Yōji Sakate series. In 2010, these adapted plays were collected into "The Contemporary Nō Collection" (現代能楽集 "Gendai nōgakushū"). Although Chekhov and Ibsen were not part of the "nō" style, Sakate took these works and created them to fit the general view of "nō" and also making unique adaptations to create his own style. Plays of Chekhov he translated include "The Seagull", "Uncle Vanya", "The Cherry Orchard", and "Three Sisters". Through his plays, Sakate challenges a plethora of contemporary issues such as social and political issues, censorship, and sexuality. In "Epitaph for the Whales" (くじらの墓標 "Kujira no bohyō", 1993), he presents the issues
The Cherry Orchard of the past (often reliving memories about her son's death, etc.). The speeches by the student Trofimov, attacking intellectuals were later seen as early manifestations of Bolshevik ideas and his lines were often censored by the Tsarist officials. Cherry trees themselves are often seen as symbols of sadness or regret at the passing away of a certain situation or of the times in general. The theme of identity, and the subversion of expectations of such, is one that can be seen in "The Cherry Orchard"; indeed, the cast itself can be divided up into three distinct parts: the Gayev family