4 shows in Tôkyô (Kabukiza, National Theatre, Shinbashi Enbujô)!

Kataoka Nizaemon, Ichikawa Danjûrô, Matsumoto Kôshirô, Nakamura Tomijûrô, Nakamura Shikan, Nakamura Baigyoku, Nakamura Shibajaku, Kataoka Gatô, Nakamura Kaishun and Nakamura Fukusuke perform at the Kabukiza!

Young talented actors performs at the National Theatre!

Ichikawa Ennosuke's troupe performs at the Shinbashi Enbujô!

Kataoka Nizaemon, Ichikawa Danjûrô, Matsumoto Kôshirô, Nakamura Tomijûrô, Nakamura Shikan, Nakamura Baigyoku, Nakamura Shibajaku, Kataoka Gatô, Nakamura Kaishun, Nakamura Fukusuke, Kataoka Hidetarô, Nakamura Tôzô, Nakamura Karoku, Ichikawa Somegorô

3rd of the 16 Kabukiza Sayonara Kôen, the Kabukiza Farewell Performances, which will be held up to April 2010. Mayama Seika's Shinkabuki masterpiece "Genroku Chûshingura" is staged as a tôshi kyôgen but not in its integrity. The 6 most important parts are staged with the leading role of Ôishi Kuranosuke performed by different stars: Matsumoto Kôshirô ("Saigo no Daihyôjô" and "Ôishi Saigo no Ichinichi"), Kataoka Nizaemon ("Sengoku Yashiki") and Ichikawa Danjûrô ("Nanbuzaka no Yuki Wakare"). There are few plays more popular in Kabuki than "Chûshingura" or the Treasury of the Forty-Seven Loyal Retainers, the story of a true incident when a samurai lord attacked another in the Shôgun’s palace, was immediately sentenced to ritual suicide and his domain confiscated. After much hardship, forty-seven of the lord’s retainers avenged their lord’s death. When the event occurred, it was a sensation because it proved that despite a century of peace, samurai values had not disappeared completely. In the modern period, from 1934 to 1942 even as Japan was at war in China and then plunged in World War II, Mayama Seika (1878~1948) painstakingly reworked this play into "Genroku Chûshingura", a vast cycle of plays in ten parts focusing on different incidents and different characters in this revenge classic adding historical details reflecting the Genroku period.

Edo-jô no Ninjô:
(The Attack in Edo Castle)
This play begins right after the attack and follows the interrogation of Asano Takumi-no-Kami (Nakamura Baigyoku) by Tamura Ukyôdayû (Kataoka Gatô) and culminates in Asano’s ritual suicide.

Saigo no Daihyôjô:
(The Last Great Council)
The time to hand over the clan’s castle has come and the members of the clan, led by chief retainer Ôishi Kuranosuke (Matsumoto Kôshirô), discuss what to do. Although he keeps his determination a secret, Kuranosuke decides that he will avenge his lord’s death and he reveals this determination in a conversation with his old friend Iseki Tokubê (Nakamura Karoku). With Nakamura Kaishun as Kuranosuke’s wife Oriku.

Ohama Goten Tsunatoyo-kyô:
(The Ohama Palace and Lord Tokugawa Tsunatoyo)
One of the most popular parts of this play shows Tsunatoyo (Kataoka Nizaemon), who will be the next Shôgun, seemingly detached from the vendetta, but in fact, intensely interested in the progress of the quest of the band of loyal retainers. The play culminates in a confrontation between Tsunatoyo and Tominomori Sukeemon (Ichikawa Somegorô), one of the retainers as Tsunatoyo tries to find out what the plans for the vendetta are. With Nakamura Shibajaku as Okiyo, Kataoka Hidetarô as Ejima and Living National Treasure Nakamura Tomijûrô as Tsunatoyo’s teacher Arai Kageyû.

Nanbuzaka no Yuki Wakare:
(The Parting in the Snow at Nanbuzaka)
One snowy night, Kuranosuke (Ichikawa Danjûrô) visits the widow of their lord and says that he plans to retire to the countryside. In fact, he has come to say a final farewell before the vendetta, but he cannot say this openly, since he is surrounded by spies. The widow of his lord scolds him severely for forgetting his master, before she realizes the truth. Featuring Living National Treasure Nakamura Shikan as Asano’s widow.

Sengoku Yashiki:
(The Judgment at the Mansion of Lord Sengoku)
After the successful attack on Kira’s mansion, the former retainers of Asano present themselves to the shogunate for judgment. Lord Sengoku (Nakamura Baigyoku), an official of the shogunate questions Kuranosuke (Kataoka Nizaemon) about the incident and gradually comes to admire him as he realizes how thoughtful and careful Kuranosuke was in planning the attack and justifying their cause.

Ôishi Saigo no Ichinichi:
(The Last Day of Ôishi Kuranosuke's Life)
"Ôishi Saigo no Ichinichi is a particularly popular play, which is often performed independently and although it is the last play in the cycle, was the first to be written and its success inspired the cycle of plays. In this play. Ôishi Kuranosuke (Matsumoto Kôshirô) is shown being torn between the severe samurai duty that has made their mission a success and the desire to let a young couple meet one last time before they must die. The masterless samurai of the Akô clan have successfully completed their unauthorized vendetta and are being housed at the mansion of a samurai lord while their fate is being decided. The vendetta has caused a sensation and a young boy comes to meet the men as they are imprisoned. The boy turns out to be a woman in disguise, Omino (Nakamura Fukusuke), hoping to meet her betrothed, Jûrôzaemon (Ichikawa Somegorô), one of the group. But until they know whether they will be able to have honorable deaths by ritual suicide or die by execution like common criminals, the leader of the group Ôishi Kuranosuke, cannot allow her to meet her fiance.

Source: Earphone Guide website

Kataoka Takatarô, Onoe Shôroku

The story of Sôgorô, the fishmonger is one of the most popular plays in Kabuki, but this is just a short portion of a play by Meiji playwright Kawatake Mokuami. This play is known for its realistic portrayal of members of the common class during the Edo period and highlights their fierce pride and frustration at the privileges of the dominant samurai class. It reworks the legend of "Sarayashiki" or "the Plate Mansion". In the original story, a samurai lord kills a maid when she breaks one of a precious set of ten plates and throws her body into a well. But her ghost appears nightly counting the plates again and again in the desperate hope that this time the number will work out. The March program at the National Theatre is a rare full-length performance of this play with young actors in the major roles, under the supervision of Onoe Kikugorô. Onoe Shôroku will play Sôgorô, a very important role in his family’s acting tradition and Kataoka Takatarô will appear the two highly contrasting of Otsuta, the mistress of a samurai lord and Sôgorô’s wife.

Otsuta Goroshi: Otsuta comes from a commoner family, but Lord Isobe Kazunosuke has fallen in love with her and made her his mistress. Unfortunately, she has become the object of lust of the retainer Tenzô, who is plotting together with his brother to take over the clan. When Otsuta refuses Tenzô’s advances, he takes advantage of the situation by claiming that she is having an affair with a young samurai in the mansion. When the lord hears this he is furious and kills her.

Sakanaya Sôgorô: Sôgorô, a fish seller, has taken a vow to not drink, but when he learns about the unjust murder of his sister Otsuta at the hands of a daimyô lord, a death that they were told was execution for her wrongdoing, he starts to drink again. Drunk, he storms into the lord's mansion to seek an apology.

Source: Earphone Guide website

Ichikawa Ukon, Ichikawa Danjirô, Ichikawa Emiya, Ichikawa Monnosuke, Ichikawa Emisaburô, Ichikawa Shun'en, Ichikawa En'ya, Ichikawa Juen

Hitori Tabi Gojûsan Tsugi:
(Traveling Alone to the Fifty-three Stations)
"Hitori Tabi Gojûsan Tsugi" was first performed in 1827, and was written by the famous playwright Tsuruya Nanboku IV (1755 - 1829). It built on the popular explosion of fascination of travel on this highway seen in the bestselling comic novel "Hizakurige" ("Shanks Mare") about the adventures of Yaji and Kita on the road and lavish series of multi-colored woodblock prints showing all fifty-three stations along the highway. But in addition to the expected travel scenes and comedy of Yaji and Kita, audiences also got a spectacular series of scenes scary, sexy and comic reworking all Nanboku's favorite themes including a monstrous cat. Ichikawa Ennosuke long specialized in reviving Nanboku’s plays, each production including Ennosuke’s trademark fast-changes and flight through the air. March at Minamiza features the young actors of Ennosuke’s troupe headed by Ichikawa Ukon in a full-length performance of this exciting and entertaining spectacle.

Source: Shôchiku Kabuki Official Website

Revival at the Shinbashi Enbujô of the spectacular drama "Hitori Tabi Gojûsan Tsugi", which belongs to the Ennosuke Jûhachiban collection of plays. Ichikawa Ukon plays 15 roles in a drama full of keren and hayagawari.