KIKU NO EN TSUKI NO SHIRANAMI
Chūshingura Gojitsutan

['Chrysanthemum Party and Thieves in the Moonlight', a sequel to 'Chūshingura']

CAST :

Ono Sadakurō

Ichikawa Chūsha*

Okaru with golden hairpins

Nakamura Kazutarō

Ono Kurobē

Asano Kazuyuki

Ishidō Kazumanosuke

Ichikawa Monnosuke

*The cast has been changed from the initial announcement.

STORY :

A year has passed since the 47 masterless retainers of En'ya Hangan avenged their lord's death by killing Kōno Moronō. While they are praised as loyal retainers, in contrast, Ono Kurobē, the chief retainer of En'ya's clan, suffers disgrace for his disloyalty. Kurobē's son Sadakurō wants to demonstrate his loyalty in his father's place. En'ya's brother Nuinosuke is ordered to dedicate a short sword, which is an heirloom of the En'ya clan, while Moronō's adopted son Moroyasu is ordered to dedicate Kan Shōjō's own handwriting to restore their respective clans. Nuinosuke presents the short sword to the envoy, but it turns out to be a fake. Nuinosuke intends to commit ritual suicide by disembowelment to atone for this, but Sadakurō offers to be his substitute. As he is about to cut open his stomach, he slays Moroyasu who has been there to witness his suicide. He asks his father to hand over the scroll in which the art of the ninja is handed down. Now that Sadakurō has obtained the art of the ninja, he names himself the thief Akatsuki Hoshigorō and vows to restore the En'ya clan. He sets out searching for the short sword, which is thought to have been stolen by the Kōno clan, and the scroll in Kan Shōjō's own handwriting. People related to both clans who have their own objectives appear, such as Sadakurō's wife Kakogawa, the chivalrous woman Okaru with golden hairpins who once served En'ya's clan, the geisha Ukihashi who is pregnant with Nuinosuke's child and Ukihashi's brother-in-law Hotoke no Gonbē. The short sword and the scroll in Kan Shōjō's own handwriting change hands and ...

SHINREI YAGUCHI NO WATASHI

['The Miracle at Yaguchi Ferry']

CAST :

Ofune, Tonbē's daughter

Nakamura Kotarō

Tonbē, a ferryman

Ichikawa Omezō

STORY :

This is a history play by Fukuchi Kigai (also known as Hiraga Gennai) who was also a famous scientist and inventor. As the exile Nitta Yoshimine and his lover Utena beg for a night's lodging at Tonbē's house, young Ofune falls in love with Yoshimine at first sight and welcomes them. However, her evil father Tonbē who is the keeper of a river crossing wants to capture the exile in return for a reward. Tonbē stabs Ofune, mistakenly thinking she is Yoshimine. She lets Yoshimine escape and pounds a drum as a signal to begin the siege of the village. Tonbē tries to pursue Yoshimine, but is shot with an arrow by the spirit of Yoshimine's brother Yoshioki.

KAMI NO MEGUMI WAGŌ NO TORIKUMI
Megumi no Kenka

['The Fight between Firefighters and Sumō Wrestlers']

CAST :

Megumi no Tatsugorō

Ichikawa Danjūrō

Onaka, Tatsugorō's wife

Nakamura Jakuemon

Edoza Kitarō

Kawarasaki Gonjūrō

Yotsuguruma Daihachi

Ichikawa Udanji

Takidashi Kisaburō

Nakamura Matagorō

Okura, wife of the Obanaya's owner

Nakamura Kaishun

STORY :

They used to say that fights and fires were the flowers of the city of Edo. This particular play depicts a rivalry between the members of the Megumi firefighting brigade and a group of sumō wrestlers. Ultimately, this is a confrontation between the firefighters, who represent the commoner class, and the samurai patrons of the sumō wrestlers. The fight begins with a minor incident but grows into a situation of such tension that when Tatsugorō, the leader of the firefighting gang, goes to his final fight, he prepares for death and has an emotional parting from his family. The 'tachimawari' (fight scene) between firefighters and sumō wrestlers is very spectacular!

KAMAKURA HACHIMANGŪ SHIZUKA NO HŌRAKUMAI

['Shizuka's Dedication Dance at the Kamakura Hachimangū Shrine']

CAST :

Shizuka Gozen
Minamoto no Yoshitsune
An old woman
Hakuzōsu
Aburabōzu
A boatman on the River of the Dead
A goblin

Ichikawa Danjūrō

A three-eyed hobgoblin
A town maiden
Princess Ninomiya, Gorō's elder sister

Ichikawa Botan

A lantern
A young boatman
Takenuki Gorō

Ichikawa Shinnosuke

STORY :

This dance is included as one of the 'Shin Kabuki Jūhachiban', 'The New Eighteen Favourite Kabuki Plays' that were chosen by Ichikawa Danjūrō IX. Danjūrō IX was praised as a 'gekisei' (Saintly Actor). This work was reconceived in 2018. A threatening wind blows and an old woman appears at a desolate temple in Kamakura where a specter is rumoured to appear every night. She says she was a court dancer in days gone by and begins to perform a dance. After she disappears, specters gather one by one and .... Enjoy quick changes of role and costume, a powerful exit along the 'hanamichi' runway as well as 5 types of kabuki music which will accompany this dance play.