The dance-drama "Chatsubo" was premiered in March 1921 at the Imperial Theater. It was a kyôgen (comical farce in the Nô theater) adapted for Kabuki by Okamura Shikô with a musical accompaniment written by Kineya Mitarô V. The premiere starred Onoe Kikugorô VI and Bandô Mitsugorô VII in the roles of the countryside servant Magoroku and the thief Kumataka Tarô.

An inebriated servant decides to sleep it off on his way home. Strapped to his back a chest full of tea. A passing thief sees his opportunity and lies down beside the man, slips off one of the straps and puts it over his own shoulder. When the man awakes, he accuses the thief of trying to steal the chest, but the thief in turn accuses him of the same thing. A passing magistrate offers to judge where the truth lies, but has a tough time because the thief repeats or mimics every word and action of the servant, making them virtually indistinguishable. Finally, though, the thief is found out and tries to slip away with the tea but is caught.

Courtesy of Jean Wilson (1999)

Chatsubo