Tanaka's writing differed greatly from that of other Japanese playwrights at the time because he wrote of essential human conflicts through the eyes of a Christian, which was atypical of the majority of his countrymen.
[citation needed] He is notable for his play Head of Mary (1959) and his expanded dramatic structures that convey metaphysical, spiritual, and existential themes in the form of masterful, rhythmic dialogue.
This became the first major influence in the way Tanaka composed his later plays, because, as he described it, "Reading in that fashion produces in you a sense of rhythm: consciousness and resilience.
The theater was led by Kunio Kishida who is regarded as one of the most prominent Japanese dramatists and writers of the early 20th century.
[4] Impressed and influenced by his instructor, Tanaka began reading French literary works, most of which were full of fanciful and poetic dialogue.
After the demise of the Shingeki Kenkyusho Institute in 1929, Tanaka composed a short play titled Ofukuro ('ma' or 'mom') which became a great success.
He felt strongly about the ironic relationship of the destruction by the West of the city that came the closest to penetrating the very essence of Western culture due to the adoption of Christianity by so many of its citizens.
[7] The play is a rhythmic allegory of the effort by Christians in Nagasaki to reconstitute their faith after the destruction of the Urakami Cathedral on August 9, 1945.
The play tells the story of a group of survivors who plot to steal a statue of Mary so that they may rightfully restore their faith.
In the end, Shika and her group are unsuccessful in moving the head, but the efforts to reconstruct their faith, although incomplete, are rewarded.
The play is French in tone and reflects the lasting influences Tanaka picked up from his final years with Kishida.
This play focuses on the metaphysical world, rather than the realistic, to give the audience a clearer sense of ideas rather than emotion.