The play was originally performed with puppetry in the 17th-century Edo Period. It was lost until a copy was discovered in the British Museum archives during the 1960s. Donald Keene revived it in 2009, and his adopted son, Seiki Keene, has been instrumental in the play's latest iteration.
Keene died in Tokyo in 2019 aged 96. Renowned for his efforts to spread Japanese literature to the world, he was also a performer of kyogen, another classical form of dance-drama.
The 2009 revival of "The Adventures of High Priest Kochi" was what brought Keene and Uehera Seiki, a shamisen player, together as father-and-son. Seiki transcribed it into a score.
Soon after Keene became a Japanese citizen in 2012, he adopted Seiki, then aged in his 60s, as his only son and heir. "I was often asked why, but in fact, joruri (puppetry) was the connection that brought us together," he explains.
Before his death, Keene told Seiki: "I think this play would be interesting if it were performed as kabuki." Seiki helped Portland State University's Professor Laurence Kominz bring the idea to fruition.
Kominz, one of Keene's former students, has spent the last half-century teaching classical Japanese literature and performing arts. He leads student performances of kabuki using his own translations.
In Keene's memory, Kominz adapted "The Adventures of High Priest Kochi", working alongside Seiki to ensure the English translation was accurate and flowed smoothly. They even appeared on stage together.
The performance was a great success with a full house.
Seiki notes: "My father Donald Keene's foresight in suggesting that I perform this 300-year-old joruri was remarkable. But my father's beloved pupil, Professor Kominz, who arranged, directed, and performed it as English kabuki, was also brilliant.
"Above all, the Portland State University students and alumni who overcame cultural differences to practice with sincerity, honesty, and enthusiasm were outstanding."
Seiki, who now runs the Donald Keene Memorial Foundation, says the production proves that traditional Japanese performing arts can be performed in English to appreciative audiences.
