OSHI NO FUSUMA KOI NO MUTSUGOTO
Oshidori

['Sumō' and 'Mandarin Ducks']

CAST :

Kawazu no Saburō / The spirit of a male mandarin duck

Onoe Matsuya

Kisegawa, a courtesan / The spirit of a female mandarin duck

Onoe Ukon

Matano no Gorō

Nakamura Mantarō

STORY :

Matano no Gorō, who loses to Kawazu no Saburō in a sumō match, gives up the courtesan Kisegawa to Kawazu as promised. However, the spiteful Matano plots to have Kawazu drink the blood of a male mandarin duck, a bird that is believed to have strong attachment to its partner, in order to disturb his mind and kill him. The spirit of a female mandarin duck appears whose partner was killed by Matano, as does the spirit of the male mandarin duck in the figure of Kawazu. The pair torments Matano mercilessly, venting the deep resentment they bear towards him, until finally they fly away.

KENUKI

['The Whisker Tweezers']

CAST :

Kumedera Danjō

Ichikawa Omezō

Makiginu, a lady-in-waiting

Nakamura Tokizō

Ono no Harukaze

Nakamura Ganjirō

Ohara no Manbē

Onoe Shōroku

Yatsurugi Kazuma

Onoe Matsuya

Hata Hidetarō

Nakamura Baishi

Nishiki no mae

Ichikawa Otora

Wakana

Ichimura Manjirō

Hata Minbu

Kawarasaki Gonjūrō

Yatsurugi Genba

Nakamura Matagorō

Ono no Harumichi

Onoe Kikugorō

Stage assistant

Ichikawa Danjūrō

STORY :

A princess has a mysterious ailment that makes her hair stand on end, and this prevents her from going ahead with her long-awaited marriage. Kumedera Danjō comes from the groom's household to investigate and, when his tweezers mysteriously float up in mid-air, he discovers a secret plot. This is one of 'The Eighteen Favorite Kabuki Plays'. This collection mostly features plays with the bombastic 'aragoto' style of acting, but ''Kenuki'' is an urbane, witty detective story that unfolds in a world of fantasy. It displays the spirit of early kabuki.

KIWAMETSUKI BANZUI CHŌBĒ
Kinpira Hōmon Arasoi

['The Renowned Banzui Chōbē' with the play-within-a-play 'Kinpira's Debate on Buddhism']

CAST :

Banzui'in Chōbē

Ichikawa Danjūrō

Mizuno Jūrōzaemon

Onoe Kikunosuke

Otoki, Chōbē's wife

Nakamura Kotarō

Detchiri Seibē

Ichikawa Omezō

Tōken Gonbē

Ichikawa Udanji

Kondō Noborinosuke

Nakamura Kinnosuke

STORY :

In the early Edo period, gallant men like Banzui'in Chōbē were leaders among the ordinary townspeople. But this incurred the wrath of members of the samurai class who were theoretically in control. As the play begins, a fight breaks out inside a theatre which is settled by Chōbē, but Chōbē's skillful arbitration frustrates the samurai Mizuno. A short time later, Mizuno invites Chōbē to visit his mansion. All of Chōbē's men tell him not to go because it is a trap, but Chōbē decides to meet his end and bids farewell to his wife and son.

MEIBOKU SENDAIHAGI

['Precious Incense and the Bush-clover of Sendai']

CAST :

<Goten>

Masaoka, the wet-nurse

Onoe Kikunosuke

Sakae Gozen

Nakamura Jakuemon

Okinoi

Nakamura Yonekichi

Yashio, a lady-in-waiting

Nakamura Karoku

<Yukashita>

Nikki Danjō

Ichikawa Danjūrō

Arajishi Otokonosuke

Ichikawa Udanji

STORY :

This is a 'jidaimono', a history play set in pre-modern Japan, but it is based on the attempt to take over one of the most famous samurai households in the Edo Period, a scandal that caused a sensation in its day. Young Tsuruchiyo is made heir after the lord of the Ashikaga House is forced into retirement because of his profligate ways. Masaoka, the young boy's wet-nurse, is afraid that he will be assassinated and refuses all male contact, insisting on making all his meals herself. In an attempt to kill Tsuruchiyo, the villains send a gift of poisoned cakes, and Masaoka only manages to protect the boy by sacrificing her own son. The loyal retainer Otokonosuke who has been on guard beneath the apartments, finds a suspicious rat, but fails to capture it. This is actually Nikki Danjō, the arch villain of the play, who used sorcery to disguise himself as a rat. With his magic powers, he suddenly disappears.

SHISENRYŌ KOBAN NO UMENOHA

['Four Thousand Gold Coins']

CAST :

Tomizō, a vagabond from Shimotsuke Province

Onoe Shōroku

Prisoner of accountant

Bandō Hikosaburō

Chief Prisoner

Bandō Kamezō

Osayo, Tomizō's wife

Nakamura Baishi

Saijirō, a vagabond from Asakusa

Nakamura Mantarō

Itamiya Tokutarō

Bandō Minosuke

Hamada Sanai

Kawarasaki Gonjūrō

Rokubē, an udon seller

Bandō Yajūrō

Old Prisoner in the corner

Ichikawa Danzō

Matsushima Okugorō, Headman of the Prisoners

Nakamura Karoku

Fujioka Tōjūrō

Nakamura Baigyoku

STORY :

This is a 'sewamono' play, a work portraying in a realistic way the lives of ordinary people in the Edo period. Written by Kawatake Mokuami, this play caused a sensation in its day for its realistic depiction of an Edo period jail. The plot is loosely based on a true incident: two men, one a masterless samurai, and the other a seasoned thief, break into the shogunate treasury and steal the immense sum of four thousand gold coins. Though the samurai tries to use the money to start a loan business and lead a normal life, the other wastes his share gambling. He finally resorts to extorting money from his former partner. The enormity of their crime makes it impossible to keep it secret and they are soon caught.