<figure id="attachment_465507" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-465507" style="width: 3319px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f9f94d01"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/77e974227c3ee00d50c103b18fffe6c9-1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-465507" class="wp-caption-text">Nizaemon Kataoka (foreground) and Kabuki actors wave to fans gathered for the ceremony after the &#8220;O-neriri&#8221;.</figcaption></figure>
<h2> The &#8220;Symbol of Naniwa,&#8221; with a history of over 100 years</h2>
<p> The Osaka Shochikuza Theater is in turmoil over the countdown to its demise.</p>
<p> The Osaka Shochikuza, a symbol of Dotonbori, Osaka. In a shocking development, the historic theater is to be demolished. Even the elegant front entrance, which has been called the &#8220;Arc de Triomphe of Dotonbori,&#8221; is to be demolished, sending tremors through the hearts of all concerned.</p>
<p> The decision was made at a meeting of the Shochiku Board of Directors on April 14. Although the timing of the start of construction has not yet been decided, the direction of &#8220;complete demolition&#8221; is said to have been firmly established.</p>
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<p> The Osaka Shochikuza was the first full-fledged Western-style theater in the Kansai region, built in 1923. In 1997, the theater was renovated, retaining its large arches, and reborn as a mecca for theatrical performances.</p>
<p> With two basement levels and eight stories above ground, it seats 1,033 people and has played a central role in the heart of Kansai entertainment as the base theater for Kamigata kabuki, Shochiku Shinki Gekijo, OSK Nippon Kabuki Company, and Kansai Junior. It has been a symbolic presence that conveys the atmosphere of the 400-year-old theatrical town of Dotonbori.</p>
<figure id="attachment_465508" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-465508" style="width: 3016px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="85364949"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/506bf05be3f22112208fe5e776fd11f5.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-465508" class="wp-caption-text"> The Osaka Shochikuza Theater with its beautiful arch</figcaption></figure>

<p> However, in August of last year, the company announced that it would close the theater due to its &#8220;decrepit condition. Since the &#8220;boat rides&#8221; that have become a popular summer tradition in Naniwa will no longer be possible, an &#8220;oreri&#8221; (procession) featuring popular Kabuki actors, including living national treasure Nizaemon Kataoka (82), was specially held on March 29, and the town was in a &#8220;good-bye&#8221; mood. The town was completely enveloped in a &#8220;good-bye&#8221; mood.</p>
<p> Then, a &#8220;surprise&#8221; news item changed the mood: The evening edition of the Yomiuri Shimbun on March 31 reported the &#8220;possibility of the continuation of the festival,&#8221; causing a flurry of excitement at the scene. The Yomiuri Shimbun&#8217;s evening edition on March 31 reported the possibility of the building&#8217;s survival, and the mood was one of optimism.</p>
<p> However, the decision to demolish the building was made as if to mock such &#8220;faint hopes. It was truly a sudden turn from heaven to hell.</p>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Even Shochiku employees were &quot;caught off guard&quot; by the decision."></div>
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<figure id="attachment_465510" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-465510" style="width: 2001px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="c09a6637"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/4bd348228f8f798f1f6233c9cea834d6-1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-465510" class="wp-caption-text">Living National Treasure Nizaemon Kataoka waves to fans at the &#8220;O-neruri&#8221; in Dotonbori.</figcaption></figure>
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<h2> There will definitely be a playhouse in Dotonbori.</h2>
<p><span class="strongInContent">Even the employees of Shochiku had not heard about it in their sleep. Even</span> the Shochiku employees were not aware of the project,&#8221; said a reporter for a national newspaper. &#8220;It is <span class="strongInContent">said that the office in the Shochikuza has not yet been decided where to move to, and there is considerable confusion at the site.</span></p>
<p> A further issue that has surfaced is the question of money.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The land on which the theater is to be built is not owned by Shochiku, and it is rumored that the company has given up the idea of continuing the project because of demands for an &#8220;extraordinary increase in land rent. There are also rumors that the Shochiku Costume Building in Honmachi, Osaka, is being sold.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent">The</span> &#8220;Onagori Grand Kabuki,&#8221; a farewell performance, is currently being staged, but the aggressive price of 26,000 yen for first-class seats has backfired, and tickets have remained unsold. &#8211;The cold reality behind the Hanamichi performance is evident.</p>
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<p> Meanwhile, Shochiku has secured a 5.2 billion yen profit for the fiscal year ending February 2026. What is coming next, however, is an investment of a different magnitude: the redevelopment of Higashi-Ginza in Tokyo.</p>
<p> The 30-story complex will house Shochiku&#8217;s headquarters, an 800-seat theater, a hotel, and a movie theater.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> After all, it means cutting out Osaka and concentrating on Tokyo. &#8230;&#8230;</span></p>
<figure id="attachment_465511" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-465511" style="width: 3849px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f0481b49"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/04/72981db2921ca7e8619f26cafb3bfbe2.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-465511" class="wp-caption-text"> Osaka Shochikuza Theater (photo: Hanamichi), where Nizaemon Kataoka worked hard to improve the theater&#8217;s functionality when it was renovated in 1997.</figcaption></figure>
<p> Will the lights of the theatrical town of Dotonbori be extinguished, or will they be revived in another form?</p>
<p> In his speech after the ordeal, Kataoka Nizaemon&#8217;s words were very important: &#8220;There <span class="strongInContent">will surely be a playhouse in Dotonbori.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I hope that we can avoid the situation where some company builds a lousy theater in a commercial facility and then makes a mess.&#8221;</span><span class="strongInContent"> I hope that they will avoid such a situation.</span></p>
<p> Behind the glamorous billboards lies a quiet tectonic shift toward the &#8220;concentration of culture. The demise of a prestigious theater is likely to be more than just a matter of a single facility.</p>
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 Sumiyoshi Suma

 The Osaka Shochikuza, a symbol of Dotonbori with a history of over 100 years, is to be demolished. What exactly happened?　A behind-the-scenes report

Osaka Shochiku-za Theater’s “survival” has been completely dismantled…Fans’ hopes shattered.

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