DECEMBER 2023

2 shows in Kyôto (Minamiza) and 4 in Tôkyô (Kabukiza, Shinbashi Enbujô, National Theatre)!

  • Living National Treasure Kataoka Nizaemon, Living National Treasure Nakamura Baigyoku, Ichikawa Danjûrô, Ichikawa Shinnosuke, Nakamura Jakuemon, Nakamura Shikan, Nakamura Ganjirô, Nakamura Senjaku, Kataoka Takatarô, Ichikawa Udanji, Nakamura Hayato, Nakamura Kazutarô and Nakamura Kotarô perform at the Minamiza!
  • Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô, Nakamura Kankurô, Nakamura Shichinosuke, Nakamura Shidô, Onoe Shôroku, Bandô Minosuke, Bandô Hikosaburô, Kataoka Kamezô, Bandô Kamezô and Kamimura Kichiya perform at the Kabukiza!
  • Kataoka Ainosuke, Ichikawa Chûsha, Ichikawa Emiya, Ichikawa Emisaburô, Onoe Matsuya and Bandô Yajûrô perform at the Shinbashi Enbujô

  • Nobody performs at the National Theatre!
  • Minamiza (Kyôto)
    Dates 1 ~ 24 December 2023
    Kichirei Kaomise Kôgyô
    Annual Festive Face-Showing Performances
    Matinée

    Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki (Sumôba)

    Uirô Uri

    Otokodate Hana no Yoshiwara

    Kagekiyo

    Evening

    Kanadehon Chûshingura
    (Gion Ichiriki Jaya)

    Kôjô

    Sukeroku Yukari no Edo Zakura

    Casting

    Living National Treasure Kataoka Nizaemon, Living National Treasure Nakamura Baigyoku, Ichikawa Danjûrô, Ichikawa Shinnosuke, Nakamura Jakuemon, Nakamura Shikan, Nakamura Ganjirô, Nakamura Senjaku, Kataoka Takatarô, Ichikawa Udanji, Nakamura Hayato, Nakamura Kazutarô, Nakamura Kotarô, Ichikawa Monnosuke, Ichimura Manjirô, Ichikawa Omezô, Kataoka Shinnosuke, Nakamura Kashô, Ichikawa Somegorô, Ichikawa Botan

    Comments

    The traditional kaomise in Kyôto at the Minamiza with the shûmei of Ichikawa Danjûrô XIII and the hatsubutai of Ichikawa Shinnosuke VIII.

  • Sumôba: "Futatsu Chôchô" means "two butterflies" and also comes from the fact that two sumô wrestlers who play important roles in the full length play have names beginning with "chô": Chôkichi and Chôgorô. In order to help his master Yamazakiya Yogorô (Ichikawa Somegorô) buy out the contract of the beautiful Azuma (Nakamura Kazutarô), the senior wrestler Nuregami Chôgorô throws a match, letting the younger wrestler Hanaregoma Chôkichi win, hoping to get his help. But Chôkichi loses his temper and the two end up competing in a test of pride. Starring popular actor Nakamura Ganjirô as Chôgorô and Nakamura Hayato as Chôkichi.
  • Uirô Uri: there are many plays based on the revenge by the Soga brothers on Kudô Suketsune (Living National Treasure Nakamura Baigyoku), the man that arranged to have their father killed. In this particular play, this dramatic fight is transformed into light fantasy by showing one of the Soga brothers disguised as a peddler of uirô, a medicine that makes it possible to speak quickly and elegantly. The highlight of the play is a long speech full of puns and wordplays. Starring Ichikawa Shinnosuke as the peddler. Featuring also Nakamura Jakuemon, Nakamura Senjaku and Kataoka Takatarô.
  • Otokodate Hana no Yoshiwara: Gosho no Gorozô (Ichikawa Danjûrô), the most gallant and chivalrous of men in the capital of Edo, is off to the bustling Nakanochô corner of the Yoshiwara pleasure district. He has received a love letter from his lover, a famous keisei in Yoshiwara. Gorozô tells us the story of how they met and their many rendezvous in a dance. On his way, he is ambushed by men who hold a grudge against him, but Gorozô effortlessly fends them off and continues on his way to his beloved.
  • Kagekiyo: The powerful Heike warrior Akushichibyôe Kagekiyo (Ichikawa Danjûrô) is captured and imprisoned by his enemies, the Genji clan. He uses his superhuman strength to smash his way out of his prison cell, and then struggles with his enemies in a violent and spectacular tachimawari. Featuring also Living National Treasure Nakamura Baigyoku (Chichibu Shôji Shigetada), Nakamura Jakuemon (Akoya) and Ichikawa Udanji (Iwanaga Saemon). A rare play from Kabuki Jûhachiban, the collection of the Eighteen Favorite Plays of the Ichikawa Family.
  • Gion Ichiriki Jaya: "Chûshingura" is one of the most popular plays in the theatre and shows a true event when forty-seven masterless samurai avenged the death of their lord by killing his enemy. The seventh act is one of the most popular and shows the leader of the vendetta Yuranosuke as he is hiding his intention to avenge his lord’s death by pretending to be only interested in pleasure, but also encountering key figures on his side and the side of the enemy. Yuranosuke (Living National Treasure Kataoka Nizaemon) spends his days and nights in the pleasure quarters of Kyôto in an effort to make their lord’s enemy, Moronô, believe he is not planning a vendetta. His acting is so good that even men in his own group believe he has given his life up to pleasure. Moronô is not so easily convinced, though, and has sent spies, including a former retainer of their late lord, En'ya Hangan, to find Yuranosuke's true intentions. Okaru (Kataoka Takatarô), the wife of one of the retainers is now a courtesan at the Ichiriki Teahouse, unaware that her husband is dead. Okaru's brother Heiemon (Nakamura Shikan), a servant in the Hangan household, has also come to the teahouse and the interaction of these characters becomes a matter of life and death and ends with Yuranosuke preparing to lead the vendetta.
  • Kôjô: the close relationship between the actors and the audience is shown by these stage announcements, lavish ceremonies to commemorate various important events. In this case, all the stars of the cast assemble to celebrate the shûmei of Ichikawa Danjûrô XIII and the hatsubutai of Ichikawa Shinnosuke VIII.
  • Sukeroku: the dandy Sukeroku is the most famous patron of the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters. But his reputation as the lover of Agemaki, the highest ranking courtesan in the quarter is matched by that of his tendency to pick fights. In fact, Sukeroku is the samurai Soga no Gorô in disguise, and he uses the fights to find a lost heirloom sword. His search takes place in the colorful atmosphere of the Yoshiwara where processions of beautiful courtesans compete with the splendor of cherry blossoms in full bloom. All the top stars in Kabuki appear in a procession of beautiful, exciting and amusing roles. Starring Ichikawa Danjûrô and Nakamura Kazutarô/Nakamura Kotarô as Hanakawado Sukeroku and Miuraya Agemaki. Featuring also Ichikawa Omezô, Ichikawa Monnosuke, Nakamura Senjaku, Nakamura Hayato, Nakamura Kotarô/Nakamura Kazutarô, Nakamura Ganjirô, Nakamura Shikan and Nakamura Kashô in the roles of Ikyû, Mankô, the shirozake seller Shinbê, Fukuyama Jukichi, the courtesan Miuraya Shiratama, the passer-by, Kanpera Monbê and Asagao Senpei.
  • Sources: Earphone Guide Website or Shôchiku Kabuki Official Website

    Kabukiza (Tôkyô)
    Dates 3 ~ 26 December 2023
    Jûnigatsu Ôkabuki
    December Grand Kabuki
    1st program

    Tabi no Uwasa Okazaki no Neko

    Hana Kurabe Senbon Zakura [In Japanese]

    2nd program

    Tsumeô

    Tawaraboshi Genba

    3rd program

    Shôjô

    Tenshu Monogatari

    Casting

    Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô, Nakamura Kankurô, Nakamura Shichinosuke, Nakamura Shidô, Onoe Shôroku, Bandô Minosuke, Bandô Hikosaburô, Kataoka Kamezô, Bandô Kamezô, Kamimura Kichiya, Bandô Shingo, Kawarasaki Gonjûrô, Nakamura Matsue, Nakamura Hashinosuke, Nakamura Tanenosuke, Nakamura Toranosuke, Ichikawa Seiko, Nakamura Kichinojô, Ichimura Kitsutarô, Onoe Sakon, Sawamura Kuniya, Nakamura Chôshi, Ogawa Haruki, Ogawa Natsuki

    Comments

    The December Grand Kabuki in Tôkyô at the Kabukiza with a sanbusei tripartite system for the programs:

  • Okazaki no Neko: Yui Minbunosuke (Nakamura Hashinosuke) and Osode (Bandô Shingo) have come with their child to the outskirts of Okazaki, a post town on the Tôkaidô Highway. As it has grown dark, the pair asks to be lodged at Muryôji Temple. The old woman Osan (Bandô Minosuke) who keeps this temple and Osode's mother who died of illness are as alike as two peas in a pod. The old woman, who claims that she has come back to life, is glad to see her first grandchild, but her true identity is that of a terrifying cat monster… This is a popular scene revived by Ichikawa Ennosuke III from the play 'Traveling Alone Along the Tôkaidô Highway', which was originally written by Tsuruya Nanboku IV.
  • Hana Kurabe Senbon Zakura:
    (Contest of the Cherry Trees Now and Past)
    The first scene is set in the Age of the Gods when the sacred cherry tree 'Senbon Zakura' is in full bloom. As the spirit of the Blue Dragon, which plots to rob the world of its light attacks the tree and scatters its blossoms, the world becomes shrouded in darkness. The white fox that protects the sacred tree and Princess Miku (Hatsune Miku) barely escape this calamity after much sacrifice. Time passes. A butterfly which flutters forlornly around the withered 'Senbon Zakura' is the temporary reincarnation of Princess Miku who lost her memory and fled. Then, Satô Tadanobu (Nakamura Shidô), the reincarnation of the white fox, appears. Tadanobu who still remembers the Age of the Gods rushes to Princess Miku. This play, inspired by the masterpiece of classic kabuki "Yoshitsune and the Thousand Cherry Trees", as well as the world of Hatsune Miku's hit tune "One Thousand Cherry Trees", was first performed as Chôkabuki (literally Ultra-Kabuki) in 2016. Featuring also Nakamura Shidô's two sons: Ogawa Haruki (born the 18th of December 2017) and Ogawa Natsuki (born the 27th of June 2020).
  • Tsumeô:
    (The Talons of the King)
    This is a rare performance of a unique dance based on a children’s story of a falconer and his young falcon by Togawa Yukio (1912~2004). His stories are based on a wealth of observation of nature and this unlikely theme for a Kabuki dance was first staged in a commemorative performance for the Saruwaka school of classical Japanese dance, a school closely associated with the Nakamura Kanzaburô family. Featuring Nakamura Kankurô, Nakamura Shichinosuke and Bandô Hikosaburô.
  • Tawaraboshi Genba: the play is set on the 13th of December, 1702, at the training hall of the master spearman Tawaraboshi Genba (Onoe Shôroku) in Yokoamichô in Edo. Jûsuke (Bandô Kamezô), the keeper of a buckwheat noodle shop, visits his customer Genba who is resting for a while drinking his favorite sake again. Jusuke has come to bid Genba farewell as he has decided to return to his home province the next day. He is in reality, Sugino Jûheiji, one of the masterless samurai of the Akô Domain. He has been spying on the mansion of their enemy, Kira, having disguised himself as a noodle shop owner, as part of the plan to avenge his lord's death, but he has never revealed his identity. As Genba drinks with Jûsuke, he tells Jûsuke that he has been asked to serve as a guard at Kira's mansion, for it is rumored that the mansion will soon be attacked by the masterless samurai of the Akô Domain. This story was written in collaboration with Kanda Shôri, a Living National Treasure of kôdan storytelling.
  • Shôjô: the shôjô is a mythical sake-loving spirit that lives in the sea. In this dance, a sake seller has a mysterious customer that appears daily and drinks enormous amounts with great satisfaction. The sake seller has a dream with instructions to go by the beach with a large tub of sake. As it turns out, the customer has actually been the shôjô in disguise. The dance shows two shôjô as they drink and dance joyfully. Starring Onoe Shôroku and Nakamura Kankurô as the shôjô and Nakamura Tanenosuke as the sake seller.
  • Tenshu Monogatari: Izumi Kyôka's "Tenshu Monogatari" creates the romantic and fantastic atmosphere for which the playwright is famous. Princess Tomi (Nakamura Shichinosuke), a mysterious immortal spirit in Himeji Castle, lives in an elegant feminine world of her own at the top of the castle tower. But an encounter with the handsome young warrior Zushonosuke (Nakamura Toranosuke) brings her into the world of human beings and she is moved to sacrifice all to help him. The guest star is Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô in the role of Princess Kame. Featuring also Nakamura Kankurô, Nakamura Shidô and Kataoka Kamezô.
  • Sources: Earphone Guide Website or Shôchiku Kabuki Official Website

    Shinbashi Enbujô (Tôkyô)
    Dates 5 ~ 25 December 2023
    Shinsaku Kabuki
    Newly-created Kabuki
    Program

    Rupan Sansei [In Japanese]

    Casting

    Kataoka Ainosuke, Ichikawa Chûsha, Ichikawa Emiya, Ichikawa Emisaburô, Onoe Matsuya, Bandô Yajûrô, Onoe Ukon, Ichikawa En'ya, Ichikawa Juen, Nakamura Takanosuke

    Comments

    Kabuki adaptation at the Shinbashi Enbujô of Monkey Punch's famous manga/anime "Lupin the Third":

  • Rupan Sansei: Based on the original work by the popular manga artist Monkey Punch, the "Lupin III" series boasts numerous fans both domestically and abroad, with manga and TV anime at the forefront. Over the years, several masterpieces have been created through collaborations with other genres, and this month it will be at last be adapted as a brand-new Kabuki production at the Shinbashi Enbujô Theatre. The story is newly written for this performance. Set in the Azuchi-Momoyama period (the last third of the 16th century) when Ishikawa Goemon lived, it boldly portrays with the techniques and stage tricks of Kabuki Lupin (Kataoka Ainosuke) and other characters : Inspector Zenigata Kôichi (Ichikawa Chûsha), Mine Fujiko (Ichikawa Emiya), Jigen Daisuke (Ichikawa Emisaburô) and Ishikawa Goemon XIII (Onoe Matsuya).
  • Sources: Earphone Guide Website or Shôchiku Kabuki Official Website

    National Theatre (Tôkyô)
    Dates ??? ~ ??? February 2023 [NO PERFORMANCE]
    Program

    ???

    Casting

    ???

    Comments

    No December Kabuki at the National Theatre. End of the 1st generation National Theatre (1966~2023).

     
    Search this site powered by FreeFind
      Site map | Disclaimer
    Contact | Main | Top | Updates | Actors | Plays | Playwrights | Programs | Links | FAQ | Glossary | Chronology | Illustrations | Prints | Characters | Derivatives | Theaters | Coming soon | News