November at the Minamiza Theatre||KABUKI WEB

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November at the minamiza

November at the Minamiza Theatre

Daily: Nov 01 (Thu) - Nov 25 (Sun), 2018

Matinee:10:30 AM

Evening Show: 4:30 PM

[Backside of the flyer]

Time Schedule

On sale: from Oct 15 (Mon), 2018 10:00AM(JST)

Special Seat: 27,000 / First Class: 25,000 / Second Class A: 12,000 / Second Class B: 10,000 / Third Class: 8,000 / Fourth Class: 6,000

Minamiza Theatre (at KYOTO) Theatre Information

  • Book Ticket

[In Commemoration of the 400th year since the founding of the Minamiza Theatre and the reopening of the Minamiza Theatre
An Annual Event in Kyoto
THE FESTIVE KAOMISE PRODUCTION
Grand Kabuki Starring Actors from East and West]
In the 400th year since the original theatre was licensed, the Kaomise Production is performed to commemorate the reopening of the recently refurbished Minamiza Theatre.
The ‘Kaomise’ (‘face-showing’) production which has been staged annually since the Edo period (1603-1868) is an all-star line-up and a big event for December in Kyoto. This month’s performance will also commemorate the Name Succession of Matsumoto Hakuō II, his son Matsumoto Kōshirō X, and his grandson Ichikawa Somegorō VIII.

KENUKI

[ 'The Whisker Tweezers' ]

CAST :
Kumedera Danjō
Ichikawa Sadanji
Makiginu, a lady-in-waiting for Harumichi
Kataoka Takatarō
Yatsurugi Genba
Nakamura Kikaku
Hata Hidetarō, younger brother of Minbu
Nakamura Kazutarō
Yatsurugi Kazuma
Ōtani Hirotarō
Nishikinomae
Ichikawa Otora
Ono no Harukaze
Sawamura Sōnosuke
Wakana, a lady-in-waiting for Harumichi
Kamimura Kichiya
Ohara no Manbē
Kataoka Ichizō
Hata Minbu, chief retainer of Ono clan
Ichikawa Komazō
Ono no Harumichi
Ōtani Tomoemon
STORY :

A princess has a mysterious ailment that makes her hair stand on end, an ailment that 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.

RENJISHI

[ 'The Father and Son Shishi Lions' ]

CAST :
The actor Ukon, later, The spirit of the parent lion
Ichikawa Somegorō, taking the new name Matsumoto Kōshirō X
The actor Sakon, later, The spirit of the lion cub
Matsumoto Kintarō, taking the new name Ichikawa Somegorō VIII
Rennen, a priest of the Nichiren Sect of Buddhism
Kataoka Ainosuke
Hennen, a priest of the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism
Nakamura Ganjirō
STORY :

This dance, based on an old legend, describes a parent 'shishi', a lion-like spirit, which kicks its cub down to the bottom of a ravine. It does this because it will only nurture strong cubs that are able to climb up on their own. Later, the 'shishi' father and son appear in their true forms and perform the wild shaking of their long manes.

Koi Bikyaku Yamato Ōrai
FŪINKIRI

[ 'Breaking the Seal' from 'The Love Messenger to Yamato' ]

CAST :
Kameya Chūbē
Kataoka Nizaemon
Umegawa, a courtesan
Kataoka Takatarō
Tanbaya Hachiemon
Nakamura Ganjirō
Oen, the proprietress of the Izutsuya
Kataoka Hidetarō
Tsuchiya Jiemon
Ichikawa Sadanji
STORY :

The courtesan Umegawa and the money courier Chūbē are characters in one of the most famous plays by Chikamatsu Monzaemon, 'Fūinkiri'. The distinctive acting style is also representative of the Kamigata region (Kyoto/Osaka). In the pleasure quarters, the most important possessions were money and reputation. In danger of losing his lover, the courtesan Umegawa, the money courier Chūbē breaks the seals on a package of money entrusted to him after being taunted by a rival, even though the use of such money is punishable by death.

GOZONJI SUZUGAMORI

[ 'Gonpachi and Banzui'in Chōbē' ]

CAST :
Banzui'in Chōbē
Matsumoto Kōshirō, taking the new name Matsumoto Hakuō II
Shirai Gonpachi
Kataoka Ainosuke
Hokkai no Kumaroku, a shifty carrier
Matsumoto Kingo
Tōkai no Kanzō, a shifty carrier
Kataoka Ichizō
Hayasuke, a courier
Ōtani Tomoemon
STORY :

This is a short scene from Tsuruya Nanboku's play 'Ukiyozuka Hiyoku no Inazuma'.
The young samurai Gonpachi is ambushed near the execution grounds of Edo on a dark night, but he manages to escape after a gruesome but humorous fight scene. Watching from a nearby palanquin, Chōbē, a chivalrous townsman, is impressed with Gonpachi's fighting skills and agrees to give him shelter in the city. This meeting between the handsome young Gonpachi and the heroic Chōbē is one of the most famous meetings in kabuki.

KOTOBUKI SOGA NO TAIMEN

[ 'The Revenge of the Soga Brothers' ]

CAST :
Kudō Saemon Suketsune
Kataoka Nizaemon
Soga no Jūrō Sukenari
Kataoka Takatarō
Soga no Gorō Tokimune
Kataoka Ainosuke
Ōiso no Tora
Kamimura Kichiya
Kewaizaka no Shōshō
Nakamura Kazutarō
Kajiwara Heizō Kagetoki
Kataoka Matsunosuke
Yawata no Saburō
Sawamura Sōnosuke
Ōmi no Kotōda
Nakamura Kikaku
Oniō Shinzaemon
Kataoka Shinnosuke
Maizuru, the sister of Kobayashi no Asahina
Kataoka Hidetarō
STORY :

This piece is one act of a history play based on the legend of the Soga brothers' vendetta.
In the Edo period, plays about the vendetta carried out by the Soga brothers, Gorō and Jūrō, were performed every spring. 'Soga no Taimen', in which the brothers meet their nemesis, has its roots in the earliest of these plays. This play has ceremonial aspects and features each of the important kabuki character types, including the bombastic 'aragoto' style of Gorō and the soft 'wagoto' style of Jūrō.

KŌJŌ

['Stage Announcement Commemorating the Name Succession']

CAST :

Matsumoto Kōshirō, taking the new name Matsumoto Hakuō II
Ichikawa Somegorō, taking the new name Matsumoto Kōshirō X
Matsumoto Kintarō, taking the new name Ichikawa Somegorō VIII

Sakata Tōjūrō
Kataoka Nizaemon

STORY :

This month Matsumoto Kōshirō succeeds to the name Matsumoto Hakuō II, his son Ichikawa Somegorō succeeds to the name of Matsumoto Kōshirō X and his grandson Matsumoto Kintarō succeeds to the name of Ichikawa Somegorō VIII. This is the stage announcement of their name successions.

KANJINCHŌ

[ 'The Subscription Scroll' ]

CAST :
Musashibō Benkei
Ichikawa Somegorō, taking the new name Matsumoto Kōshirō X
Minamoto no Yoshitsune
Matsumoto Kintarō, taking the new name Ichikawa Somegorō VIII
Kamei no Rokurō
Ōtani Tomoemon
Kataoka Hachirō
Ichikawa Komazō
Suruga no Jirō
Sawamura Sōnosuke
Hitachibō Kaison
Matsumoto Kingo
Togashi no Saemon
Matsumoto Kōshirō, taking the new name Matsumoto Hakuō II
STORY :

Disguised as traveling priests, the fugitive general Yoshitsune and his band of retainers are stopped at a road barrier. The head retainer Benkei claims they are soliciting contributions for the rebuilding of a temple, but the barrier guard Togashi insists that, if so, they must have the temple's book of solicitation. Benkei elaborately improvises the text with an empty scroll. When one soldier points out that one of the group resembles Yoshitsune, Benkei is forced to strike Yoshitsune with his staff. Togashi is convinced that they are the fugitives but, sympathizing with Benkei's loyalty, he tells them to proceed on their way.

KARI NO TAYORI

[ 'Tricky Love Letters' ]

CAST :
Sanni Goroshichi, a barber
Nakamura Ganjirō
Yorozuya Kinnosuke, a young master
Ichikawa Somegorō, taking the new name Matsumoto Kōshirō X
Maeno Sajima, a young lord
Nakamura Kikaku
Tsukasa, Sajima's mistress
Nakamura Kazutarō
Genpaku, a doctor
Nakamura Jūjirō
Takagi Jirodayū, Sajima's senior retainer
Kataoka Ichizō
Omitsu, a nurse
Bandō Takesaburō
Otama, the madam of a brothel
Kataoka Hidetarō
STORY :

The young lord Maeno Sajima comes to Arima hot springs with his lover Tsukasa. Sajima witnesses Tsukasa falling in love with a barber called Goroshichi and becomes mad with jealousy. Sajima sends a forged love letter to Goroshichi that appears to be in Tsukasa's handwriting, and which invites him to visit her in secret. Goroshichi is overjoyed and, that night, sneaks into the inn and gets arrested. Just as he is accused of being a thief, Sajima's chief retainer Jirōdayū appears to expose Sajima's plot and save Goroshichi. He discovers that, in fact, he is not a mere barber. Goroshichi is, in reality....