What is "shingeki"

was the leading form of modern theater in Japan in the twentieth century. It was the effort to introduce Western-style realist theatre to Japan, first by presenting the works of Western writers such as Henrik Ibsen, Anton Chekhov, Maxim Gorky, and Eugene O'Neill, but then by producing Japanese works. Performances reflected the styles of Russian proscenium theatre, and some of the elements included realistic/foreign costumes, the use of actresses over onnagata, self-contained plots, and, when transferred to film, close-ups.