kabuki and Noh Theatre Production Records, 1934-2017],
[
Series 2: Japanese Traditional Arts, 1964-2023],
[
Series 3: Personal Papers and Photographs, 1930-2018],
[Series 4: Publications, Drafts, and Awards, 1969-2010],
[
All]
- Series 4: Publications, Drafts, and Awards, 1969-2010
- Consists of Publications and Drafts written by Sato and Awards earned by Sato. Materials are arranged into two sub-series: Sub-series 1) Publications and Drafts and Sub-series 2) Awards. Sub-series 1 is arranged alphabetically by title and chronologically therein. Sub-series 2 is arranged chronologically.
- Sub-Series 1: Publications and Drafts, 1969-2022
- Consists of publications and drafts. Materials are arranged alphabetically by title and chronological therein.
- Box 33
- Folder 30: Appreciation of Oriental Art, The - Lessons in the Appreciation and Practice of the Art of Simi-e, 10/1969
- Folder 31: Art of Sumi-e - Kodansha International Publishing Promotional Material, 1984
- Folder 32: Chazen - Zen Wisdom for Jeans and a T-Shirt, 2022
- Folder 33: Ichi Gyo Mono: Study of Calligraphy - Draft, ca. 2011
- Folder 34: Icho Gyo Mono - Study of Calligraphy Through Zengo - Draft (1 of 2), ca. 2011
- Folder 35: Icho Gyo Mono - Study of Calligraphy Through Zengo - Draft (2 of 2), ca. 2011
- Folder 36: Icho Gyo Mono - Study of Calligraphy Through Zengo - Manuscript A, ca. 2011
- Folder 37: Icho Gyo Mono - Study of Calligraphy Through Zengo - Manuscript A (2 of 2), ca. 2011
- Folder 38: Ichi Gyo Mono - Study of Calligraphy Through Zengo Manuscript IIA (1 of 3), ca. 2011
- Folder 39: Ichi Gyo Mono - Study of Calligraphy Through Zengo Manuscript IIA (2 of 3), ca. 2011
- Folder 40: Ichi Gyo Mono - Study of Calligraphy Through Zengo Manuscript IIA (3 of 3), ca. 2011
- Folder 41: Icho Gyo Mono - Study of Calligraphy Through Zengo - Manuscript B (1 of 2), ca. 2011
- Folder 42: Icho Gyo Mono - Study of Calligraphy Through Zengo - Manuscript B (2 of 2), ca. 2011
- Folder 43: Icho Gyo Mono - Study of Calligraphy Through Zengo - Digital Files CD, 2011-2012
- Box 38
- Folder 1: Metamorphosis - Drafts and Photographs, 2016
- Folder 2: Awards Scrapbook, 1980-1994
- Box 39
- Folder 1: Invitation for Kabuki Performance by Hatsuda Mine Elementary School Students in Dayton, 1990
- Folder 2: Ikebana - Chapter 1: Correspondence, Photos, Drafts, 2010
- Folder 3: Ikebana - Chapter 2: Original Art, Drawings, 2010
- Folder 4: Ikebana - Chapter 3: Original Art, Drafts, ca. 2010
- Folder 5: Ikebana - Chapter 7: Original Art Drafts, ca. 2010
- Folder 6: Ikebana - Chapter 8: Original Art, ca. 2010
- Folder 7: Ikebana - Chapter 9: Original Art, ca. 2010
- Folder 8: Ikebana - Chapter 10: Original Art Drafts, ca. 2010
- Folder 9: Ikebana - Photos for Introduction and Conclusion of Book, ca. 2010
- Folder 10: Ikebana - Moribana Style: Drawings and Explanations, ca. 2010
- Folder 11: Ikebana - Part I: History of Ikebana - Photos, Draft, ca. 2010
- Folder 12: Ikebana Part II: Styles in Ikebana - Rika. Seika - Photos, Drawings, Draft, ca. 2010
- Folder 13: Ikebana - Part II: Styles (continued) - Moribana, Freestyle; Face of Plants - Photos. Drawings, Drafts, ca. 2010
- Folder 14: Ikeabana - Part III: Tools for Ikebana - Photos, Drafts, Photo CDs, ca. 2010
- Folder 15: Ikebana - Part IV: Basic Techiques (1 of 2) - Photos, Draft, ca. 2010
- Folder 16: Ikebana - Part IV: Basic Techniques (2 of 2) - Photos, Draft, ca. 2010
- Folder 17: Ikebana - Part V: Basic Courses - Seika, Moribana, Nageire, ca.2010
- Folder 18: A New Approach to the Japanese Tea Ceremony - Draft, 1999
- Folder 19: A New Approach to the Japanese Tea Ceremony - Manuscript and Sample Photos, 2000
- Folder 20: Sadler's Tea Book - Draft of Introduction to New Edition, Undated
- Folder 21: Shodo Book Poster - The Quiet Art of Japanese Zen Calligraphy, ca. 2013
- Folder 22: Soul of Japan - Flower Arranging Draft, ca. 2004
- Folder 23: Soul of Japan - Flower Arrangement Draft, ca. 2004
- Folder 24: Soul of Japan - Publishing Contract, 2004
- Folder 25: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting - Introduction and Chapter 1 Draft, 2008
- Folder 25-32 under working title, "The Art of Suiboku-Ga."
- Folder 26: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting - Chapter 2: Equipment - Draft, 2008
- Folder 27: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting - Chapter 3 - How to Use the Brush - Draft, 2008
- Folder 28: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting - Chapter 4: Explanations of Sample Artwork - Draft, 2008
- Folder 29: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting - Chapter 4: Examples of Sample Artwork, 2009
- Folder 30: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting - Chapter 4: Examples of Sample Artwork, 2009
- See Box 7 for related material.
- Folder 31: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting - Chapter 1 and 2: Art of Black Ink; Equipment, ca. 2010
- Folder 32: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting - Chapter 2, 3, and 4: Equipment; Using the Brush; Sample Work, ca. 2010
- Box 40
- Folder 1: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting - Chapter 4: Explanation of Sample Work, ca. 2010
- Folder 1-8 under working title, "The Art of Suiboku-Ga."
- Folder 2: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting - Chapter 5: Trees, Grasses, Flowers - Draft, ca. 2010
- Folder 3: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting - Chapter 5: Trees, Grasses, Flowers - Draft, ca. 2010
- Folder 4: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting -Chapter 5: Trees, Grasses, Flowers - Draft, ca. 2010
- Folder 5: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting - Chapter 5: Trees, Grasses, Flowers - Draft, ca. 2010
- Folder 6: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting - Chapter 5: Trees, Grasses, Flowers - Draft, ca. 2010
- Folder 7: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting - Chapter 6: Innovative Spaces, ca. 2010
- Folder 8: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting - Chapter 7: Displaying the Artwork, ca. 2010
- Folder 9: Tea Ceremony Book (Za Kyu An), Undated
- Folder 10: Tea Ceremony Book - Draft, Undated
- Folder 11: Tea Ceremony Book with Doyle and Stephen - Draft, Undated
- Folder 12: Tea Ceremony for Young People (1 of 3), Undated
- Folder 13: Tea Ceremony for Young People (2 of 3), Undated
- Folder 14: Tea Ceremony for Young People (3 of 3), Undated
- Box 41
- Folder 1: Letter from Alice to Shozo's Editor, Undated
- Folder 2: Ikebana: The Art of Arranging Flowers Photograph Prints, 2007
- Folder 3: Ikebana: The Art of Arranging Flowers Photo CDs (1 of 2), ca. 2008
- Folder 4: Ikebana: The Art of Arranging Flowers Photo CDs (2 of 2), ca. 2008
- Folder 5: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting Photo CDs (1 of 2), ca. 2010
- Folder 6: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting Photo CDs (2 of 2), ca. 2010
- Box 42
- Folder 1: Ikebana: The Art of Arranging Flowers - Shozo Sato, 2008
- Book
- Folder 2: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting - Shozo Sato, 2010
- Book also includes DVD video.
- Box 7
- Folder 6: Sumi-e: The Art of Japanese Ink Painting Photograph, 2009
- Sub-Series 2: Awards, 1980-2005
- Arranged chronologically by award.
- Box 38
- Folder 2: Awards, 1980-1994
- Box 40
- Folder 15: IGI Life Vita National Theatre Awards Brochure, 1992-1993
- Folder 16: News Clippings About Order of the Sacred Treasure, 2004
- Folder 17: Jeff Awards Nomination and Correspondence, 2005
- Box 43
- Folder 1: KCPA Award, 1991
- For Furthering Excellence in the Performing Arts, and For Sharing Your Artistry, Creativity and Futuristic Vision, April 26, 27, 1991.
- Folder 2: Certificate of Retirement, 1992
- On the occasion of his retirement and performance: "Shozo Beginning to End: A Celebration of Kabuki Dance," March 20, 1992.
Browse by Series:
[
Series 1: Kabuki and Noh Theatre Production Records, 1934-2017],
[
Series 2: Japanese Traditional Arts, 1964-2023],
[
Series 3: Personal Papers and Photographs, 1930-2018],
[Series 4: Publications, Drafts, and Awards, 1969-2010],
[
All]
Holdings 
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