2 shows in Kyôto (Minamiza), 4 in Tôkyô (Kabukiza, Shinbashi Enbujô) & 1 tour (Zenshinza)!

Living National Treasure Kataoka Nizaemon, Living National Treasure Nakamura Baigyoku, Nakamura Manju, Nakamura Ganjirô, Nakamura Senjaku, Kataoka Ainosuke, Nakamura Kinnosuke, Kataoka Takatarô, Nakamura Kazutarô, Bandô Minosuke, Nakamura Hayato & Ichikawa Chûsha perform at the Minamiza!

Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô, Onoe Kikunosuke, Nakamura Jakuemon, Nakamura Kankurô, Nakamura Shichinosuke, Nakamura Shidô, Onoe Shôroku & Bandô Hikosaburô perform at the Kabukiza!

Matsumoto Kôshirô, Onoe Matsuya, Nakamura Tokizô, Onoe Ukon, Ichikawa Somegorô, Bandô Yajûrô, Kataoka Kamezô & Ichikawa En'ya perform at the Shinbashi Enbujô!

The Zenshinza troupe is on tour!

Living National Treasure Kataoka Nizaemon, Living National Treasure Nakamura Baigyoku, Nakamura Manju, Nakamura Ganjirô, Nakamura Senjaku, Kataoka Ainosuke, Nakamura Kinnosuke, Kataoka Takatarô, Nakamura Kazutarô, Bandô Minosuke, Nakamura Hayato, Ichikawa Chûsha, Nakamura Kikaku, Kataoka Shinnosuke, Nakamura Takanosuke, Nakamura Mantarô, Nakamura Toranosuke, Ichikawa Emisaburô, Arashi Kitsusaburô, Kamimura Kichitarô, Nakamura Jûjirô, Kataoka Matsunosuke, Ichikawa Seiko, Ichikawa Otora

The traditional kaomise in Kyôto at the Minamiza. Due to an injury, Kataoka Ainosuke can't perform this month.

Chôchô Fujin:
(Madame Butterfly)
Ochô (Nakamura Kazutarô) is waiting for her American husband Pinkerton to return after he went back to his home country, but she hears no news of him for three years. The businessman Yamamori Torizô (Nakamura Kinnosuke) makes advances to her, asking her to be his legal wife, but she turns him down. As Torizô tries to take her back home by force, Okoma (Nakamura Ganjirô) of the Kagetsurô mediates between them bringing a letter from Pinkerton, which says that he took a new wife in his home country and wants to take care of his child whom Ochô bore him. Though Okoma understands Ochô's feelings, Okoma warns her that her son will suffer hardship if he stays in Japan. After worrying what she should do, she finally accepts Okoma's advice. A new kabuki production adapted from a familiar opera.

Sannin Kichisa:
(Three Thieves Named Kichisa)
The playwright Kawatake Mokuami excelled at portrayals of thieves and this short scene, with its music and poetic lines, is one of his most famous. A beautiful young woman helps out a woman who is lost on the road. But she is actually Ojô Kichisa, a male thief who is disguised as a woman. He steals an immense sum of money that the woman is carrying and this leads to an encounter on this riverbank of three thieves, all with the name Kichisa. The two others Kichisa are Oshô Kichisa, a bonze turned thief, and Obô Kichisa, an ex-samurai turned thief Though they start out as rivals, they decide to become blood brothers and form a gang. Featuring Kataoka Takatarô as Ojô Kichisa, Nakamura Kinnosuke as Oshô Kichisa and Nakamura Hayato as Obô Kichisa.

Ôtsue Dôjôji: "Musume Dôjôji" or "The Maiden at Dôjôji Temple" is the most famous dance to display the alluring charm of an onnagata female role specialist and has inspired many variations. It shows the ghost of a woman who was transformed into a serpent out of passion and destroyed a temple bell. In this particular version, a mysterious figure appears as various characters famous from the cartoon like pictures called ôtsue before revealing that this is the woman of the "Dôjôji" story. Featuring Kataoka Ainosuke Nakamura Kazutarô in the 5 roles of this hengemono and Bandô Minosuke in the role of the Demon Queller.

Jiisan Baasan: based on a short story by Mori Ôgai, this modern play by Uno Nobuo shows a loving young couple. The samurai Iori travels to Kyôto with his lord, leaving Run, his beloved wife, behind. While there, he attacks another man in a fight over a sword and is forced into house arrest, separating him from his wife. Many years later, he returns to his home as an old man. There he meets an elderly woman and they do not recognize each other until she sees the one thing that has not changed with age, Iori's peculiar habit of putting his hand to his nose. Starring Ichikawa Chûsha and Nakamura Senjaku as Iori and Run.

Sengoku Yashiki:
(At the Mansion of Lord Sengoku)
"Kanadehon Chûshingura", also known as "the Treasury of the 47 Loyal Retainers", is one of the most popular plays in Kabuki and is based on a true incident that took place in the Genroku period. Between 1934 and 1941, the modern playwright Mayama Seika painstakingly reworked this theme into the 20th century masterpiece, "Genroku Chûshingura", a vast cycle of ten plays focusing on a more historically accurate telling of this revenge classic with different incidents and different characters. The particular play being presented this month shows the retainers after they have succeeded in avenging their lord's death and now await their judgment. Lord Sengoku (Living National Treasure Nakamura Baigyoku) is an official of the shogunate, but he is anxious to discuss the philosophy and justification for the attack with the leader of the retainers, Kuranosuke (Living National Treasure Kataoka Nizaemon), before the men are sent to various lords’ mansions to be kept in custody until the shogunate decides how they will be punished. Featuring also Nakamura Ganjirô & Ichikawa Chûsha.

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 Manju as Kasane and Kataoka Ainosuke Nakamura Mantarô as Yoemon.

Gosho no Gorozô: a portrait of the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters at the height of its splendor. Rival gangs dressed in the height of fashion exchange stately speeches before fighting in the elaborate poetic cadences of Kawatake Mokuami, the last great playwright of Kabuki. Gorozô is the handsome leader of a gang, but his lover, the top courtesan Satsuki pretends to reject him to save his life. Tragedy strikes when Gorozô is driven to revenge. Starring Nakamura Hayato as Gorozô, Bandô Minosuke as his rival in love, Nakamura Kazutarô as Gorozô's lover, the courtesan Satsuki and Kamimura Kichitarô as Ôshû, a courtesan who is tragically killed.

Echigo Jishi: one of the most popular dances in the Kabuki repertory, this shows traveling entertainers (Nakamura Ganjirô, Nakamura Mantarô, Nakamura Takanosuke) that performed lion dances, with an adult playing the music and a child doing acrobatics like a little lion. The dance shows the feelings of the adult performer and his feelings for his home in the Echigo region and finally ends with the famous white cloth of the area as he waves long strips of cloth in a variety of different patterns.

Sources: Earphone Guide Website or Shôchiku Kabuki Official Website

Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô, Onoe Kikunosuke, Nakamura Jakuemon, Nakamura Kankurô, Nakamura Shichinosuke, Nakamura Shidô, Onoe Shôroku, Bandô Hikosaburô, Ichikawa Monnosuke, Ichikawa Omezô, Ichikawa Danko, Nakamura Yonekichi, Bandô Kamezô, Kamimura Kichiya, Ichimura Manjirô, Kawarasaki Gonjûrô, Nakamura Matsue, Nakamura Tanenosuke, Nakamura Tsurumatsu, Nakamura Kamenojô, Nakamura Kichinojô, Ichimura Kitsutarô, Ichimura Takematsu, Nakamura Tamatarô, Onoe Sakon, Nakamura Chôzaburô, Ichimura Hikaru, Nakamura Haruki, Nakamura Natsuki, Sawamura Kiyoshirô, Onoe Kikushirô, Onoe Kikuichirô

The December Grand Kabuki in Tôkyô at the Kabukiza. Sawamura Tôjûrô's heyago Sawamura Kuniya takes the name of Sawamura Kiyoshirô II.

Arashi no Yoru ni: it is a series of picture books written by Kimura Yûichi. The first edition was published in 1994. As many people wanted to read a sequel to the story, it lasted to the seventh volume and became a best seller. More than 3,000,000 books have been sold. It became so popular that it has been turned into a game and made into plays. In 2005, it was made into an animated movie (the voice for the main character Gabu was supplied by Nakamura Shidô) by Sugii Gisaburô, an esteemed movie producer in the animation industry. On the night of a storm, a wolf Gabu (Nakamura Shidô) and a goat Mei (Onoe Kikunosuke) encounters in a mountain hut in pitch darkness by chance. They talk through night not knowing their identity and become friends. They determine their password as 'On the night of a storm' and promise to meet again. They are shocked when they meet again, but they nurture friendship keeping it secret to their each group. But their friendship is at last known to both groups and meets with violent opposition. The two are pushed to the edge... Featuring also Onoe Shôroku, Ichimura Manjirô, Kawarasaki Gonjûrô, Nakamura Yonekichi, Bandô Kamezô and Ichikawa Monnosuke.

Kagatobi: this is a sewamono play, a work portraying in a realistic way the lives of ordinary people in the Edo period. A big fight has broken out over a trivial matter between the firemen of Kaga Domain and the fire fighters under the direct control of the Edo shogunate. All the firemen of Kaga including Matsuzô of Hikage-chô (Nakamura Kankurô) gather at the town gate of Hongô to beat the fire fighters of the Edo shogunate, but Umekichi of Tenjin-chô (Onoe Shôroku) persuades his impetuous colleagues to withdraw. A masseur Takegaki Dôgen (Onoe Shôroku) kills the farmer Tajiemon at the embankment of Ochanomizu and steals the money he possessed. Matsuzô, who has happened to pass by, picks up a tobacco pouch which Dôgen dropped. Dôgen hears that his niece Oasa (Nakamura Tsurumatsu) received money from the Iseya pawn shop where she is an apprentice, and thinks of extortion. He visits Iseya with his lover Okane (Nakamura Jakuemon), a masseuse, and tries to extort 100 gold coins. But Matsuzô shows the tobacco pouch to Dôgen and they scuttle off. Finally, his evil deeds are discovered and pursuers are sent after him. In the end he is arrested before the front gate of the mansion of the Kaga Domain. Enjoy the speeches in seven-five syllabic meter which is typical of the playwright Kawatake Mokuami, as well as how a single actor plays both Umekichi and Dôgen. Featuring also Nakamura Shidô, Bandô Hikosaburô, Bandô Kamezô, Ichikawa Omezô, Nakamura Matsue and Kawarasaki Gonjûrô.

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 onnagata superstar Nakamura Shichinosuke in a dance that he has made famous through performances around the world.

Bukaku Setsugekka: a modern series of dances featuring Nakamura Kankurô as the spirit of the cherry blossoms ("Sakura"), Nakamura Kankurô and Nakamura Chôzaburô as autumn insects under the full moon ("Matsumushi") and Nakamura Kankurô as a snowman ("Yuki Daruma Goyomi").

Tenshu Monogatari: Izumi Kyôka's "Tenshu Monogatari" creates the romantic and fantastic atmosphere for which the playwright is famous. Princess Tomi (Living National Treasure Bandô Tamasaburô), 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 (Ichikawa Danko) brings her into the world of human beings and she is moved to sacrifice all to help him. Featuring also Nakamura Shichinosuke, Ichikawa Monnosuke, Ichikawa Omezô and Kamimura Kichiya.

Sources: Earphone Guide Website or Shôchiku Kabuki Official Website

Matsumoto Kôshirô, Onoe Matsuya, Nakamura Tokizô, Onoe Ukon, Ichikawa Somegorô, Bandô Yajûrô, Kataoka Kamezô, Ichikawa En'ya, Ôtani Hirotarô, Sawamura Sônosuke

A brand new genre was born in the Kabuki world in 2015: After Kabuki, Shinkabuki, Sûpâ Kabuki, Sûpâ Kabuki II and Roppongi Kabuki (Sci-Fi Kabuki), we got Kabuki NEXT. The first Kabuki NEXT drama was "Aterui", which was written by Nakajima Kazuki for Ichikawa Somegorô VII. It was staged for the first time in August 2002 at the Shinbashi Enbujô, starring Ichikawa Somegorô with a non-Kabuki cast. In 2002, it was not a Kabuki or a Kabuki NEXT production. In 2015, it was revised to become the first Kabuki NEXT drama in Kabuki history, with a full Kabuki cast. It was staged in July 2015 at the Shinbashi Enbujô and in October 2015 at the Shôchikuza. The second Kabuki NEXT drama, "Oboro no Mori-ni Sumu Oni" is also written by Nakajima Kazuki and it is directed by Inoue Hidenori.

Oboro no Mori-ni Sumu Oni: we find ourselves in a mysterious forest, where old gods reside. From a towering heap of corpses emerges a man—his name is Rai (Matsumoto Kôshirô/Onoe Matsuya). His eyes gleam with the wild ambition of a beast, and his weapon is his "silver tongue," spinning endless lies in pursuit of his dream to rise to the top. Suddenly, the forest demons known as Oboro appear before Rai, offering him the throne in exchange for his life. With a prophecy and a sword that moves as smoothly as his tongue, Rai sets off toward the capital. What will be the outcome of his insatiable ambition? And what will Rai see at the end of his blood-stained dream? Matsumoto Kôshirô and Onoe Matsuya alternatingly plays the roles of Rai and Sadamitsu. Featuring Bandô Yajûrô (Ichi no Ôkimi), Nakamura Tokizô (Tsuna), Bandô Shingo (Shikibu), Onoe Ukon (Kinta), Kataoka Kamezô (Urabe), Ichikawa Somegorô (Shuten), Ôtani Hirotarô (Shôgen), Ichikawa En'ya (Madare) & Sawamura Sônosuke (Aradôji).

Sources: Earphone Guide Website or Shôchiku Kabuki Official Website

Fujikawa Yanosuke, Yamazaki Tatsusaburô, Tamaura Yûnosuke, Hayase Einojô, Matsunami Kihachirô, Arashi Ichitarô, Watarai Motoyuki, Ishijima Ryûsei

A long tour for the Zenshinza troupe:

Bunshichi Mottoi: Chôbê spends his days and nights gambling, but is finally made aware of his family's problems when his daughter takes a job in the pleasure quarters. Having received the money for her contract, he shows his good side to save a young man on the edge of suicide after losing a large sum of money, but nobody believes Chôbê, thinking that he has gambled the money away. The performance stars Fujikawa Yanosuke, Hayase Einojô and Ishijima Ryûsei in the roles of Chôbê, Chôbê's wife Okane and Bunshichi.

Sources: Shôchiku Kabuki Official Website