traditional Japanese theater; classical drama
Refers to traditional Japanese stage arts such as kabuki, noh, and bunraku, often contrasted with modern theater (新劇).
彼は旧劇の研究で博士号を取った。
He earned his doctorate with research on traditional Japanese theater.
旧劇と新劇の違いについてレポートを書いた。
I wrote a report on the differences between classical and modern Japanese theater.
Dated term for historical film dramas, especially those set in the Edo period or earlier; now usually called 時代劇.
See also: 時代劇
戦前は旧劇と呼ばれた映画が多く作られた。
Before the war, many films called 旧劇 (period dramas) were produced.
新劇 refers to the modern, Western-influenced theater movement, while 旧劇 refers to traditional Japanese forms like kabuki and noh that it was defined against.
Compound of 旧 (old, former) and 劇 (drama, play). The term arose in the early 20th century to distinguish traditional Japanese theater from the newly introduced Western-style theater (新劇).