The play "Kanadehon Chûshingura" was originally written for the puppet theater (Bunraku) and staged for the first time in the 8th lunar month of 1748 in Ôsaka at the Takemotoza. It was adapted for Kabuki the same year and staged for the first time in the 12th lunar month of 1748 in Ôsaka at the Kado no Shibai [casting]. The fifth and sixth acts acts were performed with the actors Arashi Sanjûrô II and Yoshida Manshirô in the roles of Hayano Kanpei and Okaru.

The "Teppô Watashi", "Futatsudama" and "Kanpei Harakiri" scenes, which are nowadays frequently performed (independently or as part of a tôshi kyôgen), are the fifth ("Teppô Watashi", "Futatsudama") and sixth ("Kanpei Harakiri") act of "Kanadehon Chûshingura".

Previous scene: "Futatsudama"

Act VI: Kanpei Harakiri
Kanpei's Suicide

The next morning, Osai, who is the proprietress of the geisha house, pays a visit to Yoichibê's cottage in order to take Okaru to Gion. She hands to Okaru's mother Okaya 50 ryô, half the price of Okaru's service. They all are waiting for Yoichibê and Kanpei.

Kanpei comes home, and he finds that Yoichibê hasn't come home yet. Osai shows her purse, and says that she gave the same purse to Yoichibê last night. Kanpei founds the same purse last night, so he thinks that he killed Yoichibê. Kanpei realizes that Okaru sold herself in order to make money for him. Although Okaru and Okaya would like to wait for Yoichibê, Kanpei says that he met Yoichibê last night, and that they don't need to worry about him. Osai takes Okaru to Gion, and Kanpei can do nothing then.

After that, three hunters carry Yoichibê's dead body to the cottage. Okaya is very surprised, and she wonders why Kanpei doesn't see it. Okaya finds that Kanpei has the same purse that Osai showed before, and it has a blood stain. She thinks that Yoichibê was killed by Kanpei.

When Okaya asks why Kanpei has killed Yoichibê, Senzaki Yagorô and Hara Gôemon arrive at the cottage. After Kanpei killed Sadakurô, he ran after Yagorô and gave him the 50 ryô. However, they say that the chief retainer Yuranosuke didn't allow Kanpei to join them, and they came here to return the 50 ryô to him. Yuranosuke thought that Kanpei must have done an unreasonable thing to make the money. So he didn't accept his wish. Okaya tells them everything about the murder of her husband and the two men join her in abusing Kanpei.

Yagorô and Gôemon are about to leave but Kanpei stops them. He suddenly commits seppuku and says that everything was caused by his mistake. Yagorô examines Yoichibê's dead body, and finds that he was killed by a sword. There is no bullet wound. Yagorô and Gôemon saw Sadakurô's dead body on the way to Yoichibê's cottage. Yagorô says that Kanpei killed Sadakurô after Sadakurô killed Yoichibê. It means that Kanpei took revenge on Sadakurô for the killing of his father-in-law. Okaya, full of remorses, clings to Kanpei and weeps.

Gôemon takes a scroll, the secret covenant with the signatures of the vendetta members. He writes Kanpei's name and asks him to put his blood fingerprint on it. Kanpei becomes a member of the vendetta of lord En'ya. Senzaki Yagorô and Hara Gôemon leave the cottage while Kanpei dies in the arms of his mother-in-law.

This summary has been written by Sekidobashi Sakura (October 2002) and edited by Shôriya Aragorô

Next scene: "Gion Ichiriki Jaya"

The actors Nakamura Sôjûrô (left scene; 1st from left), Nakamura Shikan IV (left scene; center), Onoe Shôroku (left scene; 1st from right), Ichikawa Kuzô III (right scene; 1st from left), Nakamura Tsuruzô I (right scene; 2nd from left), Jitsukawa Yûjirô I (right scene; center), Iwai Shijaku II (right scene; 2nd from right) and Ichimura Kakitsu IV (right scene; 1st from right) playing the roles of Senzaki Yagorô, Hayano Kanpei, Hara Gôemon, Saibê, the zegen Genroku, Okaya, Okaru and Hayano Kanpei in the sixth act of the drama "Kanadehon Chûshingura" (mitate-e made by Nakai Yoshitaki in 1865)