Koreya Senda

Koreya Senda (千田是也, Senda Koreya; born Itō Kunio, 15 September 1904 – 21 December 1994) was a Japanese stage director, translator, and actor. He was born in Kanagawa Prefecture. He is known mostly for founding the Haiyūza theatre company, and translating and directing the works of Bertolt Brecht in post-World War II Japan. He appeared in more than 50 films between 1936 and 1970. He was born in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, in 1904 to Kamiye Iijima, and his father Tamekicki Ito, an architect. His older brother was the dancer and choreographer Michio Ito.

Senda adopted his stage name due to an incident that followed the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. Japanese vigilantes roamed the streets, and accused, beat, and killed people they suspected of being Korean in what became the Kantō Massacre. Senda wrote in 1988:

It turned out that I was mistaken for Korean, and they wouldn’t believe me even though I denied it over and over saying, "I am Japanese…I am a student at Waseda University," with my student ID at hand. They asked me to say "a i u e o" and recite the names of the emperors in Japanese history….Fortunately, there was a person who recognized me…. Afterward, my friends suggested that I take “Senda Koreya” (that is, "a Korean in Sendagaya") as my pen name.

Senda was a leader in the modern theater movement in Japan, helping found the Haiyuza Theatre Company, and performing works that "bridged the gap from age-old traditional theater to politically oriented avant-garde and modern works".