Japanese Political Theatre in the Eighteenth Century illuminates how the puppet theatre in Osaka articulated a commoner perspective on history, power relations and ethics in the early modern period. In the eighteenth century, the samurai class held political power and dominated most urban centres. In Osaka, however, commoners – merchants, artisans and labourers – drove the city's economic and cultural life. Through an analysis of eight history plays, Odanaka and Iwai demonstrate that the puppet theatre – Osaka's premier performance form – gave voice to the commoner class and provided them with a means to place themselves into stories of the past and assert their values and concerns in the present.

The authors open with a distillation of the social, political and cultural landscape that structured life for commoners in early modern Japan. They offer comparisons to Asian and Western contexts for accessible entry for those unfamiliar with Japan's history. The second chapter focuses on the dramaturgy of bunraku plays. Readers new to the form will come away with an understanding of the puppet theatre's theatricality, narrative structure (including the complex use of punning) and relation to kabuki. Odanaka and Iwai describe the synergy of the puppetry, the chanter's voice and the text, using metaphors from film so readers can picture the interplay between the elements in performance. Taken together, these chapters build a foundation in the context and the theatrical form to support the detailed case studies that follow.

Odanaka and Iwai elucidate a range of political themes through their case studies, including social discrimination and marginalization, nationalism, commoner ethics, the relationship between commoners and the imperial house, and the politics of eros. Arranged chronologically, the chapters furnish a history of the puppet theatre's development. The first case studies feature early masterpieces: Chikamatsu Monzaemon's The Battles of Coxinga (1715) and Takeda Izumo I's A Courtly Mirror of Ashiya Dōman (1734). The authors then turn to the major works of the ‘golden age’ of bunraku: Sugawara and the Secrets of Calligraphy (1746), Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees (1747), and Chūshingura (1748). Three works by Chikamatsu Hanji close the volume: The Genji Vanguard in Ōmi Province (1769), Mount Imo and Mount Se: Precepts for Women (1771), and Travel Game While Crossing Iga (1783). Hanji's works are under-represented in English-language scholarship, which makes their inclusion particularly welcome. Odanaka and Iwai conclude with a brief history of bunraku after the eighteenth century.

The case studies that present a new view of common assumptions make a significant contribution to scholarship on early modern bunraku. For example, scholars often characterize the early modern period as isolated from the rest of the world due to the government policy of seclusion. Odanaka and Iwai counter this narrative by showcasing the growth of Japanese nationalism in their analysis of Chikamatsu's Coxinga. They reveal how Chikamatsu adapted the story of Watōnai, a half-Japanese, half-Chinese hero, to craft a ‘nationalist triplet of divinity, ethnicity, and warfare’ (p. 49). The authors’ examination of Chūshingura unravels the perception that the play represents a celebration of samurai loyalty. Odanaka and Iwai make a convincing argument that the play presents samurai loyalty through the merchant ethics of Osaka commoners and that loyalty emerges as a commodity that could be bought. Their analysis of Genji Vanguard demonstrates how artists subtly negotiated their treatment of forbidden topics to champion views at odds with the shogunal government despite strict censorship rules.

Odanaka and Iwai's impressive command of the puppet theatre repertoire, the intricacies of the form, the social and political contexts, and the debates that animate the field make the book a valuable contribution to English-language scholarship on performance in early modern Japan. They illuminate a range of political themes and counter entrenched narratives of the period while providing a history of the development of the form. As case studies, the individual chapters can be read on their own and are well suited for inclusion in global theatre history syllabi.