The "Yawata Sato Hikimado" scene, Commonly called "Hikimado", is the eighth act of the play "Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki".

In a previous act, Chôgorô killed a samurai out of a sense of obligation to his patron Yogorô's father. Now Chôgorô is an infamous criminal wanted by the police. He calls on his real mother, Okô, who has remarried and lives in rural Yahata with her foster son, Nan Yohê, and his wife, Ohaya. Chôgorô intends to surrender himself to the law after one final meeting with his mother. Okô and Ohaya receive him warmly. Then Okô listens to his whole story.

Having been summoned by the local magistrate, however, Yohê is out. To his great joy Yohê is allowed to inherit both his deceased father's name, Nanpô Jûjibê, and his duties. From the time of his father's death until this moment, he has had to be satisfied with his lowly status as a poor merchant. Now he has become a fine, respectable policeman. Ironically, his first assignment is to arrest Chôgorô, the foster brother he has never met. The manhunt for Chôgorô is being carried out round-the-clock. While another party takes charge of the search in the daytime, Jûjibê is ordered to conduct it at night. He receives from the magistrate his truncheon and a personal description of Chôgorô. Still unaware that his foster brother is the very person wanted by the police, Jûjibê returns home triumphantly.

When Jûjibê arrives home, Chôgorô keeps out of his sight. Okô asks him about the personal description that is being circulated, so that Chôgorô can disguise himself and escape from the village without being recognized. Jûjibê becomes vaguely aware of the presence of someone upstairs. Ostentatiously he announces, "It's night. It is about time I went out to do my duty."

He leaves the house and quietly goes round to the back yard with the intention of arresting the intruder, whom he now supposes is Chôgorô. Yet as he eavesdrops on Okô and Chôgorô, he gradually comes to have compassion for Chôgorô. He realizes that Chôgorô must have suffered countless hardships as an orphan, while he enjoyed a happy life with loving parents who provided him with everything. Finally, he resolves to let Chôgorô go, even at the sacrifice of his post.

When Jûjibê allows Chôgorô to make his escape, it is night. In those days it was the custom to close the skylight shutters at night. Jûjibê takes full advantage of the custom to rationalize his actions. As it gets darker and darker and his wife is about to shut the door of the skylight, he makes sure that Chôgorô's escape route remains open by calling out, "It is too early to close the shutters. It is still daytime." The implication, since his duty begins only at night, therefore, is that he need not arrest his foster brother. He used the door as a pretext to escape his duty. As the keyword of the drama--often repeated by Jûjibê, his wife, and Okô-- "hikimado" (skylight) has become the name of this drama.

This summary has been written by Watanabe Hisao and edited by Jeff Blair [website]

[1] The title "A Diary of Two Butterflies in the Pleasure Quarters" comes from the 1st volume of "Kabuki Plays On Stage".

The actors Ichikawa Danjûrô VII and Bandô Mitsugorô III playing the roles of Nanpô Jûjibê and Nuregami Chôgorô in the "Hikimado" scene of the play "Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki", which was staged in the 9th lunar month of 1824 at the Ichimuraza (print made by Utagawa Kunisada I)

Prints & Illustrations