10 shows in Tôkyô (Kabukiza, Theatre Cocoon, Nihonbashi Kôkaidô, National Theatre, Nissay Theatre), 4 in Ôsaka (Shinkabukiza, National Bunraku Theatre)!

Bandô Mitsugorô, Nakamura Senjaku, Nakamura Hashinosuke, Nakamura Fukusuke, Nakamura Kankurô, Nakamura Shichinosuke and Bandô Yajûrô perform at the Kabukiza !

The Omodakaya guild performs at the Shinkabukiza!

Ichikawa Ebizô performs at the Theatre Cocoon!

Onoe Kikunosuke and Ichikawa Danzô perform at the Nissay Theatre !

All the others great Kabuki actors are on vacation ...

Bandô Mitsugorô, Nakamura Senjaku, Nakamura Hashinosuke, Nakamura Fukusuke, Nakamura Kankurô, Nakamura Shichinosuke, Bandô Yajûrô, Nakamura Tôzô, Kataoka Kamezô, Ichimura Kakitsu, Bandô Shûchô, Ichimura Manjirô, Sawamura Yoshijirô, Sawamura Sônosuke, Nakamura Tsurumatsu, Bandô Minosuke, Nakamura Kotarô, Nakamura Toranosuke

5th month celebrating the opening of the new Kabukiza within a 1-year long cycle of kokera otoshi programs and 21st edition of the Hachigatsu Nôryô Kabuki (literally "the August cool-breeze Kabuki"), a summer program which features a group of popular young stars in three short programs of Kabuki to fight the heat of summer.

Nozaki-mura: a farm girl Omitsu (Nakamura Fukusuke) is busy planning her marriage to Hisamatsu (Nakamura Senjaku) who has just returned to the country after leaving his post in the city in disgrace. Suddenly Osome (Nakamura Shichinosuke) appears. She is the daughter of the rich merchant Hisamatsu served and their love affair was the cause of his disgrace. Despite the best efforts of Hisamatsu's father Kyûsaku (Bandô Yajûrô), the course of true love cannot be changed. Omitsu decides to sacrifice her own love and to become a nun to save the young couple who would rather die than be separated. All four of the main actors are Living National Treasures and this act shows mature Kabuki acting at its finest. Featuring also Nakamura Tôzô.

Kagami Jishi: one of the most important dances for onnagata female role specialists and is an audience favorite. The maidservant Yayoi performs an auspicious lion dance for the Shôgun in his opulent palace, but she gradually finds herself under the control of the lion spirit. In the second half of the dance, the lion spirit itself appears and performs its crazed dance among peonies and fluttering butterflies. Starring Nakamura Kankurô (from the 2nd to the 13th of August), then Nakamura Shichinosuke (from the 14th to the 24th of August), as both Yayoi and the spirit of the lion.

Kamiyui Shinza: Shinza is a barber that goes from door to door, but at the same time, he is a villain that kidnaps Okuma, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy household, and even resists the efforts of Yatagorô Genshichi, the most prestigious strongman in town, to get her release. Starring Bandô Mitsugorô as Shinza, Nakamura Kotarô as Okuma, Nakamura Senjaku as Chûshichi and Nakamura Hashinosuke as Yatagorô Genshichi.

Kasane: one can never escape past evils. Yoemon is fleeing to the countryside, but Kasane, the woman he abandoned, refuses to let him go. She catches up with him at a lonely river bank. A skull stabbed with a scythe appears and Kasane is possessed by its spirit, actually the spirit of her dead father, and her face suddenly becomes disfigured. She pours out her feelings of jealousy and resentment and Yoemon kills Kasane, but even after her death, he cannot escape her vengeful spirit. Starring Nakamura Fukusuke as Kasane and Nakamura Hashinosuke as Yoemon.

Korikori Banashi:
(Bewitching Foxes and Badgers)
In Japan, foxes and tanuki badgers are said to have the power to take the shape of humans, and in that form, they play mischievously, sometimes causing great harm. In this play by the contemporary playwrite Hôjô Hideji (1902~1996), foxes and badgers do not appear, but the scheming of human beings is no less crafty than that of those magical creatures. The play features Nakamura Hashinosuke, Nakamura Senjaku, Nakamura Kankurô, Nakamura Shichinosuke, Kataoka Kamezô and Bandô Minosuke.

Bô Shibari:
(Tied to a Pole)
A dance play based on a classical Kyôgen farce. A master (Bandô Yajûrô) is irritated that his two servants always drink his wine while he is out. He plots with his servant Tarôkaja (Nakamura Kankurô) to trick the other servant Jirôkaja (Bandô Mitsugorô) into demonstrating his skill at stick fighting, tying him to the stick. The master then ties up Tarôkaja as well. But he is outsmarted when the two still manage to drink his wine while tied up. Their happy singing and dancing while tied up is a dazzling display of virtuoso dancing and star two of the finest young dancers in Kabuki.

Sources: Earphone Guide Website or Shôchiku Kabuki Official Website

Ichikawa Ukon, Ichikawa Emisaburô, Ichikawa Emiya, Ichikawa En'ya, Ichikawa Shun'en, Ichikawa Juen, Ichikawa Kôtarô, Kasahara Akira

A special program by the 21 Seki Kabuki Gumi, which gathers the best actors of the Omodakaya guild. "Shin Suikoden" was staged for the first time in August 2008 at Le Theatre Ginza (Tôkyô) and revived in June 2011 at the Chûnichi Theatre (Nagoya). The story is based on "Shin Suikoden", "New Tales from the Water Margin" in English, a novel written by Yoshikawa Eiji and published in Japan between 1960 and 1963. This novel was itself based on the famous Chinese novel "Water Margin" ("Shui Hu Zhuan" in Chinese). The story of this 14th century novel is set in the Song Dynasty and it tells of how a group of 108 outlaws gathers at Mount Liang to form a sizable army before they are eventually granted amnesty by the government and sent on campaigns to resist foreign invaders and suppress rebel forces. In 1805, Kyokutei Bakin released a Japanese translation of the "Water Margin" illustrated by Hokusai. The book, which was called "Shinpen Suikogaden", (the "New Illustrated Edition of the Suikoden"), was a success during the Edo period and spurred a Japanese "Suikoden" craze.

Ichikawa Ebizô, Kataoka Ainosuke, Kataoka Ichizô, Kamimura Kichiya

First edition of ABKAI - Ebikai, the gala of the young star Ichikawa Ebizô. The first item in this program is the revival of the rarely-staged (last time was in 1947!) play "Jayanagi", the Snake Willow, which belongs to the Kabuki Jûhachiban collection. This revival was initially scheduled to be staged in January 2011 at the Theatre Ginza in Tôkyô but, following Ichikawa Ebizô's sad drunken brawl in November 2010, it was cancelled. The second item is also related to trees. It is "Hanasaka Jiisan", a newly-created drama, written by Miyazawa Akio and directed by Miyamoto Amon. The story is based on the famous legend of Hanasaka Jiisan, the old man who made withered trees to Blossom.

Jayanagi: an extremely rare play from the original Kabuki Jûhachiban. High on holy Mt. Kôya, there is a willow tree that attracts the vengeful spirits of jealous women which possesses a passing traveler. Starring Ichikawa Ebizô.

Source: Shôchiku Kabuki Official Website

Onoe Kikunosuke, Ichikawa Danzô, Onoe Ukon, Bandô Kamesaburô

A short summer program called Family Festival, aiming at gathering together children and parents to enjoy Kabuki. This year, it is part of a series of performances celebrating the 50th anniversay of the opening of the Nissay Theatre in Tôkyô.

Bô Shibari:
(Tied to a Pole)
A dance play based on a classical Kyôgen farce. A master (Ichikawa Danzô) is irritated that his two servants always drink his wine while he is out. He plots with his servant Tarôkaja (Onoe Ukon) to trick the other servant Jirôkaja (Onoe Kikunosuke) into demonstrating his skill at stick fighting, tying him to the stick. The master then ties up Tarôkaja as well. But he is outsmarted when the two still manage to drink his wine while tied up. Their happy singing and dancing while tied up is a dazzling display of virtuoso dancing and star two of the finest young dancers in Kabuki.

Kabuki no Tanoshimi: a talk about Kabuki done by Bandô Kamesaburô.

Sagi Musume: one of the most famous dances in Kabuki, this figure is familiar through pictures and Japanese dolls. A beautiful young woman all in white appears in the snowy landscape. She dances lightly of love, but then reveals that she is the spirit of a bird, a magnificent heron that struggles wounded through a snowstorm. Starring Onoe Kikunosuke.

Source: Earphone Guide website

Onoe Matsuya, Bandô Kamesaburô

A gala program called Idomu (Challenge) for the young actor Onoe Matsuya

15th edition of the summer program of the association Ne no Kai (literally 'the Sound Association').

19th edition of the common program for 2 associations, the Chigyokai (the Young Fishes Association) and the Kabukikai (the Kabuki Association), which stars stars' disciples in the leading roles of all the items in the program.

Ichikawa Ebizô, Ichikawa Botan, Hanayagi Juraku, Onoe Murasaki

A 1-day 1-time Buyô special program at the National Theatre featuring the heir of the Naritaya guild, his sister Ichikawa Botan III (dance master for the Ichikawa School), Hanayagi Juraku III (Hanayagi School) and Onoe Murasaki (Onoe School). This is the 7th edition of an NHK-sponsored program, which is called Gei no Shinzui (the Essence of Art in English).

The Matsuo-juku Kodomo Kabuki [website in Japanese] is a kodomo shibai troupe, founded in Ôsaka in 1988 by Matsuo Hazue, the wife of Matsuo Kunizô (1899~1984), whose name is closely associated to the Matsuo Artistic Awards (Matsuo Geinô Shô). The troupe is now led by Matsuo Hazue's daughter Matsuo Hideko. The troupe celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2012.

Bandô Takesaburô, Kataoka Nizaemon, Ichikawa Ennosuke, Ichikawa Omezô, Kataoka Takatarô, Bandô Shinsha, Nakamura Kazutarô, Nakamura Hayato

The Kamigata actor Bandô Takesaburô celebrates both his sanju kinen and the 32nd anniversary (33rd memorial service) of the passing away of his adoptive father Onoe Kikujirô IV.

The Matsuo-juku Kodomo Kabuki [website in Japanese] is a kodomo shibai troupe, founded in Ôsaka in 1988 by Matsuo Hazue, the wife of Matsuo Kunizô (1899~1984), whose name is closely associated to the Matsuo Artistic Awards (Matsuo Geinô Shô). The troupe is now led by Matsuo Hazue's daughter Matsuo Hideko. The troupe celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2012.

23rd edition of the Kamigata Kabukikai (the Kamigata Kabuki Association), a summer program in Ôsaka which stars Kamigata Kabuki stars' disciples in the leading roles of all the items.