@article{ART003301116},
author={LEE MINYEONG},
title={Japanese Translation of German Puppet Show and an Aspect of KAPF’s Translation Plays : Focusing on Martin Who Lost a Leg},
journal={The Journal of Korean drama and theatre},
issn={1225-7729},
year={2026},
number={87},
pages={91-122}
TY - JOUR
AU - LEE MINYEONG
TI - Japanese Translation of German Puppet Show and an Aspect of KAPF’s Translation Plays : Focusing on Martin Who Lost a Leg
JO - The Journal of Korean drama and theatre
PY - 2026
VL - null
IS - 87
PB - The Learned Society Of Korean Drama And Theatre
SP - 91
EP - 122
SN - 1225-7729
AB - Among the proletarian plays of KAPF, Martin Who Lost a Leg has remained a virtually unknown work until now. This study, in the process of tracing its source, excavated the original text: Kasperle as a Spy(1922), a proletarian puppet play by the German author Kurt Tucholsky. Furthermore, the study identified Japanese translations and adaptations such as Kasperle as a Dog, Martin Who Lost a Leg, and Sam.
Based on these findings, it was confirmed that Martin Who Lost a Leg, along with other previously unidentified works –such as Kasperle by the Hamhung Sohyeong-geukjang and the Megaphone, and Sam Who Lost a Leg by the Shingeonseol– were all based on the same original work.
While the German original was created as part of the puppet theater movement for proletarian youth education, the Japanese versions were products of the PROT movement’s drive for the popularization of theater. This clearly demonstrates the influence of the “Proletarian Kasperl Puppet Theater” experiments from Germany’s Weimar Republic era on the Japanese.
From the outset, KAPF attempted to produce this work as a stage play rather than a puppet show, suggesting that the federation prioritized the socio-educational impact over the puppet theater format itself. Furthermore, this work holds significance in that it reveals the possibility of clandestine performances and the attempt to integrate popular entertainment and Revue formats into theater. Consequently, this play serves as crucial evidence that illuminates the global historical context of the proletarian theater movement –stretching from Germany through Japan to KAPF– while proving that KAPF’s discourse on the popularization of theater was actively attempted through specific creative works.
KW - KAPF;Kurt Tucholsky;Martin Who Lost a Leg;Popularization of theater; Puppet Show
DO -
UR -
ER -
LEE MINYEONG. (2026). Japanese Translation of German Puppet Show and an Aspect of KAPF’s Translation Plays : Focusing on Martin Who Lost a Leg. The Journal of Korean drama and theatre, 87, 91-122.
LEE MINYEONG. 2026, "Japanese Translation of German Puppet Show and an Aspect of KAPF’s Translation Plays : Focusing on Martin Who Lost a Leg", The Journal of Korean drama and theatre, no.87, pp.91-122.
LEE MINYEONG "Japanese Translation of German Puppet Show and an Aspect of KAPF’s Translation Plays : Focusing on Martin Who Lost a Leg" The Journal of Korean drama and theatre 87 pp.91-122 (2026) : 91.
LEE MINYEONG. Japanese Translation of German Puppet Show and an Aspect of KAPF’s Translation Plays : Focusing on Martin Who Lost a Leg. 2026; 87 : 91-122.
LEE MINYEONG. "Japanese Translation of German Puppet Show and an Aspect of KAPF’s Translation Plays : Focusing on Martin Who Lost a Leg" The Journal of Korean drama and theatre no.87(2026) : 91-122.
LEE MINYEONG. Japanese Translation of German Puppet Show and an Aspect of KAPF’s Translation Plays : Focusing on Martin Who Lost a Leg. The Journal of Korean drama and theatre, 87, 91-122.
LEE MINYEONG. Japanese Translation of German Puppet Show and an Aspect of KAPF’s Translation Plays : Focusing on Martin Who Lost a Leg. The Journal of Korean drama and theatre. 2026; 87 91-122.
LEE MINYEONG. Japanese Translation of German Puppet Show and an Aspect of KAPF’s Translation Plays : Focusing on Martin Who Lost a Leg. 2026; 87 : 91-122.
LEE MINYEONG. "Japanese Translation of German Puppet Show and an Aspect of KAPF’s Translation Plays : Focusing on Martin Who Lost a Leg" The Journal of Korean drama and theatre no.87(2026) : 91-122.
