A type of tachiyaku role corresponding to a man of judgement, who thwarts the villains' plans and proves the innocence of the falsely-accused ones, using his intelligence and his clear-sightedness. The 2 best examples are Kajiwara Heizô Kagetoki ("Ishikiri Kajiwara") and Hosokawa Katsumoto ("Meiboku Sendai Hagi").

In Japanese: 捌き役

The Left Commander of the Inner Palace Guards.

In Japanese: 左大将

Old province, which grosso modo corresponded to the current prefecture of Kanagawa. It was also called Sôshû.

In Japanese: 相模

Sagamiya Masagorô (1807~1886) was a famous Edo kyôkaku, who made a fame for himself from the Bakumatsu period to the middle of the Meiji era. He was also named Yamauchi Masajirô and he was nicknamed Aimasa (Ai being another reading for the first ideogram in Sagamiya and Masa coming from Masagorô).

In Japanese: 相模屋政五郎

A Heron.

In Japanese: 鷺

The agent of a landlord.

In Japanese: 差配人

==> Saigô Takamori

In Japanese: 西郷吉之助

Saigô Takamori (1828 ~ 1877) was a samurai of the Satsuma Domain and he joined the movement to overthrow the ruling Tokugawa Shogunate during the Bakumatsu period. He was also known as Saigô Kichinosuke or Saigô Takanaga and he was one of the Three Outstanding Heroes of the Meiji Restoration [more details].

In Japanese: 西鄕隆盛

==> Saigô Takamori

In Japanese: 西鄕隆永

The Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage. A pilgrimage of thirty-three Buddhist temples throughout the Kansai area of Japan [more details].

In Japanese: 西国三十三所 | 西國三十三所

Literally Western Countries (saigoku) Pilgrim (dôsha). A pilgrim making the Saigoku Sanjûsansho pilgrimage.

In Japanese: 西国道者 | 西國道者

An address to the gods. A type of song which spread from mountain hermits to the laity during the Kamakura era.

In Japanese: 祭文

A (Shintô) festival.

In Japanese: 祭礼

Saitô Sanemori (1111 ~ 1183) was a warrior of the end of the Heian period. He was also called Saitô Bettô Sanemori or Nagai Bettô as he was bettô in the village of Nagai (now in the city of Kumagaya in Saitama Prefecture). He was from the Genji clan but sided with the Heike and was killed at the battle of Shinohara. To hide his age on the battlefield, he used to dye his white hair black. He also obtained the privilege of wearing brocade robe in battle. He was the hero of the Nô drama "Sanemori" and the Kabuki drama "Sanemori Monogatari".

In Japanese: 斎藤実盛

"Saiyûki" is the Japanese reading of the classic Chinese 1590s novel "Xiyouji", written by the Ming-dynasty writer Wu Chengen, about the Buddhist pilgrim monk Xuanzang (known in Japan as Priest Sanzô)'s journey to India to study Buddhist doctrine with his three retainers, the monkey Sun Wukong (Son Gokû in Japanese), the pig Zhu Bajie (Cho Hakkai in Japanese) and the kappa Sha Wujing (Sa Gojô in Japanese).

In Japanese: 西遊記

Kabuki plays based on the Chinese novel "Saiyûki". The first one was Kawatake Shinshichi III's 1878 drama "Tsûzoku Saiyûki" and the most recent one was Ichikawa Ennosuke III's 2000 "Kaka Saiyûki". Others are Oka Onitarô's 1926 "Cho Hakkai", Kawajiri Seitan's 1929 "Tsûzoku Saiyûki" or Hôjô Hideji's 1961 "Kôshoku Saiyûki".

In Japanese: 西遊記物

Mount Sajiki. A mount located in Kyôto in the Kita Ward [more details].

In Japanese: 棧敷ヶ嶽< | 棧敷ヶ岳

Sakakibara Yasumasa (1548~1606) was a daimyô of the late Sengoku period through early Edo period. He faithfully served the Tokugawa clan [more details].

In Japanese: 榊原康政

The Sakamoto Castle. Oda Nobunaga ordered Akechi Mitsuhide to construct this castle in 1571 in Sakamoto on the shore of Lake Biwa to guard the road from/to Kyôto to/from the province of Ômi. This castle was dismantled in 1586 [more details].

In Japanese: 坂本城

A traditional plasterer.

In Japanese: 左官

A shop selling fishes; a fishmonger.

In Japanese: 魚屋 | 肴屋

The art of maneuvering an oared craft backward as well as forward.

In Japanese: 逆櫓

==> Kintarô

In Japanese: 坂田金時

==> Sakata Kintoki

In Japanese: 坂田主馬之丞金時

A sake jar; a jar containing alcohol.

In Japanese: 酒壺

A sake shop.

In Japanese: 酒屋

Sakazaki Naomori (1563~1616) was a daimyô of the Sengoku period and the early Edo period. Originally called Ukita Akiie, he first served his uncle Ukita Naoie and then his uncle's son Ukita Hideie. During the war between the Toyotomis and the Tokugawas, the Ukita clan was part of the western forces. During the Battle of Seki-ga-Hara, he left Ukita's western army and joined Tokugawa's eastern army. After the war, he received from Tokugawa Ieyasu the name of Sakazaki and the lorship of the Tsuwano Domain. A famous legend says that he planned to capture Tokugawa Ieyasu's granddaughter Princess Sen just before her remarriage, wishing to marry her himself. However his plan was revealed and Naomori was either killed or forced to commit suicide the 21st of October 1616. It was long believed that Naomori was the one who entered the burning Ôsaka Castle to save Princess Sen out at the end of the Siege of Ôsaka, believing the words of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who said that he would give his granddaughter to whoever would rescue her. This legend was used for Yamamoto Yûzô's Shinkabuki drama "Sakazaki Dewa-no-Kami". The legend also tells us that Princess Sen refused to marry Naomori, whose face was ill-favored because of the burn he got when he saved her, and she rather preferred the handsome warrior Honda Tadatoki. He was also called Sakazaki Narimasa [more details].

In Japanese: 坂崎直盛

==> Sakazaki Naomori

In Japanese: 坂崎成正 | 坂崎成政

The traditional Japanese winecup for sake.

In Japanese: 杯

Japanese alcoholic beverage made with fermented rice.

In Japanese: 酒

A sake wooden barrel fitted with a handle.

In Japanese: 酒桶

The cherry tree flower.

In Japanese: 桜

The Sakurada Gate, a large Outer gate of the Edo Castle.

In Japanese: 桜田門

The Sakurada Gate Incident. It was the assassination the 24th of March 1860 of the tairô Ii Naosuke by rônin of the Mito Domain, outside the Sakurada Gate of Edo Castle [more details].

In Japanese: 桜田門の変

A sakuramochi is a traditional Japanese sweet consisting of a pink rice cake and red bean paste, covered with a leaf of cherry blossom [more details].

In Japanese: 桜餅

A playwright.

In Japanese: 作者

==> Gekkôin

In Japanese: 左京の局

The samurai-dokoro, the Board of Retainers, was an important office of the Kamakura and Muromachi shogunates. It was established in 1180 by Minamoto no Yoritomo, who appointed Wada no Yoshimori as head of the samurai-dokoro. The role of this board was to guard the Shogunate and give judgment on samurai criminals and to take the leadership of gokenin in case of war. After the destruction of the Wada clan by the Hôjô clan in 1213, the samurai-dokoro was given to the shikken [more details].

In Japanese: 侍所

Sanada Nobuyuki (1566 ~ 1658) was an important warrior of the Sengoku period. He sided with the Tokugawa clan against the Toyotomi clan while his younger brother Sanada Yukimura did the opposite allegiance (a clever way to warranty the survival of the Sanada clan, regardless of the outcome of the battle). [more details].

In Japanese: 真田信之

Sanada Yukimura Nobushige (1567 ~ 1615) was an important warrior of the Sengoku period. He sided with the Toyotomi clan against the Tokugawa clan while his elder brother Sanada Nobuyuki did the opposite allegiance (a clever way to warranty the survival of the Sanada clan, regardless of the outcome of the battle). He was the leading general on the defending side, the western forces, of the Siege of Ôsaka, fighting the eastern forces. He was killed in action during the Summer Siege [more details].

In Japanese: 真田幸村

The 3 most difficult and laudable old women roles in the Kabuki repertoire: Kakuju, Mimyô and Koshiji in the plays "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami", "Ômi Genji Senjin Yakata" and "Honchô Nijûshikô". Some scholars prefer to replace Koshiji by Enju ("Hirakana Seisuiki").

In Japanese: 三婆

The sanbasô is one of the 3 characters in a sanbasômono and usually the most important one. Literally, it is the "third old man". The sanbasô prays on stage for fertility and a rich harvest.

In Japanese: 三番叟

"The sanbasô is one of the most important ceremonial dances in the Kabuki theater. It originally comes from the ritual dance "Okina" in the classical Nô theater and with vigorous stamping and shaking of bells, it is a prayer for agricultural prosperity. In the Kabuki theater, the sanbasô used to be performed early in the morning as an opening ritual, and in turn, there are many more theatrical versions of the sanbasô dance that appeared as part of the regular program".
(from "The Nishikawa School of Japanese Classical Dance Nihon Buyô in its San Francisco Premiere Performance")

In the old Nô dance "Okina", the three main characters are Okina the white- bearded old man, Senzai (literally "thousand years"), and Sanbasô (literally "the third oldest man"), the Black Okina. They dance in turn in a prayer for peace and a good harvest. In Kabuki versions, however, emphasis is not on Okina but on Sanbasô, with the other two becoming secondary in importance. There are many versions of the sanbasô dance in Kabuki, notably "Kotobuki Shiki Sanbasô", "Shitadashi Sanbasô", "Ayatsuri Sanbasô", "Kuruwa Sanbasô", "Ninin Sanbasô" and others, all in spirited and felicitous mood.

In Japanese: 三番叟物

Literally three umbrellas. A family of traditional blazons. Either three open umbrellas in the shape of a circle centered on the handle or one open umbrella over two closed umbrellas in a mixed configuration.

In Japanese: 三本傘

A district in Kyôto located southwest of nowadays Kyôto Gyôen National Garden. It used to be a hanamachi during the Edo period. This pleasure quarter was dissolved in 1876.

In Japanese: 三本木

A three-program system at the Kabukiza. Usually used in August. Instead of the usual 2-program system with a matinée and an evening programs, there are a matinée, an afternoon and an evening programs. If you plan to enjoy all performances of the day, you'll have to purchase 3 tickets.

In Japanese: 三部制

This expression, which means literally "the three great revenges", is used for the three most famous revenge stories in Japan history: the revenge of the Soga brothers (sogamono), the revenge of the Akô forty-seven rônin (akô rôshi) and the Igagoe revenge (igagoemono).

In Japanese: 三大仇討

A 3-generation shûmei.

In Japanese: 三代襲名

The third generation; the third holder of a name; the third actor in a lineage.

In Japanese: 三代目

Literally "third floor hairdresser". Hairdresser specialized in male roles wigs.

In Japanese: 三階床山

This expression, which means literally "third floor actor", is used for lesser rank actors.

In Japanese: 三階役者

An extremely prestigious rank in a hyôbanki. Possible translation: extremely (goku) unequaled (murui) in the three Cities (sanganotsu). The 'three cities" meant Kyôto, Ôsaka and Edo.

In Japanese: 三ヶ津極無類

Confession; repentance.

In Japanese: 懺悔

==> Ono Takamura

In Japanese: 参議篁

Literally the mountain number. Even though they may be located at the bottom of a valley, temples are metaphorically called mountains and even the mountain names used to label them carry the ending san or zan (the sino-Japanese reading for the word yama which means moutain), hence the name sangô. This tradition goes back to the times when temples were primarily monasteries purposely built in remote mountainous areas. An good example of sangô is Kôyasan.

In Japanese: 山号

Literally "The Three Countries Recitation and the Mad Stages". A kind of hyôbanki published in the 3rd lunar month of 1731, containing poems written by Sesshidô Bunkan and illustrations made by the Kyôto ukiyoeshi Kawaeda Toyonobu [The book at the Main Library of Kyôto University | |The book in kabuki21.com].

In Japanese: 三国朗詠狂舞台 | 三國朗詠狂舞臺

The 3 most difficult and praiseworthy Princess roles in the Kabuki repertoire: Yaegaki, Yuki and Toki in the plays "Honchô Nijûshikô", "Kamakura Sandaiki" and "Kinkakuji".

In Japanese: 三姫

The most spectacular and popular matsuri in the city of Tôkyô (it is one of the "Three Great Festivals of Edo"). Although appearing to date from older times, the present day festival was established in the Edo period and is still held every year in May around the Asakusa Shrine in the popular district of Asakusa [more details].

In Japanese: 三社祭

Sanjikkokubune or (sometimes) sanjûkokubune. A 30-koku boat. Originally, the koku was an unit of volume used as a way to measure a quantity of rice. It came from China and was used in Japan. It was defined as an amount of rice just under 280 litres. This was said to be sufficient to feed one person for one year. 30 koku was 4.5 tons in term of load capacity for the boat.

"A 30-koku transport that was used on the Yodo river system for transporting passengers and goods. These boats provided regular, scheduled service between Ôsaka and Kyoto, with over 300 trips a day at its peak. Boats would leave Ôsaka in the morning and arrive in Kyôto in the evening, and would leave Kyôto in the evening, and passengers would sleep over night, arriving in Ôsaka in the morning" (from wasenmodeler.com).

In Japanese: 三十石船

==> Mochihito-ô

In Japanese: 三条宮

The traditional commemoration of one's 80th birthday.

In Japanese: 傘寿記念

A famous Buddhist temple in Kyôto, which was completed in 1164 by Taira no Kiyomori under the order of Emperor Goshirakawa [more details].

In Japanese: 三十三間堂

Dances or dramas whose main characters are the lovers Akaneya Hanshichi, the son of a sake merchant in the Yamato province, and Minoya Sankatsu, a courtesan of Ôsaka. Both characters really existed and committed double suicide the 7th of the 12th lunar month of 1695 in the burial ground of Sennichi in Ôsaka. The most representative work, which is still part of the current Kabuki repertoire, is "Sakaya".

In Japanese: 三勝半七物

Actor specialized in comical roles (the Kabuki buffoon).

In Japanese: 三枚目

A third-ranking playwright (sakusha).

In Japanese: 三枚目作者

Literally the "third change". A spring Kabuki program in Ôsaka and Kyôto during the 18th century. It was the third program produced after the kaomise and the new year ni-no-kawari.

In Japanese: 三の替り

One of the most important matsuri in the city of Tôkyô (it is one of the "Three Great Festivals of Edo"). The present day festival was established in the Edo period and is still held every year in June around the Hie Jinja Shrine in Nagata-chô in the district of Chiyoda [more details].

In Japanese: 山王祭

The 3 most difficult and laudable wife roles in the Kabuki repertoire: Otane, Otoku and Kanjo in the plays "Honchô Nijûshikô", "Keisei Hangonkô" and "Yoshitsune Koshigoejô".

In Japanese: 三女房

Kabuki dramas whose main characters are the rich farmer Sano Jirôzaemon and the courtesan Yatsuhashi. Both characters really existed: Sano Jirôzaemon was deeply in love with the Yoshiwara courtesan Yatsuhashi. The courtesan broke up the relationship and the farmer went mad, running amok and killing many people in the pleasure quarter. This event, which happened during the Kyôhô era, was nicknamed "Yoshiwara hyakuningiri" ("the killing of one hundred people in Yoshiwara"). The most famous sano-yatsuhashimono is "Kagotsurube".

In Japanese: 佐野八橋物

Sansa Shigure, the passing of a fine rain, was an elegant love song originally from Ôshû. A love affair was compared to a soft rain falling on a straw roof.

In Japanese: さんさ時雨

A mountain fortress or a mountain camp.

In Japanese: 山寨

A mountain shelter; a mountain lodge; a mountain hut.

In Japanese: 山荘

Old province, which grosso modo corresponded to the current Kagawa prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It was also called Sanuki.

In Japanese: 讃州

A sansukumi is a combination of a snake, which eats a toad, which eats a slug, whose slime is poisonous to the snake; this is the circle of deaths.

In Japanese: 三竦み

"Santo Yakusha Omokage Zukushi" was an illustrated book dedicated to Kamigata actors and to some Edo stage giants, illustrated by Suifutei in a quite comic and modern style and published in Ôsaka in 1784 by Yamatoya Kaemon. Here is the list of the actors depicted in this book: Anegawa Shinshirô III, Arashi Hinasuke I, Arashi San'emon VI, Arashi Sangorô II, Arashi Sanjûrô IV, Arashi Shichigorô II, Asao Tamejûrô I, Asao Monzô, late Bandô Mitsugorô I, Fujikawa Hachizô II, Fujikawa Sango, Ichikawa Danzô IV, Mimasu Daigorô II, Mimasu Tokujirô I, Mihogi Gizaemon II, Nakamura Kyôjûrô II, Nakamura Nakazô I, Nakamura Noshio II, Nakamura Tomijûrô I, Nakamura Utaemon II, Nakayama Bunshichi I, Nakayama Raisuke II, Nakayama Tazô, Onoe Kikugorô I, Onoe Matsusuke I, Sawamura Kunitarô I, Sawamura Sôjûrô III, Segawa Kikunojô III, Shibazaki Rinzaemon II, Somematsu Shichisaburô II, Yamashita Kamenojô IV, Yamashita Kinsaku II, Yamashita Yaozô I and Yoshizawa Iroha I.

In Japanese: 三都役者面影尽

Old province, which grosso modo corresponded to the current Kagawa prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It was also called Sanshû.

In Japanese: 讃岐

The Three Phases of Existence in Buddhism: the past, present and future.

In Japanese: 三世相

Literally the mountain robber. A bandit; a brigand.

In Japanese: 山賊

The Sanzu River. In Japanese Buddhism, it is similar to the River Styx [more details].

In Japanese: 三途川

A cloth-bleaching girl in traditional Japan.

In Japanese: 晒女

"Sarayashiki", or "the Plate Mansion", is one of the most famous ghost stories in Japan. Okiku, a faithful servant of a daimyô in the province of Banshû, overheard once the chief retainer's plot to kill the daimyô and take over his castle. She saved her master by telling everything to her lover, who was loyal to the lord and the plot was foiled. The evil retainer got revenge by stealing one of ten important dishes belonging to the daimyô, who blamed it on Okiku and had her executed by throwing her in the well. Okiku's ghost could not rest It was said that people could still hear her counting the dishes but she always stopped at nine, until her former master was driven insane. Okiku's well is located in the precincts of the famous Himeji-jô, close to the place where samurai were forced to commit ritual disembowelment. There are two wells. The first one was used for washing away the blood of seppuku. The second one, a kind of morbid attraction, is known as Okiku's well. You might still hear her there counting the dishes... [more details]

In Japanese: 皿屋敷

One of the twelve signs of the zodiac (jûnishi). Saru is the sign of the monkey. Other possible reading: shin. The month of the monkey is the 7th lunar month. There are 5 monkey days in the 60 days of the traditional Japanese sexagenary cycle: the 9th, 22nd, 33rd, 45th & 57th days. The hour of the monkey (worth 2 hours in our time system) starts at 4 PM.

In Japanese: 申

Literally "monkey make-up". A kumadori created by the actor Nakamura Denkurô I for the role of Asaina.

In Japanese: 猿隈

A monkey showman.

In Japanese: 猿曳

A monkey showman.

In Japanese: 猿回し

The Sarusawa Pond in the city of Nara near the Kôfukuji Temple [more details].

In Japanese: 猿沢池

The Saruwaka-ryû is a school of Buyô, which was established in Edo by Saruwaka Denkurô. It ended in 1851 with the death of Nakamura Kanzaburô XII, who was the 6th headmaster but had no heir. This school was revived in 1941 by Hanayagi Sukegorô, a member of the Hanayagi school, who took the name of Saruwaka Bukaku (Bukaku was the haimyô of Saruwaka Denkurô) and became de facto the 7th headmaster. He changed his name to Saruwaka Kiyokata I in 1948. The current headmaster, the 9th, is Saruwaka Kiyokata I's grandson Saruwaka Seizaburô II since April 2012 [official website].

In Japanese: 猿若流

Sasaki no Moritsuna (1150~???), or Sasaki Saburô Moritsuna, was the elder brother of Sasaki Takatsuna and an important Genji warrior who fought the Heike clan during the Genpei Wars. He was awarded an important fief in the province of Bizen for his meritorious service at the battle of Fujito. He retired to become a priest. In Kabuki, he was the main character in the classic "Moritsuna Jin'ya".

In Japanese: 佐々木盛綱

Sasaki no Takatsuna (1160~1214), or Sasaki Shirô Takatsuna, was the younger brother of Sasaki Moritsuna and an important Genji warrior who fought the Heike clan during the Genpei Wars. He was famous for racing Kajiwara Genta Kagesue across the Ujigawa River in 1184 to be the first to engage in battle. He retired in 1195 to become a priest [more details].

In Japanese: 佐々木高綱

==> Sassa Narimasa

In Japanese: 佐々内蔵助

Sassa Narimasa (1536~1588) was a bushô and a daimyô of the Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was a vassal of Oda Nobunaga, then of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. His tsûshô was Kuranosuke [more details].

In Japanese: 佐々成政

Sato Gozen (1168 ~ 1189) was the daughter of Kawagoe Shigeyori and the wife of the warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune.

In Japanese: 郷御前

The Kabuki role name of the warrior Katô Kiyomasa during the Edo period. Because of strict Shogunate censorship, the playwrights had to change the names. However, the changes were quite light and the audience had no problem to understand who was who.

In Japanese: 佐藤正清

Dramas based on Takizawa Bakin's voluminous novel "Nansô Satomi Hakkenden" ("Hakkenden").

In Japanese: 里見八犬伝物

The Edo period Satsuma Domain was based at Kagoshima Castle in Satsuma Province [more details].

In Japanese: 薩摩藩

The Satsunan Islands. A group of islands forming the northern part of the Ryûkyû Islands [more details].

In Japanese: 薩南諸島

A famous pass (tôge) on the Tôkaidô road.

In Japanese: 薩埵峠

Rivalry in love. 2 impetuous and elegant lovers compete for the love of the same courtesan in the heart of the pleasure quarters. The most famous love competition is between Nagoya Sanza and Fuwa Banzemon, confronting each other to win the love of the courtesan Katsuragi (Sanza's wife who had to sell herself into prostitution). The scene requires the use of 2 hanamichi for the simultaneous entrance of both lovers.

In Japanese: 鞘当

A series of prints made by Utagawa Toyokuni III between 1847 and 1852, whose main subject is Ôboshi Yuranosuke, the hero of the classic "Kanadehon Chûshingura". The title "Seichû Ôboshi Ichidai Banashi" was translated in English by "The Life of Ôboshi the Loyal".

In Japanese: 誠忠大星一代話

Plays about the priest Seigen, abbot of the Kiyomizudera Temple in Kyôto, and Princess Sakura. The burning passion of the priest for the beautiful princess leads to a series of tragedies and deaths. In the current repertoire, the spectacular drama "Sakura Hime" is the most significant seigen-sakurahimemono.

In Japanese: 清玄桜姫物

A traditional steaming basket (used in cooking or for food delivery).

In Japanese: 蒸篭 | 蒸籠

The Emperor's habitual residence in the Kyôto Imperial Palace.

In Japanese: 清涼殿

Mount Seiryô in China. A sacred mountain, famous for its legendary Shakkyô.

In Japanese: 清涼山

Literally the green dragon blade. A chinese medieval weapon crescent-shaped blade. It was a legendary weapon wielded by the warrior Guan Yu in the historical novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" [more details].

In Japanese: 青龍刀

A legal wife.

In Japanese: 正妻

A legal wife.

In Japanese: 正室

Old province, which grosso modo corresponded to the northern part of the current Mie Prefecture. It was also called Ise.

In Japanese: 勢州

A world. In Kabuki, a sekai is a dramatic world, with a well-defined set of characters and actions, related to well-known historical events or legends.

In Japanese: 世界

A barrier.

In Japanese: 関

The Battle of Seki-ga-Hara. A decisive battle on the 15th day of the 9th lunar month of the 5th year of the Keichô era, the 21st of October 1600 in the western calendar, that preceded the establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate [more details].

In Japanese: 関ヶ原の戦い | 關ヶ原の戰い

Seki-juku or Seki-shuku. The 47th (from Edo) of the 53 shukuba (post station) on the Tôkaidô. 418,7 km from Edo and 72.5 km from Kyôto [more details].

In Japanese: 関宿

Old province in Japan, which grosso modo corresponded to the western part of the prefecture of Shimane. It was also called Iwami [more details].

In Japanese: 石州

A sermon ballad. A form of storytelling performed as a public entertainment which appeared between the Kamakura period and the Muromachi period. The stories were based on the Buddhist guidance leading all living things. It was an entertaining way to explain the Buddhist sutras and doctrines. Famous stories were "Karukaya" (recycled in the gidayû kyôgen drama "Karukaya Dôshin Tsukushi no Iezuto"), "Shuntokumaru" (recycled in the gidayû kyôgen drama "Sesshû Gappô-ga-Tsuji"), "Oguri Hangan" (recycled in many oguri-hanganmono), "Shinoda-zuma" (recycled in the gidayû kyôgen drama "Ashiya Dôman Ôuchi Kagami") or "Sanshô-dayû" [more details].

In Japanese: 説経節

Physical or psychological torture scene in a Kabuki play. One of the most famous ones is the highlight of the play "Dan no Ura Kabuto Gunki".

In Japanese: 責め場

Sendai jôruri is an old style jôruri, also called okujôruri or okuni Jôruri. In this style the singer narrates the story to the rhythm of a fan or biwa.

In Japanese: 仙台浄瑠璃

A boatman.

In Japanese: 船頭

Kabuki dances whose main character is a boatman (sendô). The most famous one, which is still in the current Kabuki repertoire, is "Kaminari Sendô".

In Japanese: 船頭物

One of the most famous temples in Tôkyô, located in the district of Takanawa. Its cemetery is famous because the graves of Lord Asano and his 47 faithful retainers (the Akô Rôshi) are there [more details].

In Japanese: 泉岳寺

==> Asama Jinja

In Japanese: 浅間神社

An official/judicial inquiry.

In Japanese: 詮議

The Age of the Warring Provinces. A long troubled period in Japanese history, which started with the Ônin War (1467~1477) and ended with the final victory of the Tokugawa over the Toyotomi clan. The following period was the Edo period.

In Japanese: 戦国時代

The Sengoku Sôdô, or Sengoku Disturbance, was a noble family dispute within the Sengoku samurai clan at the head of the Izushi-han, which occurred in 1824.

In Japanese: 仙石騒動

Princess Sen (1597~1666) was the eldest daughter of Tokugawa Hidetada, granddaughter of Tokugawa Ieyasu and later the wife of Toyotomi Hideyori. She was remarried to Honda Tadatoki after the death of her first husband. After the passing away of Honda Tadatoki, she became a Buddhist nun named Tenjuin [more details].

In Japanese: 千姫

The main peak in the range of peaks of Mount Ôe.

In Japanese: 千丈ヶ岳

Senju was the first post station on the road to Nikkô and one of the 4 posting stations in Edo. In 1594 the Senju Ôhashi Bridge was constructed on the Sumida River and the area developed as an important place for transportation and travel in conjunction with the construction of Nikkô Tôshôgû, the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Tokugawa Iemitsu in Nikkô. There are several theories for the origin of the area name, some say it is related to the senju (thousand hands) of a Kannon statue, and others say it was related to the fact that the Chiba clan lived there (in Japanese the first character of the name "Chiba" can be read as sen and ju can mean lived, so this could mean something like "place where the Chiba clan lived"). The area was also a stopping point on the for the Kawagoe evening ships which linked Kawagoe and Edo in a single evening and transported people as well as grain or fresh fish. This is now a popular and lively district in Tôkyô in the Adachi Ward [more details].

In Japanese: 千住

Senoo Tarô Kaneyasu (1123 ~ 1183) was a Heike bushô at the end of the Heian period. He was also the villain in the drama "Shunkan".

In Japanese: 妹尾兼康

Literally, an actor who is worth 1,000 ryô. A stage giant during the Edo period.

In Japanese: 千両役者

Senryû, literally 'river willow', is a Japanese form of short poetry similar to haiku in construction [more details].

In Japanese: 川柳

Former wife.

In Japanese: 先妻

Old province, which grosso modo corresponded to the southern part of the current Ôsaka Prefecture [more details]. It was also called Izumi.

In Japanese: 泉州

The final day of Kabuki performances (or for a sumô tournament). Today, this word is widely used in Japan outside Kabuki or sumô. There are several way to write the second ideogram (shû). As the original ideogram had the ideogram for fire included in its structure and because the main fear for theater managers during the Edo period was the destruction of their theater by fire, a replacement ideogram was quickly adopted in order to avoid bringing back luck on the theaters.

In Japanese: 千秋楽 | 千穐楽 | 千龝樂

The Sensôji is a famous Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Tôkyô. It was founded in 628 after the discovery by two fishermen of a statue of Kannon in the Sumida river [more details].

In Japanese: 浅草寺

The Sentô Imperial Palace in Kyôto. It was a palace for retired emperors, built in 1630. It was destroyed by fire and rebuilt several times, up to the final blaze in 1854, after which it was never reconstructed. It is now a 89,000 m2 garden, which can be visited [More details].
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In Japanese: 仙洞御所

The senzai is one of the 3 characters in a sanbasômono. Literally, it means "a thousand years old". The senzai prays on stage for general peace and welfare.

In Japanese: 千歳

The Kabuki role name of Kanzaki Yogorô in "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

In Japanese: 千崎弥五郎

Ritual suicide by self-disembowelment for warriors to atone for their mistakes.

In Japanese: 切腹

Stage lift.

In Japanese: セリ

Operation of stage trapdoors and stage lifts to bring actors or scenery on stage. There are 3 trapdoors in a normal Kabuki theater: the suppon, the ôseri and the koseri.

In Japanese: セリ上げ

A village located in the outskirts of Kyôto. Takebe Genzô opened in this village a calligraphy school, which is the center of the famous "Terakoya" scene of the classic play "Sugawara Denju Tenarai Kagami".

In Japanese: 芹生

Sesshôseki, literally the "Deadly Stone", is a legendary rock located on a bleak and volcanic area in the Nasuno Heath. It is said that the stone kills anyone who comes into contact with it. The legend said that the stone was the transformed corpse of Tamamo-no-Mae, a beautiful woman who was exposed to be a nine-tailed fox working for an evil lord plotting to kill the Emperor and take his throne. The nine-tailed fox was killed by a famous warrior and its body became the Sesshôseki [more details].

In Japanese: 殺生石

Old province, which was made up of the southeastern part of the current Hyôgo Prefecture and the western part of the Ôsaka Prefecture [more details]. It was also called Settsu.

In Japanese: 摂州

Sesshû Tôyô (c. 1420 ~ 1506), also known simply as Sesshû, was a Japanese Zen monk and painter who was considered as a great master of ink painting [more details].

In Japanese: 雪舟等楊

The word setomono, which literally means the things from Seto, comes from the city of Seto in Aichi Prefecture. It is a generic name for ceramics.

In Japanese: 瀬戸物

Setsubun is the traditional day before the beginning of Spring in Japan. It is celebrated the 3rd of February [more details].

In Japanese: 節分

Literally Snow (setsu), Moon (getsu) and Flower (ka). A topic in art and design borrowed from China. it refers to the seasons of the year with the snow symbolizing winter, the moon symbolizing autumn and flower (meaning mean always cherry blossoms) symbolizing spring [more details].

In Japanese: 雪月花

Old province, which was made up of the southeastern part of the current Hyôgo Prefecture and the western part of the Ôsaka Prefecture [more details]. It was also called Sesshû.

In Japanese: 摂津

A townman's wife role in a sewamono drama.

In Japanese: 世話女房

Domestic dramas dealing with the lives of commoners. More realistic in style, scenery and costums than the historical plays (jidaimono). The first sewamono in Kabuki history was Chikamatsu Monzaemon's "Sonezaki Shinjû". Sewamono means the sewa things, sewa being a contraction of the words seken (society of the day) and wadai (subject).

"Sewamono portray in relatively realistic fashion the life of the ordinary people of the Edo Period, although plays in this category often show some stylization in presentation, especially at climactic moments (Paul M. Griffith)."

In Japanese: 世話物

The equivalent for onnagata of the monogatari for tachiyaku.

In Japanese: しゃべり

Shachihoko is a legendary tiger-headed fish-bodied animal which was considered to have control over the rain. According to the legend, it was modeled after the killer whale and it was said that as soon as they could find fire, they would belch out water immediately to stop the fire. Therefore, Shachihoko were used on the rooftops as a charm to protect the important buildings, like castles or temples, from fire. A golden shachihoko is called kinshachi.

In Japanese: 鯱

Debt.

In Japanese: 借金

A legendary stone bridge, 30 centimeters in width, 30 meters in length, located on top of mount Seiryô in China and overlooking a bottomless precipice. This is the title of a famous Nô drama, telling the story of a Japanese aristocrat who has renounced the world to become a priest and goes to China in order to find and pray on top of mount Seiryô in front of the grave of Monju Bosatsu, a disciple of Buddha usually depicted as either riding or leading on a leash a Lion look-alike creature. In Kabuki, the Shakkyô is the background of beautiful Lion dances. "This lion is invariably associated with the peony flower which attracts him, and butterflies which irritate him. The peony affords the decorative color for a stage property, and the butterflies create movement. In this there is a basic esthetic satisfaction for the spectator in witnessing an expression of the duality of the lion's nature--repose (symbolized by the peonies) and anger (aroused by the butterflies)." (Faubion Bowers in "Japanese Theatre")

In Japanese: 石橋

One of the most famous Nô dramas narrating the mystical encounter of the travelling priest Jakushô and the spirit of a lion (shishi), followed by the apparition of Monju Bosatsu, at the stone bridge of Mount Seiryô [more details].

In Japanese: 石橋

Lion dances based on the Shakkyô legend.

In Japanese: 石橋物

A traditional bamboo flute.

In Japanese: 尺八

A Buddhist iron staff. A Buddhist ringed staff used primarily in prayer or as a weapon, that originates from India [more details].

In Japanese: 錫杖

A leased house.

In Japanese: 借家

Japanese traditional instrument of music, a key instrument for Kabuki musical accompaniment, looking like a fretless lute made up of a long neck, three strings and a body in snake skin (in the old days) or cat skin (nowadays). The player hits the chord with a plectrum.

In Japanese: 三味線

Shiba is an important district in Edo/Tôkyô. Shiba was a ward of Tôkyô from 1878 to 1947. Then, Shiba merged with the wards of Akasaka and Azabu to become part of the newly-created Minato Ward [more details].

In Japanese: 芝

An important Shintô in Edo/Tôkyô. This shrine was one of the oldest shrines dedicated to a branch deity of the Ise Shrine. It was built during the Heian period. It was called Itakura Shinmeigû or Shiba Shinmeigû before becoming the Shiba Daijingû during the Meiji era. During the Edo period, sumô matches or Kabuki performances (miyaji shibai) were permitted within the precincts of the Shiba Shinmeigû [official website].

In Japanese: 芝大神宮

==> Shiba Daijingû

In Japanese: 芝神明宮

The Theatre; the Kabuki world; a play; a drama.

In Japanese: 芝居

A tea house (chaya) located within a theater.

In Japanese: 芝居茶屋

An illustrated Kabuki encyclopedia which was written by the writer Shikitei Sanba and was illustrated by Katsukawa Shun'ei and Utagawa Toyokuni I. It was published in 1803.

In Japanese: 戯場訓蒙図彙

Literally 'Before the Playhouse'. A dance-drama in which the stage is likened to a Kabuki theatre in the Edo period and a celebration ceremony such as a name succession and so on takes place in front of it.

In Japanese: 芝居前

Shibusawa Seiichirô (1838~1912) was a retainer of the Hitotsubashi branch of the Tokugawa Clan. He was pro-Shogunate during the Bakumatsu period and became a commander of the Shôgitai.

In Japanese: 渋沢成一郎 | 澁澤成一郎

The seventh generation; the seventh holder of a name; the seventh actor in a lineage.

In Japanese: 七代目

The Seven Gods of Good Fortune.

In Japanese: 七福神

An east-west avenue in Heian-kyô, present-day Kyôto. It was, counting from north to south, the seventh avenue of the imperial capital.

In Japanese: 七条

A Kabuki study group created by seven Kamigata actors in 1958: Nakamura Ganjirô II, Kataoka Nizaemon XIII, Hayashi Mataichirô II, Nakamura Senjaku II, Jitsukawa Enjirô II, Kataoka Gadô V and Nakamura Fukusuke V. The main goal of this group was to revive old Kamigata dramas or to perform classics in the Kamigata style. The first program was staged at the end of August 1958, in Ôsaka at the Mainichi Hall and included the dramas "Kawashô", "Numazu" and "Fûin Giri". A second program was staged for 12 days in July 1959, in Ôsaka at the Mainichi Hall and included the dramas "Shin Usuyuki Monogatari", "Daianji Zutsumi", "Meido no Hikyaku" and "Ono no Tôfû Aoyagi Suzuri". A third program was scheduled for August 1960 but for some financial reasons, it did not happen.

In Japanese: 七人の会

Literally the 'Seven Ri Ferry'. A sea route linking Kuwana-juku to Miya-juku on the Tôkaidô. it was the only sea route on this famous road. The ferry ships sailed about 27 km, which was 7 ri in the old system of measurement. Shichiri no Watashi was not only the name of the sea route and of the ferry. It was also the name of the two piers, in Kuwana and in Miya, used by the arriving or departing ferry ships [more details].

In Japanese: 七里の渡し

Important theater feature in Kabuki, the shichisan is located on the hanamichi, on top of the suppon. Its distance to the stage is 30% of the length of the hanamichi, which explains the origin of the name (shichisan means literally 7-3, 7 units of length to the agemaku and 3 units to the stage). Any actor entering or leaving the stage through the hanamichi has to stop on this symbolic point, either to strike a mie or deliver a line. It is also the point of apparition or disappearance through the suppon for supernatural creatures.

In Japanese: 七三

A pawnshop.

In Japanese: 質屋

Old expression used for either a palanquin bearer or a man pressed into forced labor. Others possibles readings : shitei or jichô.

In Japanese: 仕丁

Shidodera, Shidôdera, Shidoji or Shidôji. A Buddhist temple located in the city of on the island of Shikoku and founded in 626.

In Japanese: 志度寺

A corpse; cadaver; dead body; a carcass.

In Japanese: 死骸

==> Ômi Ôtsu-no-Miya

In Japanese: 志賀の都

The Shigayama school of Buyô. A school of dance founded in Edo during the Genroku period by Shigayama Mansaku I. 3 important dance masters helped this school: Shigayama Mansaku VII (who was Okichi, the wife of the actor Nakamura Nakazô I), Shigayama Mansaku VIII and Nakamura Nakazô I's adopted son Shigayama Mansaku IX. This school is still active nowadays. Several dznce-dramas are clearly associated to this school: "Seki no To", "Kurama Jishi", "Shigayama Sanbasô" and "Nakazô Kyôran".

In Japanese: 志賀山流

Prince Shigehito (1140 ~ 1162). He was the son of Emperor Sutoku.

In Japanese: 重仁親王

A very prestigious rank in a hyôbanki. Possible translation: exceedingly - superior - superior - excellent.

In Japanese: 至極上上吉

Corbicula (a fresh water clam).

In Japanese: 蜆

A seller of shijimi.

In Japanese: 蜆売り

The 4th avenue in Kyôto. This is one of Kyôto's most important downtown streets, going from the Yasaka Shrine (eastern hills) to the Matsunoo Shrine (western hills) [more details].

In Japanese: 四条

The Forty-Seven Samurai. The 47 rônin of the Akô Rôshi story.

In Japanese: 四十七士

A deer.

In Japanese: 鹿

Two meanings for the word shikan:

(1) During the Edo period, it meant finding a new lord or master to serve (for a rônin).

(2) Nowadays, it means government service; entering government service.

In Japanese: 仕官

A fur cushion, a bearskin/deerskin/boarskin rug.

In Japanese: 敷皮

A (small) traditional Japanese square poetry card.

In Japanese: 色紙

Imperial Princess Shikishi (1149 ~ 1201) was a Japanese classical poet who lived during the late Heian and early Kamakura periods. She was the 3rd daughter of Emperor Goshirakawa [more details].

In Japanese: 式子内親王

The shikken was the regent for the Shôgun in the Kamakura Shogunate. The post was monopolized by the Hôjô clan. The first shikken was Hôjô no Tokimasa from 1203 to 1205. The last (and 16th) shikken was Hôjô Moritoki [more details].

In Japanese: 執権

Series of articulated plates attached to the back and sides of a Japanese traditional helmet.

In Japanese: 錣 | 錏

Literally a tug-of-war over the back and sides plates of a Japanese traditional helmet (shikoro). Related to the legendary fight between the Heike warrior Taira no Kagekiyo and the Genji warrior Mionoya Shirô at the Battle of Yashima. This fight became many centuries later a famous one-act drama entitled "Shikorobiki".

In Japanese: 錣引 | 錣曳

A Kabuki drama including a shikorobiki scene.

In Japanese: 錣引物 | 錣曳物

A famous pleasure quarter in Kyôto.

In Japanese: 島原

The prostitute-accosting routines of the Yarô Kabuki (adult Kabuki) during the 1650s and the first years of the 1660s. These plays, which were set in the Shimabara pleasure quarter, were forbidden by the authorities in 1664.

In Japanese: 島原狂言

An informal Nô play [more details].

In Japanese: 仕舞

Old province, which grosso modo corresponded to the current Chiba and Ibaraki Prefectures [more details]. It was also called Sôshû.

In Japanese: 下総

Stage right. The left of the stage from the audience viewpoint. [=> kamite].

In Japanese: 下手

Old province, which grosso modo corresponded to the current prefecture of Tochigi. It was also called Yashû.

In Japanese: 下野

During the Edo period, daimyô were compelled to spend alternate years away from their provinces in Edo near the Shôgun. A daimyô's main residence in central Edo was called kamiyashiki. The additional residence located outside central Edo was called shimoyashiki. It was used as a refuge in case of emergency (in case for example of the destruction of the kamiyashiki in an Edo fire) or as a holiday retreat.

In Japanese: 下屋敷

Old province, which grosso modo corresponded to the current prefecture of Nagano. It was also called Shinshû.

In Japanese: 信濃

Shinagawa-juku or Shinagawa-shuku. The first (from Edo) of the 53 shukuba (post station) on the Tôkaidô. 8 km from Edo and 483.2 km from Kyôto [more details].

In Japanese: 品川宿

A western-influenced Kabuki dance-drama created during the Meiji or Taishô eras.

In Japanese: 新舞踊

==> Shindô Toshishige

In Japanese: 進藤八郎右衛門

==> Shindô Toshishige

In Japanese: 進藤八郎右衛門俊重

Shindô Toshishige (1639~1722) was a retainer of the Asano Clan ruling the Hiroshima Domain. His tsûshô was Hachirôemon.

In Japanese: 進藤俊重

A very prestigious rank in a hyôbanki. Possible translation: truly extreme - superior - superior - excellent.

In Japanese: 眞極上上吉

Commemorative print made after the death of a popular actor [More details].

In Japanese: 死絵

A bedroom; a bed chamber.

In Japanese: 寝所

[Visual]. A prestigious rank in a hyôbanki. Possible translation: truly - superior - superior - excellent.

In Japanese: 眞上上吉

Lovers' double suicide.

In Japanese: 心中

Dramas dealing with a shinjû.

In Japanese: 心中物

New Kabuki dramas written since Meiji by playwrights from outside the Kabuki world.

In Japanese: 新歌舞伎

A collection of 32 favourite plays selected by Ichikawa Danjûrô IX, many of which are included in the katsureki genre. The term jûhachiban actually means "eighteen", but here is used more generally to indicate one actor's particular selection of favourites. Here is the list:

In Japanese: 新歌舞伎十八番

The Shinkage School. Literally the New Kage School (kage meaning shadow in Japanese). A traditional school of swordsmanship (kenjutsu) founded by Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, a disciple of Aisu Hisatada, the founder of the Kage School [more details].

In Japanese: 新陰流

Literally the New Kigeki. A new theatrical venture which was created in 1903 by two Ôsaka brothers, Soganoya Gorô (1877~1948) and Soganoya Jûrô (1869~1925) and which they termed Shinkigeki (New Comedy). The two brothers were initially Kabuki actors. The younger actor was a disciple of Nakamura Sangorô and his first stage name was Nakamura Sannosuke. The elder brother was a disciple of Nakamura Tokizô I and his first stage name was Nakamura Tokiyo. Nakamura Sannosuke and Nakamura Tokiyo took the names of Soganoya Gorô and Soganoya Jûrô. Their ichiza, the Soganoya Brothers Troupe, was founded in 1904. Their plays were mainly working-class comedies. Nowadays, Shinkigeki is still produced by the Shôchiku Company under the name Shôchiku Shinkigeki.

In Japanese: 新喜劇

==> Takarai Kikaku.

In Japanese: 晋其角

Shinkiyomizudera, literally the new Kiyomizu Temple, is in fact the Kiyomizu Temple in Ôsaka. Less famous and less spectacular than the original temple in Kyôto, its Ôsaka version was also built upon a hill, has a famous waterfall (called the Tamade waterfall) and a stage, which explains why it was considered as one of the 100 most famous views in Naniwa). It was founded in 1640 as a sub-temple of the huge Tennôji temple.

In Japanese: 新清水寺

A collection of 10 dance-dramas made by the Meiji star Onoe Kikugorô V:

"Rakan"

"Kodera no Neko"

"Tsuchi-gumo"

"Ibaraki"

"Hitotsuya"

"Modoribashi"

"Kikujidô"

"Hagoromo"

"Migawari Zazen"

"Osakabe Hime"

"Rakan" and "Kodera no Neko" were performed for the first time by his grandfather Onoe Kikugorô III. "Migawari Zazen" and "Osakabe Hime" were added in the collection by Onoe Kikugorô VI.

In Japanese: 新古演劇十種

Literally "New National Drama". A troupe of theater which was created by Sawada Shôjirô in 1917. It performed in modern Japanese and introduced a new realistic style of swordfighting to replace the more formal Kabuki tachimawari. After the passing away of Sawada Shôjirô, the two leaders from the beginning of the 1930s were Shimada Shôgo (1905~2004) and Tatsumi Ryûtarô (1905~1989). The troupe disbanded in 1987. It was followed by the foundation of the Gekidan Wakajishi troupe.

In Japanese: 新国劇

The most famous pleasure quarter in Ôsaka. It was set up about 1656.

In Japanese: 新町

Kuken (or Kukenmachi) was the name of a famous part of the pleasure quarter of Shinmachi in Ôsaka. It was said that the name of Kukenmachi was derived from kuken chaya (literally the Nine Tea Houses) that had been located in the district of Tamatsukuri and were moved later in Shinmachi. Kukenmachi was famous for its cherry blossoms (one of the most famous views in Naniwa).

In Japanese: 新町九軒

One style of narrative music, originating in the Tsuruga style created by Tsuruga Wakasanojô I. It was created during the An'ei and Tenmei eras. The name came from Tsuruga Shinnai, a blind disciple of Tsuruga Wakasanojô I.

In Japanese: 新内

The Shinobazu Pond. A famous natural pond in Ueno [more details].

In Japanese: 不忍池

The hare's-foot hern.

In Japanese: 荵

The shinobue is a Japanese transverse flute which emits a high-pitched sound [more details].

In Japanese: 篠笛

Literally "the new school". Shinpa was a genre of theatre, which appeared in Japan during the Meiji era. It depicted the manners and customs of contemporary Japan. It was characterized by a more naturalistic style than Kabuki and the coexistence of onnagata and actresses. Shinpa dramas were usually very sentimental with a tragic end. Shinpa quickly became extremely popular and was a serious rival for Kabuki during the second half of the Meiji era. This genre got finally caught between tradition and modernity, losing its appeal for both the Kabuki audience and the modern "Western" theatre audience. There are still Shinpa actors and performances in Japan, mainly in Tôkyô at the Shinbashi Enbujô. Shinpa has still nowadays its aficionados, who love its nostalgic flavor. Some Kabuki actors sometimes perform in Shinpa productions.

In Japanese: 新派

Shinra was in Japanese the Korean kingdom of Silla. It was located in southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goryeo (Kôrai) and Baekje (Hakusai) [more details].

In Japanese: 新羅

A divine spirit.

In Japanese: 神霊

Spiritual transformation. The magic transformation in old Genroku Kabuki dramas, at the end of the play, of a man into a god. The best example is in "Fudô".

In Japanese: 神霊事

A sacred deer, like the ones in the Nara Park.

In Japanese: 神鹿

The best 10 of new creations and Sûpâ Kabuki. A collection of ten dramas created in 2010 by Ichikawa Ennosuke III and a subdivision of the collection Ennosuke Shijûhassen:

Hakkenden

Kaguya

Oguri

Ôkuninushi

Ryûô

Shin Sangokushi

Shin Sangokushi II

Shin Sangokushi III

Shin Suikoden

Yamato Takeru

In Japanese: 新作・スーパー歌舞伎十番

Food and drinks offered to the Gods in Shintô shrines: water, alcohol, grains, fish, vegetables, fruits,...

In Japanese: 神饌

Sacramental sake used in a Shintô ceremony.

In Japanese: 神酒

Old province, which grosso modo corresponded to the current prefecture of Nagano. It was also called Shinano.

In Japanese: 信州

Shintô is a polytheistic religion in Japan [more details].

In Japanese: 神道

A district in Asakusa. The name was used from 1645 to 1869, when it was renamed Yoshino-chô. Nowadays, the area is splitted in 4 districts: Imado-1, Imado-2, Higashi Asakusa-1 and Asakusa-6.

In Japanese: 新鳥越町

An actor hyôbanki published in Edo in the 8th lunar month of 1674.

In Japanese: 新野郎花垣

The "New Yoshiwara". In 1657 the city of Edo was destroyed by a big fire. The pleasure quarter of Yoshiwara was reduced to ashed and the Bakufu deciced to rebuild it in the district of Asakusa, in the bend of the Sumida river. Shin-Yoshiwara played its social role and prospered up to the anti-prostitution law of the first of April 1957.

"The new Yoshiwara (Shin-Yoshiwara) was considerably larger than its predecessor (which became known as Moto-Yoshiwara), occupying an area of about seventeen and a half acres. In terms of Its basic layout, it resembled the former quarter in that it was a perfect square, bounded by moats on all sides, bisected by a wide boulevard called Nakanochô and accessible only through a single gate. Also like the old Yoshiwara, Shin-Yoshiwara had three main brothel districts, Edo-chô, Kyômachi, and Nakanochô; the new quarter also had four smaller districts, called Ageya-chô, Sakai-chô, Sumi-chô, and Fushimi-chô. In terms Of population, Shin-Yoshiwara was more than double the size of Moto-Yoshiwara" (Cecilia Segawa Seigle in "Yoshiwara: The Glittering World of the Japanese Courtesan").

In Japanese: 新吉原

An apprentice courtesan in the pleasure quarters during the Edo period.

In Japanese: 新造

A woman who works hauling brine to make salt. In Japanese Traditional Theater, the word shiokumi means more precisely the two famous salt-making sisters Matsukaze and Murasame, who both fell in love with the same man, the courtier Ariwara no Yukihira (818~893), an exile at Suma. This story, along with several of Yukihira's poems from famous compilations, form the basis of Kan'ami's (1333~84) Nô play, which was entitled "Matsukaze" and in which the ghosts of Matsukaze and Murasame wait at Suma beach for Yukihira's promised return, cherishing his outer cloak and cap left as keepsakes. It also became later a famous role in many hengemono. The most famous one is "Shiokumi".

In Japanese: 汐汲

The "staring at the sea" mie, a ferocious pose by Kezori Kuemon, the hero of the drama "Koi Minato Hakata no Hitofushi", who stands imposingly at the prow of his boat. This unique mie was created by Ichikawa Danjûrô IX.

In Japanese: 汐見の見得

"A shirabyôshi can be considered an early precursor of the geisha and dates back to 1115, when the daughters of two high families, Suma no Senzai and Waka no Mae, are said to have attired themselves in the white garb of noblemen, wearing the high hat known as tateboshi, and danced with swords. In the beginning, the shirabyôshi danced a form of ceremonial dance, but later it developed into less virile and more elegant forms, which were used by these entertainers waiting upon the great at their banquets. The legend is shrouded in the obscurity customary in these cases, but at any rate, the shirabyôshi were accomplished women who in the past entertained others with singing, dancing and playing." (A. C. Scott in "The Kabuki Theatre of Japan")

In Japanese: 白拍子

White hair; gray hair.

In Japanese: 白髪

The name in Kabuki dramas or dances of the rônin Hirai Gonpachi.

In Japanese: 白井権八

The 27th (from Edo) shukuba (post station) on the Ôshû Kaidô Highway. Located in the heart of the city of Shirakawa in Fukushima Prefecture.

In Japanese: 白河宿

The Emperor Shirakawa (1073~1087) was the 72nd emperor of Japan (according to the traditional order). His reign spanned the years from 1073 through 1087 [more details].

In Japanese: 白河天皇

Term synonymous with bandit. The litteral meaning is "white wave".

In Japanese: 白浪

Kizewamono drama depicting the adventures of a bandit or a band of thieves.

In Japanese: 白浪物

A long and popular novel (gesaku) in 90 volumes, published between 1849 and 1885. It was written by Ryûkatei Tanekazu (1807~1858) from the 1st to the 31st volume, by Ryûtei Tanehiko II (1804~1868) from the 32nd to the 62nd volume and by Ryûsuitei Tanekiyo (1823~1907) from the 63rd to the 90th volume. It was abundantly illustrated. The most notable illustrator was Utagawa Toyokuni III. It was adapted to Kabuki by Kawatake Shinshichi II in 1853 [more details].

In Japanese: 白縫譚 | 白縫物語

During the Edo period, the courtroom, where the trials were carried out in the machi bugyô’s office, was called the shirasu. The judge was officially the machi bugyô, who, most of the times, appeared only for the first hearing and the final verdict, while a yoriki handled the rest of the examination [more details].

In Japanese: 白洲

[Visual]. A prestigious rank in a hyôbanki. (Shiro)goku-jô-jô-kichi is in fact goku-jô-jô-kichi with the ideogram for goku written in white instead of the usual black. The white goku is one rank below the black goku. This is very difficult to translate correctly this visual concept so we decided to use as a possible translation "almost extreme - superior - superior - excellent".

In Japanese: 白極上上吉

Literally the white banner. Other possible readings are shirahata or hakki. Any kind of white banner or flag. In Kabuki or Bunraku, in Genpei-kassenmono, the White Banner is the war flag of the Genji clan.

In Japanese: 白旗

[Visual]. An important and prestigious rank in a hyôbanki. (shiro)itaru-jô-jô-kichi is in fact itaru-jô-jô-kichi with the ideogram for shi written in white instead of the usual black. The white itaru is one rank below the black itaru. This is very difficult to translate correctly this visual concept so we decided to use as a possible translation "(white) unique - superior - superior - excellent".

In Japanese: 白至上上吉

[Visual]. A beginner rank in a hyôbanki. (Shiro)jô is in fact jô with the jô ideogram written in white. Possible translation: (white) superior.

In Japanese: 白上

[Visual]. A prestigious rank in a hyôbanki. (shiro)kô-jô-jô-kichi is in fact kô-jô-jô-kichi with the ideogram for kô (meritorious) written in white instead of the usual black. The white kô is one rank below the black kô. This is very difficult to translate correctly this visual concept so we decided to use as a possible translation "(white) meritorious - superior - superior - excellent".

In Japanese: 白功上上吉

A shrine in Kagawa Prefecture where Emperor Sutoku was enshrined.

In Japanese: 白峰宮

[Visual]. An extremely prestigious rank in a hyôbanki. (shiro)ô-goku-jô-jô-kichi is in fact ô-goku-jô-jô-kichi with the ideogram for ô (big; grand) written in white instead of the usual black. The white ô is one rank below the black ô. This is very difficult to translate correctly this visual concept so we decided to use as a possible translation "(white) grand - extreme - superior - superior - excellent".

In Japanese: 白大極上上吉

[Visual]. An important and prestigious rank in a hyôbanki. (shiro)ô-jô-jô-kichi is in fact ô-jô-jô-kichi with the ideogram for ô (big; grand) written in white instead of the usual black. The white ô is one rank below the black ô. This is very difficult to translate correctly this visual concept so we decided to use as a possible translation "(white) grand - superior - superior - excellent".

In Japanese: 白大上上吉

One of the five main yoten costumes. "This costume is of the same cut as the nishiki yoten, but all of the garments are of white silk except for the purple shigoki sash. The wig is also different, in this case being the honke no mizuiri type, which is often worn in battle scenes." (Ruth Shaver in "Kabuki Costume")

In Japanese: 白四天

Literally the white sake. Shirozake is strictly speaking not sake as it is made from a mixture of steamed glutinous rice, mirin, kôji and shôchû. After maturing for a month, this mixture is then crushed in a mortar. It contains only 10% alcohol (but is considered as a type of liquor) and almost half of the pulpy mixture is a sweet rice porridge [more details].

In Japanese: 白酒

An emissary.

In Japanese: 使者

A shishi is a mythological lion-like animal said to be the king of beasts and always associated with the Buddhist deity Monju.

In Japanese: 獅子

The Shishigatani Incident (==> Shishigatani no Inbô).

In Japanese: 鹿ケ谷事件

The Shishigatani Plot. A failed uprising against the rule of Taira no Kiyomori in 1177 [more details].

In Japanese: 鹿ケ谷の陰謀

A Lion (shishi) Dance.

In Japanese: 獅子舞

A lion dance based on the Nô drama "Shakkyô". Synonymous with shakkyômono.

In Japanese: 獅子物

Master; teacher; mentor; instructor; educator; preceptor.

In Japanese: 師匠

A downtown area; a traditional working-class neighborhood in Tôkyô.

In Japanese: 下町

A Tailor.

In Japanese: 仕立屋

Shitaya (lit. `Lower Valley`) was an area at the foot of Ueno Hill, on the east side of Kan'eiji Temple. This area was, along Asakusa, Fukagawa or Honjo, an important part of Edo shitamachi. It became the Shitaya Ward in 1878 and, in 1947, both Asakusa Ward and Shitaya Ward were merged to create Taitô Ward [more details].

"Shitaya was known as a poor quarter with many cheap inns in which all kind of scavengers, prostitutes, boozers and other impoverished day-labour people lived during the Edo times" (Heide Imai in "Tokyo Roji: The Diversity and Versatility of Alleys in a City in Transition").

In Japanese: 下谷

This expression comes from the four Deva kings in Buddhism. It was used for the four valiant and strong retainers of Minamoto Yorimitsu (commonly called Raikô): Sakata Kintoki, Watanabe Tsuna, Usui Sadamitsu and Urabe Suetake. It was also used for the four retainers of Minamoto Yoshitsune (Yoshitsune shitennô).

In Japanese: 四天王

The Shitennôji Temple is a Buddhist temple in Ôsaka which was founded around 593 [more details].

In Japanese: 四天王寺

Dramas or dances whose main characters are Minato Raikô and his shitennô. The two best examples are "Tsuchi-gumo" and "Kumo no Hyôshimai".

In Japanese: 四天王物

Style and techniques used by an onnagata actor portraying an extremely jealous woman. In most of the plays, she dies and becomes a vengeful ghost.

In Japanese: 嫉妬事

A former Samurai during the Meiji era. The Meiji Restoration gave considerable attention to the former Samurai ruling class. Their privileges were reduced or ended. The Samurai class officially ceased to exist. Members of this class were categorized as either shizoku (higher-ranking warriors) or sotsuzoku (foot soldiers and below) in 1869. In 1872, the sotsuzoku became either shizoku (former Samurai) or heimin (common people). There were around 3 million shizoku. Outranked only by the nobility (kazoku), the shizoku were the political elite of the Meiji society.

In Japanese: 士族

==> Sunpu-jô

In Japanese: 静岡城

The Shôchiku Company is a leading company of the Entertainent World in Japan, producing movies and plays. It manages all the Kabuki actors (with the exception of the independent Zenshinza troupe) and several major theaters. It was founded in Kyôto in 1902 by the twin brothers Shirai Matsujirô (1877~1951) and Ôtani Takejirô (1877~1970). The latter started to work as a theatrical promoter from 1895. The name Shôchiku uses the first ideograms of both first names, shô being the Sino-Japanese reading of matsu (the Pine) and chiku being the Sino-Japanese reading of take (the Bamboo) [more details].

In Japanese: 松竹

A Shinkigeki troupe which was founded by the Shôchiku Company in 1949.

In Japanese: 松竹新喜劇

A strong distilled liquor [more details].

In Japanese: 焼酎

Shôda Yasutoshi (1650~1705) was a hatamoto at the service of the Bakufu. He worked as a metsuke. His courtesy title was Shimôsa-no-Kami, the kami of the province of Shimôsa. His tsûshô were Sanzaemon and Kozaemon.

In Japanese: 庄田安利

The first actor in a lineage; the founder of a line.

In Japanese: 初代

The New Year; January.

In Japanese: 正月

Literally the 'Manifest Righteousness Regiment'. The Shôgitai was an elite pro-Shogunate regiment formed in 1868 by the hatamoto Amano Hachirô and Shibusawa Seiichirô, a retainer of the Hitotsubashi branch of the Tokugawa Clan. It fought during the Boshin War and was almost annihilated at the Battle of Ueno the 4th of July 1868 [more details].

In Japanese: 彰義隊

An imperial era in Japanese history which started the 16th day of the 12th lunar month of the 21st year of the Kan'ei era (the 13th of January 1645 in the western calendar) and ended the 15th day of the 2nd lunar month of 1648 (the 7th of April 1648 in the western calendar). The 2 eras before and after Shôhô were Kan'ei and Keian.

In Japanese: 正保

Sliding doors and windows made of a latticework wooden frame and covered with a tough, translucent white paper, used in the traditional Japanese Architecture. It goes without saying that it is a key element for Kabuki plays interior design.

In Japanese: 障子

A mythical sake-loving baboon look-alike spirit that lives in the sea.

In Japanese: 猩猩

A famous and auspicious Nô drama featuring a shôjô [more details].

In Japanese: 猩々

==> Shôkatsu Ryô

In Japanese: 諸葛孔明

Shôkatsu Ryô is the Chinese minister Zhuge Liang in Japanese. Zhuge Liang (181~234) refused to indulge local elites and he adopted strict, but fair and clear laws during the Three Kingdoms period. His name has become synonymous with wisdom and strategy in Chinese culture [more details].

In Japanese: 諸葛亮

A Buddhist acolyte; a priestling.

In Japanese: 所化

Literally the Minister Shôki. Shôki is the Chinese deity Zhong Kui in Japanese [more details].

In Japanese: 鍾馗大臣

Shôkôsai Hanbê was an Ôsaka ukiyoeshi, who was active from 1776 to 1809 [more details].

In Japanese: 松好齋半兵衛

The opening day of Kabuki performances.

In Japanese: 初日

Shôno-juku or Shôno-shuku. The 45th (from Edo) of the 53 shukuba (post station) on the Tôkaidô. 404.7 km from Edo and 86.5 km from Kyôto [more details].

In Japanese: 庄野宿

The bell tower of a Buddhist temple. Also called kanetsukidô [more details].

In Japanese: 鐘楼

A belfry (bell tower) keeper.

In Japanese: 鐘楼守

A tachimawari in a shosagoto.

In Japanese: 所作立

Kabuki Dance-drama.

In Japanese: 所作事

The Shôsen Gorges. One of Japan's most beautiful gorges located in the prefecture of Yamanashi [more details].

In Japanese: 昇仙峡

During the feodal times, shôshô was a title given to a nobleman in charge of a specific province. It can roughly be translated as minor captain. In modern times, it is still used as a military rank: major general (army) or rear admiral (navy).

In Japanese: 少将

Literally the house of the mekake. A house purchased by a wealthy man to lodge his mistress.

In Japanese: 妾宅

An imperial era in Japanese history which started the 25th day of the 4th lunar month of 1711 (the 11th of June 1711 in the western calendar) and ended the 22nd day of the 6th lunar month of 1716 (the 9th of August 1716 in the western calendar). The 2 eras before and after Shôtoku were Hôei and Kyôhô.

In Japanese: 正徳

Prince Shôtoku (574 ~ 622), also known as Prince Umayado or Prince Kamitsumiya, was a semi-legendary regent and a politician of the Asuka period. He served under Empress Suiko. He was the son of Emperor Yômei [more details].

In Japanese: 聖徳太子

An imperial era in Japanese history which started the 25th December 1926 and ended the 7th January 1989. The 2 eras before and after Shôwa were Taishô and Heisei.

In Japanese: 昭和

A village headman (in the Edo period).

In Japanese: 庄屋

Same-sex love in the warrior class. During the Edo period and before, it was a custom for a young samurai to apprentice to an older and more experienced man. They would be lovers all along the apprentice. Shudô means literally the way of youth; it was said to be held in high esteem by the warrior class.

In Japanese: 衆道

A Buddhist priest who trains himself by enduring ascetic practices.

In Japanese: 修験者

A celebration song.

In Japanese: 祝儀曲

A practitioner of Buddhist austerities.

In Japanese: 修行者

Shûhô Myôchô (1282-1337) was a priest from the Rinzai School, who played a leading role in the transmission of zen from China to Japan. He founded the Daitokuji Temple, a major monastery that has been influential for centuries, and he provided interpretations of Chinese texts. He was called Daitô Kokushi (literally "National Teacher of the Great Lamp") or Daitô (literally "Great Lamp").

In Japanese: 宗峰妙超

A prisoner.

In Japanese: 囚人

A shukuba was a post station during the Edo period on one of the major highways like the Tôkaidô or the Nakasendô [more details]. synonymous with shukueki.

In Japanese: 宿場

A shukueki was a post station during the Edo period on one of the major highways like the Tôkaidô or the Nakasendô [more details]. synonymous with shukuba.

In Japanese: 宿駅

Old man; elder; senior; veteran.

In Japanese: 宿老

Name-taking ceremony for an actor.

In Japanese: 襲名

Shumokumachi or Shumokuchô. A kuruwa in Fushimi. Now a district of Fushimi-ku in Kyôto. It was also called Ebisuchô.

In Japanese: 撞木町

An abbreviation for shunigatsue, the "Second-Month Service". "The ceremony of water and fire in Nara Tôdaiji temple is called shunie ceremony, which is also known as omizutori. It's said that spring comes to Nara, with the end of this festival. Shunie ceremony is held from March 1st to 14th (it's in February in the lunar calendar) every year at Tôdaiji temple, Nara. Tôdaiji temple is well known for hosting a great Buddha statue. Shunie means the ceremony of February in Japanese and is the series of Buddhist rituals, in which priests pray to the eleven-headed goddess Kannon by confessing their sins and defilement. The ceremony is held at Nigatsudô hall. Eleven priests, called rengyôshû, pray for nation's prosperity and world peace by strengthening their piety through religious exercise. This ceremony has been practiced every year for more than 1200 years." (from gojapan.about.com) [more details].

In Japanese: 修二会

The Shunjûkai is a Kabuki study group founded in 1966 by Ichikawa Ennosuke III. It was used to revive long-forgotten spectacular Kabuki dramas. The first program, "Taiheiki Chûshin Kôshaku", was staged in July 1966 at the Tôyoko Hall.

In Japanese: 春秋会

The first Shunjûza was a theatre study group founded in 1920 by Ichikawa Ennosuke II, whose main advisors are the playwright Osanai Kaoru and the actor Ichikawa Sadanji II. The first program of the Shunjûza was staged in October 1920 at the Shintomiza and was made up of Tanizaki Jun'ichirô's "Hôseiji Monogatari", Kikuchi Kan's "Chichi Kaeri" and Okamoto Kidô's "Nadate Kuzure". This experience ended in April 1923.

The second Shunjûza, led by Ichikawa Ennosuke II, started in January 1931 and ended in April 1932. Others actors were Kawarasaki Chôjûrô IV, Nakamura Kan'emon III, Ichikawa Yaozô VIII, Ichikawa Danshirô III, Ichikawa Kodayû II, Ichikawa Arajirô II and Ichikawa Sashô II.

Shunjûza is also the name of a theater which was built within the Kyôto University of Arts and Design (Kyôto Zôkei Geijutsu Daigaku).

In Japanese: 春秋座

Shunkan (1143 ~ 1179) was a Kyôto monk who took part in the 1177 Shishigatani plot to overthrow Taira no Kiyomori and who was finally exiled [more details].

In Japanese: 俊寛

A Nô drama which tells the story of Shunkan, a monk who was exiled to "Devil's Island" (Kikai-ga-Shima), following the failure of the Shishigatani plot to overthrow Taira no Kiyomori, along with two others plotters. Though two of the three are pardoned, the monk Shunkan is left on the island [more details].

In Japanese: 俊寛

A sake brawl.

In Japanese: 酒乱

The name in Japanese of Zhou Cang. Zhou Cang was a fictional character in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" [more details].

In Japanese: 周倉

A grieving scene in a Kabuki drama.

In Japanese: 愁嘆場

Style and techniques used by an onnagata actor in a tragic (grieving) scene.

In Japanese: 愁嘆事

A legendary ogre in Japanese Mythology. One thousand years ago, the giant ogre Shuten Dôji lived in the mountain Ôeyama in the province of Tanba. He was said to love sake and terrorized the nearby city of Kyôto by kidnapping beautiful noblewomen and forcing them to serve him before he ate them. He was killed by Minamoto no Raikô, who marched victoriously back to Kyôto hauling Shuten Dôji's head in an ox-cart.

In Japanese: 酒呑童子

A collection of dramas gathered by Nakamura Kichiemon I:

Matsuura no Taiko

Nijô-jô no Kiyomasa

Urusanjô no Kiyomasa

Kumamotojô no Kiyomasa

Yasaku no Kamabara

Kiyomasa Seichûroku

In Japanese: 秀山十種

Buckwheat noodles.

In Japanese: 蕎麦

A buckwheat noodle shop.

In Japanese: 蕎麦屋

Jidaimono drama depicting the disturbances, scandals and succession conflicts within a clan. The most famous ones are "Meiboku Sendai Hagi" and "Kagamiyama Kokyô no Nishikie".

In Japanese: 騒動

The equivalent of dankikusa in Kamigata. This expression was used for the triumvirat of Meiji tachiyaku stars in Ôsaka and Kyôto: Nakamura Sôjûrô, Jitsukawa Enjaku I and Ichikawa Udanji I.

In Japanese: 宗延右

Soga no Emiji (587 ~ 645), also called Soga no Emishi, was a powerful statesman of the imperial court during the Asuka period. His clan was defeated by Fujiwara no Kamatari during the Taika Reform. His son Soga no Iruka was murdered and Emiji committed suicide the next day [more details].

In Japanese: 蘇我蝦夷 | 蘇我蝦夷子

==> Soga no Emiji

In Japanese: 蘇我蝦夷 | 蘇我蝦夷子

Soga Gorô Tokimune (1174~1193) was one of the sons of Kawazu Saburô Sukeyasu. With his elder brother Soga Jûrô Sukenari, he avenged the murder of his father by killing with his brother Kudô Saemon Suketsune, the shogunate official responsible for the murder, the 28th of the 5th lunar month of 1193 (the 28th of June 1193 in the western calendar). He was killed during the encounter. This revenge became of the of most popular stories in Kabuki (sogamono).

In Japanese: 曾我五郎時致

Soga no Iruka was the son of Soga no Emiji. He was killed during the Taika Reform. He became a larger-than-life villain in the Kabuki masterpiece "Imoseyama Onna Teikin" [more details].

In Japanese: 蘇我入鹿

Soga Jûrô Sukenari (1172~1193) was one of the sons of Kawazu Saburô Sukeyasu. With his brother younger Soga Gorô Tokimune, he avenged the murder of his father by killing with his brother Kudô Saemon Suketsune, the shogunate official responsible for the murder, the 28th of the 5th lunar month of 1193 (the 28th of June 1193 in the western calendar). He was executed the following day. This revenge became of the of most popular stories in Kabuki (sogamono).

In Japanese: 曾我十郎祐成

The Soga festival. It was a custom in Edo theaters to produce a sogamono as new year program and to use the characters of the Soga world from the 1st lunar month up to the end of the 5th lunar month. It ended the 28th of the 5th lunar month (the day of the revenge!) and a festival called soga matsuri was held backstage to celebrate both the end of the new year program and the killing of Kudô Saemon Suketsune. The soga matsuri moved in the middle of the Edo period from the backstages to the stages, in order to please not only the actors but the theaters audience.

In Japanese: 曾我祭

Soga no Umako (551 (?) ~ 626) was a ruler of the powerful Soga Clan. He went to great lengths to promote Buddhism in Japan and he defeated his anti-Buddhism rival Mononobe no Moriya [more details].

In Japanese: 蘇我馬子

Dramas or dances based on the famous revenge of the Soga brothers. The 28th of the 5th lunar month of 1193 (the 28th of June 1193 in the western calendar), the brothers Soga Gorô Tokimune and Soga Jûrô Sukenari killed Kudô Saemon Suketsune, who assassinated their father in 1175. This revenge occurred during a hunting party organized at the foot of Mt. Fuji by Kudô, with Minamoto Yoritomo as the guest of honour. The Soga brothers became Kabuki heroes during the 18th century and countless of dramas were produced with their sekai. It was a custom for all the Edo theaters to produce a sogamono as new year program. The Soga brothers' sekai was used from January up to the end of May. The two characters are highly stylized: Gorô is impetuous, wears costums decorated with butterflies and is usually played in the aragoto style. Jûrô is refined, wears costums decorated with plovers (chidori) and is usually played in the wagoto style. The others characters of the Soga world are Kudô Saemon Suketsune, the courtesan Ôiso no Tora (Jûrô's lover), the courtesan Kewaizaka no Shôshô (Gorô's lover), Oniô Shinzaemon (Jûrô's retainer), Danzaburô (Gorô's retainer), Kobayashi no Asahina (a friend of the Soga family), Mankô (the brothers' mother), Ômi no Kotôta (Kudô's retainer) and Yawata no Saburô (Kudô's retainer).

The most famous sogamono are "Kotobuki Soga no Taimen", "Ya-no-Ne", "Uirô Uri" and "Ame no Gorô".

In Japanese: 曾我物

The Soga Clan. It was known for its military opposition to the Mononobe Clan. The clan was defeated in 645 and disappeared with the death of his two final rulers Soga no Emiji and his son Soga no Iruka [more details].

In Japanese: 蘇我氏

A high Buddhist priest.

In Japanese: 僧正

Sôjô Henjô (816 ~ 890) was an early Heian period buddhist priest and poet. Before becoming a priest, he was named Yoshimine Munesada. He was one of the six Rokkasen [more details].

In Japanese: 僧正遍照 | 僧正遍昭

A cheap street girl in Ôsaka or Kyôto during the Edo period. They were called yotaka in Edo.

In Japanese: 惣嫁 | 総嫁

Literally the "global" kanjiku. A very honorific position in a hyôbanki.

In Japanese: 惣巻軸

A grand master. In some Buyô schools of dance, there is a sôke (grand master) instead of an iemoto. Or there are both a sôke and an iemoto. The hierarchical relationship and role division between sôke and iemoto vary widely depending on the school.

In Japanese: 宗家

An aristocrat's concubine.

In Japanese: 側室

==> Taira Yoshikado

In Japanese: 相馬太郎良門

The Sôma Clan. A samurai clan who ruled in northern Japan for over 700 years, from the Kamakura era through the Meiji Restoration of 1868 [more details].

In Japanese: 相馬氏

A dyer; a dye shop/business; a dyehouse.

In Japanese: 染物屋

A Buddhist saint; a venerable; a religious man of high repute; holy man; guest of honour.

In Japanese: 尊者

Synonymous with Miyazono.

In Japanese: 薗八

A teacher or master (of flower arrangement, of tea ceremony, of any traditional art...).

In Japanese: 宗匠

Old province, which grosso modo corresponded to the current prefecture of Kanagawa. It was also called Sagami.

In Japanese: 相州

Old province, which grosso modo corresponded to the current Chiba and Ibaraki Prefectures [more details]. It was also called Shimôsa.

In Japanese: 総州

The Soto-ga-Hama beach. A famous beach in Northern Japan, located near the eponymous city in the northwestern Aomori Prefecture in the Tôhoku region of Japan [a famous print].

In Japanese: 外ヶ浜

In kôdan, one of the 5 members of the Kumokiri Gonin Otoko gang.

In Japanese: 素走り熊五郎

In Kabuki, one of the 6 members of the Kumokiri Gonin Otoko gang.

In Japanese: 洲走熊五郎

Sugawara no Michizane (845 ~ 903) was a brilliant scholar, a talented poet, and a high-ranking imperial court minister of the Heian period. Political rivalries forced him to be exiled to distant Kyûshû, where he died. As he died angry and vengeful and was said to be transformed into a thunder god, his spirit was placated by making him a god called Tenjin. The symbol of Tenjin was the plum blossom. There are always plum trees in any Tenjin Shrine all over Japan. He was also called Kan Shôjô or Kanke [more details].

In Japanese: 菅原道真 | 菅原道眞

==> Nene.

In Japanese: 杉原寧子

A traditional Japanese game similar to "snakes and ladders" [more details].

In Japanese: 双六

"Suifutei Gigafu" was an illustrated book dedicated to Kamigata actors, illustrated by Suifutei in a quite comic and modern style and published in Ôsaka in 1782. Here is the list of the actors depicted in this book: Anegawa Minato II, Arashi Bungorô I, Arashi Hinasuke I, Arashi San'emon VI, Arashi Sangorô II, Arashi Sanjûrô IV, Asao Kunigorô II, Asao Tamejûrô I, Asao Monzô, Fujikawa Hachizô II, Fujikawa Sango, Hanagiri Tomimatsu I, Mimasu Daigorô II, Mimasu Tokujirô I, Mihogi Gizaemon II, Nakamura Jiroza II, Nakamura Jûzô II, Nakamura Kyôjûrô II, Nakamura Noshio II, Nakamura Tomijûrô I, Nakayama Bunshichi I, Nakayama Ihachi I, Nakayama Raisuke I, Onoe Kikugorô I, Onoe Shinshichi I, Otowa Jiroza II, Sawamura Kamegiku (?), Sawamura Kunitarô I, Shibazaki Rinzaemon II, Yamashina Jinkichi II, Yamamoto Giemon, Yamashita Kamenojô IV, Yamashita Kinsaku II, Yamashita Shungorô, Yamashita Yaozô I and Yoshizawa Iroha I.

In Japanese: 翠釜亭戯画譜

Literally water-drying. A type of clothing worn by low-ranking officials serving at the Imperial Court during the Heian period [more details].

In Japanese: 水干

Empress Suiko (554 ~ 628) was the 33rd monarch of Japan according to the traditional order of succession [more details].

In Japanese: 推古天皇

A watergate; a floodgate; a sluice.

In Japanese: 水門

A wooden water wheel.

In Japanese: 水車

Shintô shrines at which women pray for conception and safe birth. The most famous one is in Tôkyô in the district of Nihonbashi Kakigarachô, where you can still capture the atmosphere of shitamachi [more details in Japanese].

In Japanese: 水天宮

A play plot; a synopsis; a theater pamphlet including the plot of the dramas.

In Japanese: 筋書き

Kabuki or puppet dramas whose main characters are Sukeroku and his lover the courtesan Agemaki. Based on a real shinjû story, committed in Ôsaka by the otokodate Yorozuya Sukeroku and his lover the Shinmachi courtesan Ôgiya Agemaki. Sukeroku became an Edo character from 1713, named Hanakawado Sukeroku and his lover became the Yoshiwara courtesan Miuraya Agemaki ("Sukeroku").

In Japanese: 助六物

The Suma Bay. A beautiful shore near modern-day Kôbe, which was an important meisho in Japan literature and poetry.

In Japanese: 須磨浦

The Sumida river, which flows through eastern Tôkyô for almost 27 kilometers, under 26 bridges spaced at about one bridge per kilometer. From olden times the river has been an integral part of the lives of residents, providing water for daily living and for agriculture, as well as serving as a transportation route for people and goods. It is an important backdrop for many Kabuki dramas or dances [more details].

In Japanese: 隅田川

Dances or dramas, which are related to the legend of the Kyôto boy Yoshida Umewakamaru, who was kidnapped by slave traders and died in Edo along the Sumida river. The most famous one is the dance-drama "Sumidagawa".

In Japanese: 隅田川物

"Sumidagawa" is a Nô play by Kanze Motomasa of the fourth category ("madwoman plays") [more details].

In Japanese: 隅田川

The Sumida Park (kôen means park in Japanese) is a riverside park in Asakusa, which stretches along both sides of the Sumida river for several hundred meters. In spring it becomes a popular cherry blossom viewing spot (more than 700 cherry trees!), while on the last Saturday of July it becomes the site of the Sumida river Firework [more details in Japanese].

In Japanese: 隅田公園

A charcoal dealer/supplier.

In Japanese: 炭屋

The Sumiyoshi Seashore in Ôsaka. In the past, the ocean used to reach the western side of what is now the Sumiyoshi Park. The scenery in front of the Sumiyoshi Taisha that faced the ocean was famous for its beautiful white sands and green pines [more details].

In Japanese: 住吉の浜

Lively folk dances popularized by buddhist priests and travelling bonzes as a means of propagating their religion. This expression comes from the Sumiyoshi Shrine in Ôsaka, where such dances originated from.

In Japanese: 住吉踊

Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine is a Shintô shrine in the Sumiyoshi district in the heart of the city of Ôsaka. It is the main shrine of all the Sumiyoshi shrines in Japan [more details].

In Japanese: 住吉大社

Japanese traditional wrestling.

In Japanese: 相撲 (角力)

Kabuki or puppet dramas whose main characters are sumôtori. The most famous ones are "Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki" and "Sekitori Senryô Nobori".

In Japanese: 相撲物 (角力物)

Sumô wrestler.

In Japanese: 相撲取り

Sunpu was a Japanese castle built in 1589 in Shizuoka City in Shizuoka Prefecture. It was also called Shizuoka Castle or Fuchû Castle [more details].

In Japanese: 駿府城

Old province, which grosso modo corresponded to the central part of the current prefecture of Shizuoka. It was also called Suruga.

In Japanese: 駿州

The suô is a formal dress worn by samurai and daimyô which is worn over an inner kimono.

In Japanese: 素襖

An old province of Japan in the area that is today the eastern part of Yamaguchi prefecture. It was also called Bôshû [more details].

In Japanese: 周防

Performing a Buyô dance without costume, makeup, wigs or stage props.

In Japanese: 素踊り

Super Kabuki. A new genre, created by the star Ichikawa Ennosuke III, which makes full use of the newest techniques, spectacular costumes, synthesizer sound effects and laser lighting, while incorporating some elements of Kabuki. Super Kabuki uses modern language scripts, which are written by modern playwrights. The plays have proved tremendously popular and are becoming a core element of new-style Kabuki. Ichikawa Ennosuke has said that "The future of Kabuki should be in trying to please the public, just as Okuni did when she started it as a popular art for commoners".

Here is the list of Super Kabuki dramas:

In Japanese: スーパー歌舞伎

Literally "Super Kabuki Second". The second cycle (or the second generation) of Sûpâ Kabuki. Sûpâ Kabuki was pioneered and led by Ichikawa Ennosuke III. Sûpâ Kabuki Sekando is led by Ichikawa Ennosuke IV.

In Japanese: スーパー歌舞伎II

Trap door on the hanamichi, located at the shichi-san, used for the apparition of supernatural creatures.

In Japanese: 鼈

Pickpocket; cutpurse.

In Japanese: 掏摸

Old province, which grosso modo corresponded to the central part of the current prefecture of Shizuoka. It was also called Sunshû.

In Japanese: 駿河

The Suruga Bay. Located on the Pacific coast of Honshû in Shizuoka Prefecture [more details].

In Japanese: 駿河湾

The name of a famous place in Fukagawa. The current location is the first district of Tôyô in Kôtô Ward. Its tsutsumi was a famous scenic spot and was a great spot for shellfish gathering. It was also the place of huge 20th century red light district named Susaki Paradise.

In Japanese: 洲崎

One of the most famous Japanese delicacies. A slice of raw fish or shellfish on a small ball of cold rice.

In Japanese: 鮨 (寿司)

A Sushi shop or a Sushi restaurant.

In Japanese: 鮨屋

Emperor Sushun (553 (?) ~ 592) was the 32nd Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 587 until his death the 12th of December 592 [more details].

In Japanese: 崇峻天皇

Eulalia. A long grass associated with autumn.

In Japanese: 芒

A throwaway line; short lines of dialogue in Kabuki which are not written in the script but are improvised by the actors in response to the mood of the moment.

In Japanese: 捨て台詞

==> Sutoku Tennô

In Japanese: 崇徳新院

Emperor Sutoku (1119 ~ 1164) was the 75th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1123 through 1142 [more details].

In Japanese: 崇徳天皇

==> Sutoku Tennô

In Japanese: 崇徳院

The Suzaku Gate. This gate was the main one built in the center of south end of the imperial palaces in the Japanese ancient capitals (Kashihara, Nara or Kyôto). [more details].

In Japanese: 朱雀門

A famous medieval execution ground in Edo.

In Japanese: 鈴ヶ森

The meloimorpha japonica, the suzumushi, literally 'bell-ring cricket', is a species of cricket widespread in Asia from India to Japan. Known particularly for its chiming song in Japan, the suzumushi are often kept as pets [more details].

In Japanese: 鈴虫

The Shintô God of War.

In Japanese: 諏訪明神

A 1200 years old Shintô shrine in Nagano prefecture, which is the center of numerous shrines spread throughout Japan. Several important Gods are worshipped there. The God of Battles, Suwa Myôjin, used to be worshipped there as well [more details].

In Japanese: 諏訪大社

A tobacco seller.

In Japanese: 煙草売

A shop or a person selling tobacco.

In Japanese: 煙草屋

Japanese traditional socks.

In Japanese: 足袋

Travelling Kabuki troupes.

In Japanese: 旅芝居

A shop making and/or selling tabi; the owner or the employee of such a shop.

In Japanese: 足袋屋

Guild name (yagô) for the actors Ichimura Kakitsu, Ichimura Manjirô, Ichimura Tsuruzô and Ichimura Yoshigorô.

In Japanese: 橘屋

Stylized fight scene. A "one against all" spectacular scene present in almost all the epic dramas. The most famous tachimawari are the final scenes of the dramas "Ranpei Monogurui" and "Sakaro" ("Hirakana Seisuiki"), and the opening scene of the classic "Shin Usuyuki Monogatari".

In Japanese: 立回り

Actor specialized in male roles (also called tateyaku).

In Japanese: 立役

A class of roles. The litteral meaning is "half-dôkegata" tachiyaku.

In Japanese: 立役半道方

Tada no Mitsunaka. Also called Tada no Manjû (Manjû being the Sino-Japanese reading of the ideograms for "Mitsunaka"). A different name for the warrior Minamoto no Mitsunaka.

In Japanese: 多田満仲

The other name of the Tôkôji temple. This temple was built in 1583 near the Sumida River in the district of Honjo Banba-chô (nowadays the district of Higashi-Komagata in Sumida Ward. It was moved in 1928 to its current location in the district of Higashi-Kanamachi in Katsushika Ward. The name Tada Yakushi came from a stone statue of a Yakushi Nyorai Buddha (the Buddha of Medicine) which was made after a command from Tada Mitsunaka.

In Japanese: 多田薬師

The Taga Shrine. A Shintô shrine located in Shiga Prefecture. It was founded in 660 [more details].

In Japanese: 多賀大社

A sea bream.

In Japanese: 鯛

Chronicles of the Great Peace. An important Kabuki worlds (sekai). Its heroes are Ôtô-no-Miya, Kusunoki Masashige, the Nitta brothers and Ômori Hikoshichi.

In Japanese: 太平記

The Taika coup d'etat in 645. The Emperor Tenchi and his loyal minister Fujiwara no Kamatari succeeded in destroying the wicked Soga no Iruka, who tried to take over the Imperial power. The classic "Imoseyama Onna Teikin" is based on this story.

In Japanese: 大化の改新

==> Fujiwara no Tamako

In Japanese: 待賢門院

A Japanese traditional drum.

In Japanese: 太鼓

Honorific title applied during the Heian period to the grand minister of state or the regent of the realm. Later used to refer to an imperial regent. In 1592, Toyotomi Hideyoshi named his nephew Hidetsugu his heir and adoped him. He resigned as kanpaku to take the title of taikô (literally retired regent).

In Japanese: 太閤

Chronicle of the Taikô (honorific title for the great warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi). One of the three most important Kabuki worlds (sekai). Its heroes are the warlords who fought for the unification of Japan and ended the sengoku jidai period. The shogunate banned any reference in Kabuki plays to recent historical facts and the playwrights has to thinly disguise the names. Here is the list of the main characters belonging to the Taikôki world: Mashiba Hisayoshi/Konoshita Tôkichi (real name: Toyotomi Hideyoshi), Oda Harunaga (real name: Oda Nobunaga), Takechi Mitsuhide (real name: Akechi Mitsuhide) and Satô Masakiyo (real name: Katô Kiyomasa). Another important role is the king of thieves Ishikawa Goemon, sworn enemy of Mashiba Hisayoshi.

In Japanese: 太閤記

Male entertainer in the pleasure quarters.

In Japanese: 幇間

Taiko drumming; a taiko drummer.

In Japanese: 太鼓打ち

The Taima Temple. A Buddhist temple in Nara, which was originally built in 612 [more details].

In Japanese: 當麻寺

Taira no Atsumori (1169 ~ 1184) was a young Heike warrior of the late Heian period. He was killed by Kumagai Naozane at the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani [more details].

In Japanese: 平敦盛

Taira no Kagekiyo was a Heike samurai who took part in the Genpei War against the Genji. He became an important character in Kabuki during the 18th century. He was often called Akushichibyôe Kagekiyo in Kabuki dramas [more details].

In Japanese: 平景清

Taira no Kiyomori (1118 ~ 1181) was the most powerful leader of the Heike clan during the late Heian period. He established the first samurai-dominated administrative government in the history of Japan [more details].

In Japanese: 平清盛

Taira no Masakado (903 ~ 940) was a general of the Heian period, who led (and lost) a violent rebellion against the central government in Kyôto. He became a legendary character after his death [more details].

In Japanese: 平将門

Taira no Masamori, son of Taira no Masahira, was a warlord in the late Heian period. He was the father of Taira no Tadamori and he most likely died in 1121 [more details].

In Japanese: 平正盛

Taira no Munekiyo was a Heike warrior of the late Heian period. He was also called Yaheibyôe Munekiyo.

In Japanese: 平宗清

Taira no Munemori (1147 ~ 1185) was the third son of Taira no Kiyomori, and one of the Heike chief commanders during the war against the Genji. He became the leader of the Heike clan after the deaths of his eldest brother Shigemori (1179) and his father Kiyomori (1181). He fought against the Genji, was captured at the Battle of Dan-no-Ura, and later executed in Kyôto in late 1185 [more details].

In Japanese: 平宗盛

Taira no Noritsune (1160 ~ 1185) was a Heike warrior of the late Heian period, who fought in the battles of Mizushima, Ichi-no-Tani, and Dan-no-Ura. The legend said that he died by drowning himself, at Dan-no-Ura, while holding a Genji warrior under each arm. When Japan was ruled by the Heike clan, he was the governor (kami) of the province of Noto. He was therefore called Noto-no-Kami Noritsune [more details].

In Japanese: 平教経

Taira no Shigemori (1138 ~ 1179) was the eldest son of Taira no Kiyomori. He was called Komatsu-dono or Komatsu Naidaijin because he was naidaijin and had a house in the Komatsu Office of the Rokuhara Palace. He was also called the Lantern Minister since he had built 48 lantern towers at his house. He died of illness in 1179. He was also called Komatsu Naifu Shigemori [more details].

In Japanese: 平重盛

Taira no Tadanori (1144 ~ 1184) was a Heike general of the late Heian period and a famous poet. He was a brother of clan head Taira no Kiyomori [more details].

In Japanese: 平忠度

Taira no Tokitada (1130 ~ 1189) was a kuge of the late Heian period and an important leader of the Heike clan. He was the son of Taira no Tokinobu and the brother-in-law of Taira no Shigemori. After the Battle of Dan-no-Ura and the complete defeat of the Heike clan, he was exiled by Minamoto no Yoritomo to the Noto Peninsula, where he died.

In Japanese: 平時忠

Taira no Yasuyori (1146 ~ 1220) was a samurai of the Heian period. He was also called Hei Hangan Yasuyori or the nyûdô Hei Hangan. He was one of the conspirators involved in the 1177 Shishigatani incident. He and his companions in exile, Fujiwara no Naritsune and the monk Shunkan, featured prominently in the drama "Heike Nyogo no Shima".

In Japanese: 平康頼

Taira Yoshikado (dates of birth and death unknown), son of Taira no Masakado, was legendary bushô said to have lived in the mid-Heian period. His name sends us more into the field of legend than of history. He often appeared as a vengeful ghost.

In Japanese: 平良門

Literally "great elder". The tairô was a high-ranking official position in the Tokugawa Shogunate, roughly comparable to the office of prime minister [more details].

In Japanese: 大老

Taisei hôkan was the formal restoration of political authority to the Emperor. On the 14th day of the 10th lunar month of the 3rd year of the Keiô era, which was the 10th of November 1867 in the western calendar, Emperor Meiji accepted the imperial sanction of taisei hôkan, which was the return of political power to the Emperor by the Shôgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu.

In Japanese: 大政奉還

Literally Great Heat. A traditional day, around the 23rd or the 24th of July on the modern calendar, which is expected to be symbolically the hottest day in the year.

In Japanese: 大暑

An imperial era in Japanese history which started the 30th December 1912 and ended the 25th December 1926. The 2 eras before and after Taishô were Meiji and Shôwa.

In Japanese: 大正

The honorific of title recieved by Fujiwara no Kamatari at the end of his career. It literally means the 'Great Woven Crown'.

In Japanese: 大織冠

A heavy drinker.

In Japanese: 大酒家

The eve of a death anniversary.

In Japanese: 逮夜

Old province in Japan, which grosso modo corresponded to the northern part of Hyôgo Prefecture. It was also called Tanshû [more details].

In Japanese: 但馬

Takahashi Deishû (1835~1903) was a Japanese samurai, calligrapher and author of the Bakumatsu period and the Meiji era. Born as the son of Yamaoka Masanari, he was adopted by Takahashi Kanetsugu. He was also called Takahashi Hirotake or Takahashi Ise-no-Kami, as his court title was kami of the province of Ise. He was one of the three Bakumatsu no Sanshû [more details].

In Japanese: 高橋泥舟

==> Takahashi Deishû

In Japanese: 高橋寛猛

==> Takahashi Deishû

In Japanese: 高橋伊勢守

A falconer.

In Japanese: 鷹匠

==> Mochihito-ô

In Japanese: 高倉宮

The name of an area in the eastern part of present day Minato Ward in Tôkyô. It centered on the Tôkaidô Highway, with Shiba to the north and west and Shinagawa to the south [more details].

In Japanese: 高輪

The name of 11 generations of high-ranking (keisei) Yoshiwara courtesans. The second one, who was called Manji Takao, was killed in the 12th lunar month of 1659 by the daimyô Date Tsunamune on a pleasure boat (==> date sôdô).

In Japanese: 高尾

Mount Takao. A mount located to the northwest of the center of Kyôto [more details].

In Japanese: 高雄山

Takarai Kikaku (1661 ~ 1707) was a professional haiku poet of the Edo period. He was also known as Enomoto Kikaku or Shin Kikaku. He was a talented disciple of Matsuo Bashô and became the founder of the Kikaku School of haiku. His real name was Takeshita Tadanori [more details].

In Japanese: 宝井其角

Takarazuka Films. A film production company whose movies are distributed by the Tôhô Company [more details].

In Japanese: 宝塚映画 | 寶塚映画

Guild name (yagô) for the actor Nakamura Baigyoku.

In Japanese: 高砂屋

Guild name (yagô) for the actors Ichikawa Sadanji and Ichikawa Unosuke [more details].

In Japanese: 高島屋

The traditional pedestal upon which the cup of sake is placed.

In Japanese: 高杯

==> Ryûtei Tanehiko

In Japanese: 高屋彦四郎知久

Takebayashi Tadashichi Takashige (1672~1703) was one of the shijûshichishi. He was portrayed as Takemori Kitahachi in "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

In Japanese: 武林唯七隆重

The Kabuki role name of Akechi Mitsuhide during the Edo period. Because of strict Shogunate censorship, the playwrights had to change the names. However, the changes were quite light and the audience had no problem to understand who was who.

In Japanese: 武智光秀

An old highway linking Kyôto to Fushimi (nowadays the Fushimi Ward in Kyôto).

In Japanese: 竹田街道

Takeda Katsuyori (1546~1582) was a Japanese daimyô of the Kai province, the son of Takeda Shingen [more details].

In Japanese: 武田勝頼

Takeda Shingen (1521~1573) was a Japanese daimyô of the Kai province with exceptional military prestige in the late stage of the Sengoku period [more details].

In Japanese: 武田信玄

Roles played by minor actors imitating some simple, crude and gaily-coloured Bunraku puppets. You can find Takeda Yakko in 2 plays in the current repertoire: "Dan no Ura Kabuto Gunki" and "Goto Sanba".

In Japanese: 竹田奴

The Kabuki role name of Takebayashi Tadashichi in "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

In Japanese: 竹森喜多八

A ningyô jôruri theater founded in 1684 by Takemoto Gidayû in Ôsaka in the Dôtonbori district (west side). In 1705, the zamoto of this theater was Takeda Izumo I and the leading playwright was Chikamatsu Monzaemon. Takemoto Gidayû, the founder of the Gidayû school died in 1714 and was replaced by his son Takemoto Masadayû I. It became common in puppet theaters, beginning in the Kyôhô era (1716-1736), for a committee of authors to work together on the creation of each new play. Many famous playwrights worked at the Takemotoza: Chikamatsu Monzaemon, Takeda Izumo I, Miyoshi Shôraku, Namiki Senryû I, Matsuda Bunkôdô, Hasegawa Senshi, ... The Takemotoza had its rival, the Toyotakeza, which was built by an ex-disciple of Takemoto Gidayû and the competition between the 2 theaters was fierce. The golden age of ningyô jôruri lasted up to the end of the Hôreki era. Slowly but surely, the Kabuki, which adapted to its genre all the puppet masterpieces, won back its popularity, which was eclipsed for a while by the puppet theater's one, and the ningyô jôruri went into a decline. The Takemotoza finally had to close down in 1767.

In Japanese: 竹本座

Takenouchi no Sukune was a legendary Japanese hero-statesman. He served 5 legedendary emperors and he waq Grand Minister to Jingû Kôgô. He was said to have drunk daily from a sacred well and lived to be 280 years old! According to the legend, Takenouchi no Sukune was a direct ancestor of the Soga family which played a major role in a number of popular Kabuki dramas. He became a kami in the Shintô religion [more details].

In Japanese: 武内宿祢 | 武内宿禰

A lattice bamboo fence.

In Japanese: 竹矢来

A bamboo spear.

In Japanese: 竹槍

Princess Takiyasha. The daughter of the rebel Taira no Masakado. She features in Japanese myths and legends. One legend said that, after her father's death, the historical Princess Takiyasha continued living in the ruined palace of his late father. She was often depicted as a supernatural figure, for example in one of Utagawa Kuniyoshi's most famous prints. In that print, set in Masakado's ruined palace, Takiyasha wards off enemies by summoning a gigantic skeletal spirit to attack them. In Kabuki, Takiyasha is an important characeter in the dance-drama "Masakado" and in the drama "Kin no Zai Sarushima Dairi".

In Japanese: 瀧夜叉姫

An octopus.

In Japanese: 蛸

A kite.

In Japanese: 凧

According to some tales, an evil nine-tailed female fox, who committed evil deeds in India and China, managed to escaped her fate and fled to Japan, where she became a beautiful court lady named Tamamo-no-Mae. She successfully captured the heart of Emperor Toba. When he began to fall ill, the suspicious astrologer Abe no Yasunari discovered that Tamamo-no-Mae was in reality the nine-tailed fox in disguise. The evil fox was chased across the Nasuno Heath, where she turned herself into a stone. This stone, called Sesshôseki, was gripped by the power of the fox's evil and it stole the life from anybody who approached it. The spirit of Tamamo-no-Mae was finally redeemed by a famous Buddhist priest [more details].

In Japanese: 玉藻前

A soap-bubbles peddler.

In Japanese: 玉屋

Tameshigiri is the Japanese art of target test cutting using a katana [more details].

"The practice of performing cutting tests on swords was begun in the Kotô period, (prior to 1600), the tests were performed on various combinations of materials, i.e. bundles of bamboo laden with mud and tied, helmets, horn, iron of various degrees of hardness, and last but not least, the human body. The practice of using human bodies was begun as a means of crime control, for instance, the sentence for a convicted thief would probably be the loss of a hand or arm. The various strokes were given in relationship to the severity of the crime committed [...] Swords were tested only by licensed testers at official testing grounds. The results of the test along with the date and name of the tester were then inscribed, (mainly in gold), on the tang of the sword." (from samuraisword.com)

In Japanese: 試斬 / 試し斬り / 試し切り / 試切

Tamura Tatsuaki (1656~1708) was the second and last daimyô of the Iwanuma Domain. His courtesy titles were first ukyôdayû, then inaba_no-kami from 1705. The Inaba-no-Kami was the kami of the Inaba Province. In 1701, in the aftermath of the famous Akô Incident, he was assigned custody of Asano Naganori.

In Japanese: 田村建顕

The Star Festival celebrated on July 7 in the city of Hiratsuka and August 7 in the city of Sendai. According to an old Chinese legend, it celebrates the reunion of the lovers Princess Orihime and Prince Hikoboshi, shining in the summer sky as Vega and Altair, who are separated the rest of the year by the milky way but can cross it and meet only for one night.

In Japanese: 七夕

Old province in Japan, which grosso modo corresponded to the central part of Kyôto Prefecture and the east-central part of Hyôgo Prefecture.

In Japanese: 丹波

Old province in Japan, which grosso modo corresponded to the northern part of Kyôto Prefecture facing the Sea of Japan. It was also called Tanshû [more details].

In Japanese: 丹後

An important genre of classical Japanese poetry [more details].

In Japanese: 短歌

Old province in Japan, which grosso modo corresponded to the northern part of Hyôgo Prefecture. It was also called Tajima [more details].

In Japanese: 但州

==> Tango

In Japanese: 丹州

A badger. Tanuki in Japan are traditionally said to have the power to take the shape of humans, and in that form, they can play mischievously in order to trick human beings.

In Japanese: 狸

A strip of paper for writing a poem on.

In Japanese: 短冊

The young, chivalrous and refined customers of the tanzen buro; Stylization in Kabuki of the manners of the customers of the tanzen buro; A padded kimono worn over the yukata after a bath to protect from the cold (the name originates in tanzen buro).

In Japanese: 丹前

Famous bathhouses with women attendants, built in Edo in the district of Kanda during the Kan'ei (1624~1644) era. The sexual license of these bathhouses was well-known and they received the order to close or move to the pleasure quarter in 1658.

In Japanese: 丹前風呂

A samurai in the tanzen style.

In Japanese: 丹前侍

Acrobatic barrel-rolling performance using feet. Tarai-mawashi is used either for the art (or the performance) or the performer.

In Japanese: 盥廻し

A barrel; a cask; a butt; a keg.

In Japanese: 樽

Traditional Japanese straw mat [more details].

In Japanese: 畳 | 疉

A shop making/selling tatami; the owner or an employee of such a shop.

In Japanese: 畳屋 | 疉屋

During the Edo period, a tateba was a location on a highway (like the Tôkaidô), where the travelers could take a rest. They were most of the times located mid-way between post-towns. Small clusters of tea-stalls or solitary houses, they were unofficially established by local people who took advantage of the needs of travelers who would stop to rest or have some refreshment before moving on to the next official post-town.

In Japanese: 立場

A joiner; a cabinetmaker; a maker/seller of household furnishing.

In Japanese: 建具屋

Leading onnagata in a Kabuki theater or a troupe (also called tateoyama).

In Japanese: 立女方 (立女形)

The head of the playwrights' room in a Kabuki theater during the Edo period or the Meiji era.

In Japanese: 立作者

A choreographer of tachimawari.

In Japanese: 立師

One of the twelve signs of the zodiac (jûnishi). Tatsu is the sign of the dragon. Other possible reading: shin. The month of the dragon is the 3rd lunar month. There are 5 dragon days in the 60 days of the traditional Japanese sexagenary cycle: the 5th, 17th, 29th, 41st & 53rd days. The hour of the dragon (worth 2 hours in our time system) starts at 8 AM.

In Japanese: 辰

"Tatsutayama appears to have been a general name for the mountains in what is now western Tachino, Misato Village, Ikoma District, Nara Prefecture. This area on the old Yamato-Kawachi border, traversed by the important Yamato-Naniwa road, was dreaded by travelers, not only because of the wild and difficult terrain, but also because there was danger of attack by brigands" (Helen Craig McCullough in "Tales of Ise: Lyrical Episodes from 10th Century Japan").

In Japanese: 竜田山 | 龍田山

==> Fujiwara Hidesato

In Japanese: 俵藤太秀郷

In the world of traditional performing arts, the word tayû has three possible meanings:

A high-ranking Nô actor; the head of a school of Nô.

A jôjûri narrator or a manzai narrator.

A female role actor (onnagata) in Kabuki.

In Japanese: 太夫 | 大夫

A court rank in Japan. Possible translation: lord steward. In the case of the tayû Sanshô, the subject of several legends, books or dramas ("Sanshô-dayû"), it was translated as Sanshô the bailiff in the case of Mizoguchi Kenji's 1954 masterpiece "Sanshô-dayû".

In Japanese: 太夫 | 大夫

A high-ranking courtesan during the Edo period.

In Japanese: 太夫 | 大夫

A low ranking priest in a Shintô shrine.

In Japanese: 太夫 | 大夫

A famous bridge over the Dôtonbori canal in Ôsaka. The name of the bridge comes from Ôsaka Tazaemon, a name held by 6 generations of Kabuki nadai. The original bridge, which was built during the Edo period (unknown year), was a wooden bridge. It was completely reduced to ashes during the terrible American air raid of the night from the 13th to the 14th of March 1945, which destroyed the city of Ôsaka. The current modern bridge was completed in 1958. It is 41.2 meters long and 4 meters wide.

In Japanese: 太左衛門橋

Shop employee whose rank is above Decchi and below Bantô.

In Japanese: 手代

Landlord; husband; head of family; master (of a restaurant or a chaya).

In Japanese: 亭主

The tekomai were young geisha walking in procession during a religious festival in a special costum. They led the mikoshi (portable shrine) while singing festival chant-like songs like the famous kiyari ondo. The tekomai costum is made up with a masculine trouser, a peony flower design on the right shoulder, a red paper lantern imprinted with their names in their left hand and a metal wand in their right hand. The word tekomai can be used either for the dancing/singing girls or for their costums.

In Japanese: 手古舞

Traditional Japanese thread ball. It used to be a gift given to symbolize perfection, deep friendship or loyalty [more details].

In Japanese: 手鞠 | 手毬

A shop selling temari or a person making temari.

In Japanese: 手鞠屋 | 手毬屋

Literally the "Heaven and Earth" mie. A 2-actor mie at the end of "Sanmon": from above Ishikawa Goemon, putting his foot on the railing and his hand on the hilt of his sword, stares at Mashiba Hisayoshi, while from below Hisayoshi, catching the dagger flung by Goemon with the dipper of the stone basin, stares at Goemon.

In Japanese: 天地の見得

Emperor Tenchi (626~672), also known as Emperor Tenchi, was the 38th emperor of Japan from 661 to 671 according to the traditional order of succession [more details].

In Japanese: 天智天皇

Ten'eiin (1666~1741) was Tokugawa Ienobu's seishitsu. Her real name was Konoe Hiroko. She took the name of Ten'eiin (literally Lady Sky Talent) after the passing away of Tokugawa Ienobu.

In Japanese: 天英院

A long-nosed goblin.

In Japanese: 天狗

Born in 1699 in the Kishû province. His first name was Hannosuke. He became a yamabushi priest and called himself Ten'ichibô. Financially supported by several influential rônin, he went to Edo in 1728 to claim that he was the son of the 8th Tokugawa Shôgun. His case was carefully examined by an Edo tribunal, which came to the conclusion that it was a fraud. As a consequence of this trial, Ten'ichibô was condemned to death and executed in 1729. This affair, the Ten'ichibô Jiken, became the subject of several Kabuki plays (ten'ichibômono), the most famous one being "Ten'ichibô Ôoka Seidan". Before the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate, the role was Tennichibô, not Ten'ichibô, in order to avoid any trouble with the censorship.

In Japanese: 天一坊

"In 1729, the authorities arrested a priest-swordsman by the name of Kaigyô for impersonating a member of the Tokugawa clan. As in the story, Kaigyô had been born in the Kii peninsula, but soon afterward, he came to Edo with only his mother. At age four, his mother died, and the boy spent his youth in a temple. After reaching adolescence, he started calling himself Genjibô Ten’ichi or Ten'ichibô Yoshitane and claiming to be the Shôgun’s illegitimate son, apparently to cheat local rônin out of money." (source: "The Execution of Ten’ichibô", written by Hamao Shirô and translated by Jeffrey Angles).

In Japanese: 天一坊事件

Kabuki dramas whose main character is Ten'ichibô.

In Japanese: 天一坊物

==> Tenchi Tennô

In Japanese: 天智天皇

The old word for India in Japanese during the Edo period.

In Japanese: 天竺

Tokubê (1612~1692?) was a Japanese adventurer and writer of the early 17th century, who journeyed in Southeast Asia. He was nicknamed "Tenjiku", which meant "India" in Japanese during the Edo period [more details].

In Japanese: 天竺徳兵衛

Kabuki dramas whose main character is the sailor Tenjiku Tokubê.

In Japanese: 天竺徳兵衛物

The Shintô God of Scholarship. He was Sugawara no Michizane, deified after his passing away.

In Japanese: 天神

An imperial era in Japanese history which started the 2nd day of the 4th lunar month of 1781 (the 25th of April 1781 in the western calendar) and ended the 25th day of the 1st lunar month of 1789 (the 19th of February 1789 in the western calendar). The 2 eras before and after Tenmei were An'ei and Kansei.

In Japanese: 天明

The expression Tenmei Kabuki was coined for the revival in June 1962 at the Kabukiza of two long-forgotten dramas of the Tenmei era:

"There was one rediscovered Tenmei play from 1784 on each half of the day's programming, one being Sakurada Jisuke's (1734-1806) Ôakinai Hiruga Kojima (Much Business at Hiruga Kojima), an Edo work not performed for 180 years, for which director Tobe Ginsaku cut the original 150-page script by one third and made the dialogue accessible to contemporary audiences. The Other Tenmei play was one act from the six-act Ôsaka play Keisei Yamato Sôshi (The Courtesan's Storybook of Old Japan) by Namiki Gohei (1747-1808), directed by Takechi Tetsuji. Both Tenmei plays were very well received. The term "Tenmei Kabuki" came into use because of the well-rehearsed program, and the actors gained considerably by encountering little-known plays that allowed them to explore new kabuki acting methods. Sets and music were also the result of deep period research." (Samuel L. Leiter in "Kabuki at the Crossroads: Years of Crisis, 1952-1965")

In Japanese: 天明歌舞伎

An imperial era in Japanese history which started the 29th day of the 9th lunar month of 1681 (the 9th of November 1681 in the western calendar) and ended the 21st day of the 2nd lunar month of 1684 (the 5th of April 1684 in the western calendar). The 2 eras before and after Tenna were Enpô and Jôkyô.

In Japanese: 天和

The Great Fire of the Tenna era. Not really a "Great" fire but nevertheless a significant fire which destroyed 241 samurai houses and 95 temples or shrines. The estimated number of killed is between 850 and 3500. This fire played an important role in the story of Yaoya Oshichi. It occured the 28th day of the 12th lunar month of the 2nd year of the Tenna era, which was the 25th of January 1683 in the western calendar.

In Japanese: 天和の大火

The Kabuki role name of Ten'ichibô.

In Japanese: 天日坊

A celestial creature (equivalent of an angel) in Japanese legends.

In Japanese: 天人

Guild name (yagô) for the actor Nakamura Tomijûrô [more details].

In Japanese: 天王寺屋

A celestial maiden.

In Japanese: 天女

A natural disaster; a cataclysm; a natural calamity; a striking phenomena in heaven and earth.

In Japanese: 天変

An imperial era in Japanese history which started the 10th day of the 12th lunar month of its 1st year (the 23rd of January 1831 in the western calendar) and ended the 2nd day of the 12th lunar month of its 15th year (the 9th of January 1844 in the western calendar). The 2 eras before and after Tenpô were Bunsei and Kôka.

In Japanese: 天保

The title of a famous kôdan created by Matsubayashi Hakuen II at the very beginning of the Meiji era. It can be translated as the Six Poets (rokkasen) of the Tenpô era. The story depicts in fact the lives and deeds of 6 characters who were more robbers than poets, some of them modeled after real people: the bogus priest Kôchiyama Sôshun, the "honest samurai" Kataoka Naojirô, the kenkyaku Kaneko Ichinojô, the thieves gang boss Moritaya Seizô, the bakuto Kurayami no Ushimatsu and the Yoshiwara courtesan Michitose.

The real Kôchiyama Sôshun was a servant in the administrative headquarters of the Tokugawa Shogunate. He worked as a cha bôzu in Edo Castle. He was fired in 1808 and quickly formed a gang of gamblers and thieves, engaging in extortion and other illegal activities. He was arrested in 1823 and died in custody. He became the key character of Matsubayashi Hakuen II's kôdan. The centerpiece of the story is Kôchiyama's swindling of the Matsue Domain.

In Japanese: 天保六花撰

Seafood, meat and vegetables battered and deep-fried. Introduced by the Portuguese living in Nagasaki during the 16th century [more details].

In Japanese: 天ぷら | 天麩羅 | 天婦羅

A shop or a person making/selling tenpura.

In Japanese: 天ぷら屋 | 天麩羅屋 | 天婦羅屋

A Kabuki program attended by the Emperor of Japan.

In Japanese: 天覧歌舞伎

A thin Japanese hand towel made of cotton. Around 35x90 cm in size and printed with some patterns.

In Japanese: 手拭い

A tenugui-maker.

In Japanese: 手拭い屋

A castle keep.

In Japanese: 天守閣

A colorful and lively section in a traditional dance in which the dancer dances without any stage props, on the rythm set by the musical ensemble, using refined hand movements.

In Japanese: 手踊り

The acting for a wounded hero, who is about to die on stage. The scene shows the suffering of the dying character and it is usually used for the final revelation of the truth and his/her true feelings. The two best examples are Gonta in "Sushiya" and Tamate Gozen in "Gappô".

In Japanese: 手負事

A rifle (musket).

In Japanese: 鉄砲

A riflemen team; a musket (teppô) corps; a brigade of shooters.

In Japanese: 鉄砲組

Literally a Temple School. A kind of private elementary school in villages during the Edo period.

In Japanese: 寺子屋

A temple employee; a temple servant; an acolyte.

In Japanese: 寺男

A simple word with many meanings:

The rounds of tradesmen going door to door; route man; door-to-door tradesman; order taker; order-taking.

An agent; a secret policeman. The word was used to describe goyôkiki or meakashi later in the Edo period.

a tool.

Cat's-paw.

In Japanese: 手先

The tobae were comical and fantastic scroll pictures made by Toba Sôjô, depicting animals (frogs, rabbits and monkeys) frolicking as if they were human. Toba Sôjô (1053~1140), also known as Kakuyû, was the 47th head priest of the Enryakuji Temple. The tobae are considered as the oldest form of manga and Toba Sôjô as the very first mangaka in Japanese History.

In Japanese: 鳥羽絵

The Toba detached palace. It was a general term used for the detached palace complex begun in Kyôto by the retired Retired Emperor Shirakawa in 1086, and later extended and renovated by Retired Emperor Toba and others.

In Japanese: 鳥羽離宮

Emperor Toba (1103 ~ 1156) was the 74th emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. His reign spanned the years from 1107 through 1123 [more details].

In Japanese: 鳥羽天皇

A fireman in the Edo period.

In Japanese: 鳶

A fireman boss.

In Japanese: 鳶頭

One of the most famous Buddhist temples, located in the city of Nara [more details].

In Japanese: 東大寺

Cupboard, closet, cabinet.

In Japanese: 戸棚

Tôdô Takatora (1556~1630) was a daimyô during the Azuchi-Momoyama period and Edo period. He was a retainer of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu. He left the Toyotomi Clan for the Tokugawa clan at the Battle of Seki-ga-Hara in 1600. His tsûshô was Yoemon [more details].

In Japanese: 藤堂高虎

Manager in a Kabuki theater in charge of all the backstage logistic.

In Japanese: 頭取

The traditional guild for the môkan. Tôdôza was an official autonomous mutual welfare group for male blind people that existed during most of the medieval period and the Edo period. It was dismantled in 1871. During the under the Edo period, it was under the control the administration in charge of temples and shrines. The headquarters of this organization were in Kyôto. There was a strict hierarchy in Tôdôza with 4 different official court ranks: kengyô (1st rank), bettô (2nd rank), kôtô (3rd rank) and zatô (4th rank).

In Japanese: 当道座 | 當道座

A Kabuki dance study group created in November 1922 by Onoe Eizaburô VII and Ichikawa Omezô IV. The first program is staged at the Ichimuraza in November 1922. The second program is staged at the Imperial Theater in March 1923. A third program was planned but the earthquake of September 1923, which completely destroyed Tôkyô, ruined the project and put an end to the Tôeikai.

In Japanese: 踏影会

Key element of Japanese traditional cuisine. Dried soybeans are soaked, ground and cooked. The thick puree mixture is then separated into soypulp and soymilk. The milk is then strained and a common, natural mineral, calcium sulphate, is added to the soymilk to curd it. The curds and whey are separated; the curds are then strained and pressed into cakes. It is said to be a healthful alternative to meat, eggs, cheese and other protein sources.

In Japanese: 豆腐

A shop or a person making/selling tôfu.

In Japanese: 豆腐屋

Mount Togakushi (Togakushiyama in Japanese) is a rocky mountain located about 20 km northwest of Nagano city. It is 1,904 meters high. Since the 9th century, this sacred mountain became a place to perform the ascetic practices [more details].

In Japanese: 戸隠山

A mountain pass.

In Japanese: 峠

A sword polisher or a sword-polishing shop.

In Japanese: 研屋

Tôhô is a Japanese film, theater production and distribution company. It was created as the Tôkyô Takarazuka Theater Company (another reading for the ideogram takara is hô) in 1932 by Kobayashi Ichizô, the founder of the Hankyû Railway. Tôhô's most famous creation is Godzilla. In Kabuki, Tôhô was famous for Tôhô Kabuki, a theater troupe which was not really a Kabuki troupe as stage productions usually mixed Kabuki actors (some of them from the Shôchiku Company) and actresses in the casting. Tôhô Kabuki was active from 1935 to 1938 and from 1955 to 1983 [more details].

In Japanese:

In Japanese: 東宝 | 東寶

A theater troupe which was sponsored by the Tôhô Company, a first time from 1935 to 1938, with performances at the Yûrakuza, and from 1955 to 1983 with a troupe led by the star Hasegawa Kazuo. It was not really a traditional Kabuki troupe as the casting mixed actors and actresses. Western music was also used in the productions. The Kabuki actors in the first troupe were Bandô Minosuke VI, Nakamura Moshio IV, Ichikawa Sumizô VI and Ichikawa Komazô IX. The Kabuki actors in the second troupe were Matsumoto Kôshirô VIII, Nakamura Senjaku II, Ichikawa Chûsha VIII, Ichikawa Somegorô VI, Nakamura Kichiemon II, Nakamura Shikaku II, and Nakamura Matagorô II. Some famous Shôchiku-contracted actors like Nakamura Utaemon VI and Nakamura Kanzaburô XVII were also casted in the Tôhô Kabuki productions.

In Japanese: 東宝歌舞伎 | 東寶歌舞伎

A stage trick (keren) used in Tsuruya Nanboku IV's ghost play "Tôkaidô Yotsuya Kaidan": a hayagawari technique done by flipping a large wooden shutter to reveal the same actor in 2 different roles (Oiwa and Kohei). Two headless human-sized puppets are set on each side of the shutter and there are holes for the actors's head and hands.

In Japanese: 戸板返し

Hot springs; a hot-spring sanatorium; a hot spring resorts; a (therapeutic) watering-place; a spa.

In Japanese: 湯治場

A Chinese person; a foreigner.

In Japanese: 唐人

The Tôkaidô (literally the "Eastern Sea Route") was the most important communication road built by the Tokugawa Shogunate:

"From Edo it led down the magnificent Pacific coast, where mountains meet suddenly with ocean to form some of the most fascinating natural scenery imaginable. Midway it turned inland, crossed through a range of majestic snow-capped mountains, and passed the beautiful Lake Biwa before reaching Kyôto. This was one of a number of highways built by the Tokugawa government to facilitate administration. It was always kept in good condition, and stopping places, or "stages," were maintained at fifty-three points along the way." (Takahashi Seiichirô and Charles Terry in "Andô Hiroshige")

In Japanese: 東海道

"Tôkaidôchû Hizakurige" was the most famous novel of Jippensha Ikku. Abbreviated as "Hizakurige" and known in english as "Shank's Mare", it is a picaresque comic novel about the misadventures of two travelers on the Tôkaidô, the main road between Edo and Kyôto during the Edo period. The two main characters, traveling from Edo to Kyôto on their pilgrimage to the Ise Shrine, are called Yajirobê and Kitahachi (often called Yaji and Kita). The book was written as a comical traveler's guide to the Tôkaidô Road. It details famous landmarks at each of the 53 post towns along the road, where the characters frequently find themselves in hilarious situations. The book was published in twelve parts between 1802 and 1822 [more details].

In Japanese: 東海道中膝栗毛

Tokiwa Gozen (1138 ~ 1180), or Lady Tokiwa, was a Japanese noblewoman of the late Heian period and mother of the great samurai warlord Minamoto no Yoshitsune. She was also known as Hotoke Gozen (literally Lady Buddha!) [more details].

In Japanese: 常盤御前

One style of narrative music, originating in the Bungo style, created during the Enkyô era by Tokiwazu Mojidayû I and used in some Kabuki dance-dramas. The current head of the Tokiwazu school is Tokiwazu Mojidayû IX.

In Japanese: 常磐津

A very important alcove, used for exhibition of paintings or pots, in the main room of a traditional Japanese house.

In Japanese: 床の間

The wig dresser in a Kabuki theater.

In Japanese: 床山

Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604~1651) was the son of the 2nd Tokugawa Shôgun Tokugawa Hidetada. He became the 3rd Shôgun in 1632 [more details].

In Japanese: 徳川家光

Tokugawa Ienobu was born the 11th of June 1662. Grandson of Tokugawa Iemitsu, great-grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada and great-great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, he was the sixth Tokugawa Shôgun from 1709 to 1712. He died the 12th of November 1712 [more details].

In Japanese: 徳川家宣

Tokugawa Ietsugu (1709~1716) was the son of the 6th Tokugawa Shôgun Tokugawa Ienobu. He became the 7th Shôgun in 1713 [more details].

In Japanese: 徳川家継

Tokugawa Ietsuna (1641~1680) was the son of the 3rd Tokugawa Shôgun Tokugawa Iemitsu. He became the 4th Shôgun in 1651 [more details].

In Japanese: 徳川家綱

Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543 ~ 1616) was the founder and first Shôgun of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, ending the Sengoku period and opening the Edo period. Ieyasu seized power in 1600, received appointment as Shôgun in 1603, abdicated from office in 1605, but remained in power until his death in 1616. He defeated and destroyed the Toyotomi clan in 1615. In Kabuki, due to the strict shogunate censorship, he was often portrayed as Hôjô Tokimasa [more details].

In Japanese: 徳川家康

Tokugawa Mitsukuni (1628~1701), also known as Mito Kômon, was an influent daimyô of the early Edo period. He was the third son of Tokugawa Yorifusa (who in turn was the eleventh son of Tokugawa Ieyasu) and succeeded him, becoming the second daimyô of the Mito Domain [more details].

In Japanese: 徳川光圀

==> Matsudaira Nobuyasu

In Japanese: 徳川信康

Tokugawa Tadanaga (1606~1634) was a daimyô of the early Edo period. He was the son of the 2nd Tokugawa Shôgun Tokugawa Hidetada and the younger brother of the 3rd Shôgun Tokugawa Iemitsu. He was the favourite to succeed to his father but was forced to commit seppuku by his elder brother Tokugawa Iemitsu, who became the 3rd Shôgun [more details].

In Japanese: 徳川忠長

Tokugawa Tsunaeda (1656~1718) was a daimyô of the Edo period, the third daimyô of the Mito Domain. He was the adopted son of Tokugawa Mitsukuni.

In Japanese: 徳川綱條

Tokugawa Ienobu held the name of Tokugawa Tsunatoyo before becoming Shôgun.

In Japanese: 徳川綱豊

Tokugawa Tsunayoshi was born the 23rd of February 1646. Son of Tokugawa Iemitsu, grandson of Tokugawa Hidetada and great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu, he was the fifth Tokugawa Shôgun from 1680 to 1709. He died the 19th of February 1709. Tsunayoshi was known for instituting animal protection laws, particularly for dogs. This earned him the nickname of the "Dog Shôgun" [more details].

In Japanese: 徳川綱吉

Tokugawa Yoshimune was born the 27th of November 1684. He was the son of Tokugawa Mitsusada, the grandson of Tokugawa Yorinobu and the great-grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu He was the 8th Tokugawa Shôgun from 1716 to 1745. He died the 12th of July 1751 [more details].

In Japanese: 徳川吉宗

Tokugawa Yoshinobu was born the 28th of October 1837. He was the 15th Tokugawa Shôgun from 1867 to 1868. He died the 11th of November 1913 [more details].

In Japanese: 徳川慶喜

A Shintô shrine located in the Chiyoda Ward. It was founded by Emperor Meiji in 1869 and commemorated the soldiers who died in service of Japan during the Boshin War (1868~1869). The shrine's purpose has been expanded over the years to include those who died in the wars involving Japan. It was renamed Yasukuni Shrine in 1879.

In Japanese: 東京招魂社

==> Tôhô

In Japanese: 東京宝塚劇場株式会社

Literally "Stopping woman". A woman soliciting travelers in order to make them stay in her inn. A woman rushing between two warriors or otokodate, who have drawn their sword and are about to fight. She successfully begs them not to fight. For example the chaya mistress in "Sayaate".

In Japanese: 留女

Literally "Stopping man". A man rushing between two warriors or otokodate, who have drawn their sword and are about to fight. He successfully begs them not to fight. For example Kabutoya Yogorô in "Gosho no Gorozô".

In Japanese: 留男

Literally "a distant view". In the Kabuki world, this expression is used for children-actors who replace adult actors in the same role to create the illusion of a distant view. The two most famous examples are the end of the "Ninokuchi-mura" and the "Kumiuchi" scene of "Ichi-no-Tani Futaba Gunki".

In Japanese: 遠見

Tominomori Masayori (1670~1703) was one of the 47 rônin of Akô (Akô Rôshi). Like the others, he committed seppuku the 4th of the 2nd lunar month of the 16th year of the Genroku era (the 20th of March 1703 in the western calendar). He was the hero of "Ohama Goten Tsunatoyo-kyô", the fifth and the most famous play of Mayama Seika's cycle "Genroku Chûshingura". His tsûshô was Sukeemon.

In Japanese: 富森正因

==> Tominomori Masayori

In Japanese: 富森助右衛門

==> Tominomori Masayori

In Japanese: 富森助右衛門正因

One style of narrative music, originating in the Tokiwazu style, created in 1748 by Tomimoto Buzennojô I (Tomimoto Buzendayû I), a disciple of Tokiwazu Mojidayû I. This style was very popular when it was led by Tomimoto Buzendayû II (1754~1822) but it started to decline after his death. The last head of Tomimoto was Tomimoto Buzendayû XI (1929~1983) who tried to revive it in 1980. The school does not exist anymore but there are still some Tomimoto passages, which are sometimes performed by Tokiwazu ensembles.

In Japanese: 富本

The Tomioka Hachiman Shrine is the largest shrine dedicated to the kami Hachiman in Tôkyô [more details].

In Japanese: 富岡八幡宮

An attendant footman (yakko).

In Japanese: 供奴

An attendant samurai.

In Japanese: 供侍

Tomoe Gozen (1157?–1247) was a late 12th century female samurai warrior, known for her bravery and strength. She was also said to be the concubine of Minamoto no Yoshinaka. She is believed to have fought in and survived the Genji/Heike wars [more details]. Did she really exist or was she a legend? The question is still unsolved.

In Japanese: 巴御前

A mooring rope. An important stage prop in the drama "Shunkan".

In Japanese: 艫綱

A kite (a small hawk with long narrow wings).

In Japanese: 鳶

A somersault done by a minor actor during a spectacular tachimawari.

In Japanese: とんぼ

Guards and attendants at the court before and during the Heian period. Sons or brothers of local chieftains, they worked as attendants in the Imperial residences or at palaces of high-ranking ministers.

In Japanese: 舎人

A lord, a prince. When tono is put after a name, it is a very polite way to say "Mr." (if not polite, it is very ironic!).

In Japanese: 殿

A wholesale store.

In Japanese: 問屋

One of the twelve signs of the zodiac (jûnishi). Tora is the sign of the tiger. Other possible reading: in. The month of the tiger is the 1st lunar month. There are 5 tiger days in the 60 days of the traditional Japanese sexagenary cycle: the 3rd, 15th, 27th, 39th & 51st days. The hour of the tiger (worth 2 hours in our time system) starts at 4 AM.

In Japanese: 寅

The tiger blowfish. One of the fugu species.

In Japanese: 虎鰒

One of the twelve signs of the zodiac (jûnishi). Tori is the sign of the cock. Other possible reading: yû. The month of the cock is the 8th lunar month. There are 5 cock days in the 60 days of the traditional Japanese sexagenary cycle: the 10th, 23rd, 34th, 46th & 58th days. The hour of the cock (worth 2 hours in our time system) starts at 6 PM.

In Japanese: 酉

Literally 'the Chicken Girl'. A girl transformed everyday into a into a fowl because of the bad deeds of her father (inga). She was a key role in the drama "Sanshô-dayû".

In Japanese: 鶏娘

Mount Toribe. A famous mountain in Kyôto, which was also an important burial ground and cremation site near the famous Kiyomizu Temple.

In Japanese: 鳥辺山

A famous neighbourhood in Asakusa. The Torigoe Shrine was built in Torigoe.

In Japanese: 鳥越

A Shintô shrine built in 1092 in the neighbourhood of Torigoe in Asakusa.

In Japanese: 鳥越神社

A gateway, in either wood or stone, leading to a Shintô shrine. The 3 most famous Kabuki scenes with a huge torii in the scenery are "Kurumabiki" (the Yoshida Shrine in Kyôto), the first act of "Sonezaki Shinjû" (the Ikutama shrine in Ôsaka) and the "Torii Mae" scene of "Yoshitsune Senbon Zakura" (the Inari Taisha shrine in Kyôto).

In Japanese: 鳥居

The Torii school. A famous school of ukiyoeshi founded in Edo by Torii Kiyomoto and his son Torii Kiyonobu I [more details].

In Japanese: 鳥居派

An arresting officer/constable. Below a dôshin. Generally at the same level as meakashi.

In Japanese: 捕方

An Ôsaka entrepreneur named Mitamura Kumakichi decided to rent in February 1885 the Harukiza, a small theater located in the district of Hongô, which had no troupe since the end of 1884. Then, he brought a troupe of Kamigata actors to Tôkyô in order to perform at the Harukiza. The troupe was called Torikuma Shibai. Toriguma meant "bird and bear". The second character kuma (bear) came from the first name of the entrepreneur. The first character tori (bird) was related to a patron of Mitamura, who managed a birds shop. The initial troupe was made up of the actors Ichikawa Fukunojô, Onoe Shôju, Mimasu Takegorô, Jitsukawa Kikunosuke, Ichikawa Koinojô, Ichikawa Komasaburô, Arashi Rinshô, Nakamura Takesaburô IV, Jitsukawa Koendô and Nakamura Komajaku. The first performance was staged in May 1885. The entrance fee to the Harukiza was the cheapest in Tôkyô and the Torikuma Shibai became popular. In September 1885, the actors Nakamura Shikaku I and Nakamura Umetarô joined the Torikuma Shibai. The final performance of the Torikuma Shibai was staged in March 1886 and the troupe disbanded.

In Japanese: 鳥熊芝居

A capture; an arrest.

In Japanese: 捕物

Bird-catching; a traditional bird-catcher (using a birdlime-covered pole).

In Japanese: 鳥刺し | 鳥さし

A torite was a person who was in charge of catching criminals during the Edo period of Japan.

In Japanese: 捕手

A famous Nô drama created by Zeami Motokiyo. The main character is the ghost of Minamoto no Tôru [more details].

In Japanese: 融

Literally the master carpenter. The leader of a group.

In Japanese: 棟梁

Performance of a play in its entirety or one program made up of several acts of the same play.

In Japanese: 通し狂言

A middle-aged woman.

In Japanese: 年増

The Toshima clan was a Japanese samurai clan prominent in the Kamakura and Muromachi periods of Japanese history in the northwest of what is today Tôkyô [more details].

In Japanese: 豊島氏 | 豊嶋氏

Old province in Japan, which grosso modo corresponded to today western Shizuoka Prefecture [more details]. It was also called Enshû.

In Japanese: 遠江

Totsuka-juku or Totsuka-shuku. The first (from Edo) of the 53 shukuba (post station) on the Tôkaidô. 42 km from Edo and 449.2 km from Kyôto [more details].