OTOSHIDAMA

['The New Year Announcement']

STORY :

Please look forward to the New Year's greetings given by the actors before the performance begins.

Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura
YOSHINOYAMA

['Mt. Yoshino' from 'Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees']

CAST :

Satō Tadanobu, in reality, the fox Genkurō

Ichikawa Danko

Shizuka Gozen

Onoe Tatsunosuke

STORY :

This is a beautiful dance filled with mystery and excitement set amidst the dazzling cherry blossoms of Mt. Yoshino. Shizuka and Tadanobu are on their way to find Shizuka's lover, the military commander Yoshitsune. He has become a fugitive and has had to leave Shizuka behind in the care of his retainer Tadanobu. However, this Tadanobu is actually a magic fox in disguise. He has transformed into human form in order to be with a drum that Shizuka carries, the skins of which are made from the hides of the fox's parents.

Shin Sarayashiki Tsuki no Amagasa
SAKANAYA SŌGORŌ

['Sōgorō the Fishmonger']

CAST :

Sōgorō the fishmonger

Nakamura Hashinosuke

Isobe Kazuenosuke

Ichikawa Somegorō

Yoshigorō, a fireman

Ichikawa Danko

Ohama, Sōgorō’s wife

Nakamura Kangyoku

STORY :

This is a 'sewamono' play, a work portraying in a realistic way the lives of ordinary people in the Edo period. Sōgorō, a fishmonger, has made a vow not to drink. But when he learns about his sister's unjust murder at the hands of a daimyō lord, a death that they were told was an execution for her wrongdoing, he starts to drink again. Becoming drunk, he storms into the lord's mansion to seek an apology. This play by the playwright Kawatake Mokuami (1816-1893) is known for its realistic portrayal of members of the working class during the Edo period, and highlights their fierce pride as well as their frustration at the privileges of the dominant samurai class.

OTOSHIDAMA

['The New Year Announcement']

STORY :

Please look forward to the New Year's greetings given by the actors before the performance begins.

Sono Omokage Tsui no Amigasa
SAYA ATE

['A Fight in the Pleasure Quarters']

CAST :

Nagoya Sanza

Onoe Tatsunosuke

A mediator

Nakamura Kangyoku

Fuwa Banzaemon

Nakamura Hashinosuke

STORY :

Two samurai are rivals in love for one of the top courtesans in the Pleasure Quarters. As they pass each other in the street, their scabbards knock together, which is considered an insult. They begin to compete with each other in a series of sarcastic, poetic and stately speeches. A play full of the color and ceremony from the most stylized age of kabuki.

Futatsu Chōchō Kuruwa Nikki
HIKIMADO

['The Skylight' from 'A Diary of Two Butterflies in the Pleasure Quarters']

CAST :

Nan Yohē, later, Nanpō Jūjibē

Ichikawa Somegorō

Nuregami Chōgorō

Ichikawa Danko

Ohaya, Yohē’s wife

Onoe Tatsunosuke

STORY :

A sumō wrestler named Nuregami Chōgorō has killed a man to save another to whom he was indebted and is now on the run. He takes refuge at the home of his mother whom he has not seen in years. Unfortunately, her step-child Yohē is now a local magistrate and has been ordered to search for and arrest Chōgorō. The mother is caught in a dilemma between love for her real son and duty towards her stepson. Yohē realizes Chōgorō's true identity and, sympathizing with his step-mother, he lets him escape. Chōgorō departs, thanking Yohē for the favor to his family. These complicated conflicts are symbolized by the light and dark created by the humble skylight, as a rope is pulled to open or close its wooden shutter.

SAGI MUSUME

['The Heron Maiden']

CAST :

The spirit of a heron

Nakamura Kangyoku

STORY :

A woman dressed in a white kimono and hood appears at the edge of a lake. Her dance includes bird-like movements resembling those of a white heron. She expresses the misery of one whose love was betrayed. A sudden onstage costume change begins a section in which the character transforms into a young girl preoccupied by thoughts of romance. Other costume changes follow, as the maiden expresses the difficulty of capturing a loved one's heart. Finally, the stage darkens and after another spectacular costume change, the maiden transforms into the spirit of a heron as she recalls her suffering in hell.