Chapter 2 (Part 1): Japanese Acrobats and Entertainers in Chicago—Introduction
According to The Encyclopedia of Chicago, “Chicago’s position as the prime city of the Midwest has made it both a necessary stopover on the itinerary of any touring production and a home for a thriving resident theater community.”1 This explains exactly what Chicago represented for Japanese entertainers and why they lived there. In fact, the first Japanese who set foot in Chicago were members of acrobatic troupes who came here even before the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869.
In the mid-1860s, stories of various Japanese entertainment troupes filled the newspapers. For example, in 1867, Crosby’s Opera House …