Uno Nobuo's drama "Kôdan Yomiya no Ame" was premiered in September 1935 at the Kabukiza [more details].

"Kôdan Yomiya no Ame" is made up of 3 acts (8 scenes):

Act I, scene 1: Fukagawa Kuroe-chô Tera Monzen Torafugu no Tajû Taku
At the Home of Torafugu no Tajû in Front of the Temple Gate in Kuroe-chô, Fukagawa

Ryûtatsu, who used to be the head priest (jûshoku) of the Myôrenji Temple for 35 years and a lustful lady killer, is now an old retired man. He had many love affairs with various women and he had a daughter named Otora with one of his lovers, who died when the girl was very young. Otora was secretly entrusted to the care of Ryûtatsu's nephew Torafugu no Tajû ^[2] and his wife Ochi. Tajû is a rascal who has used Otora to blackmail Ryûtatsu from time to time. When the girl became a woman, Tajû and Oichi have sold her off against her will as a mistress (mekake) to an old quack doctor in poor health named Kyûan. In the meantime Ryûtatsu's numerous love affairs have finally come to light and he has been banished from his temple. Tajû has taken him into his home in Fukagawa in the district of Kuroe-chô ^[3], not out of kindness but because he suspects Ryûtatsu must have a lot of money hidden away somewhere.

While Ryûtatsu is taking a nap, it is reported by neighbours that Otora has again run away from Kyûan's home. Tajû and Oichi have to find her and send her back to the old doctor. Meanwhile Tajû learns from a neighbour that Otora is most likely hiding in their neighbourhood and that she wants to meet him. As he does not want Oichi to learn that Otora is near their home, Tajû waits for his chance to slip away, while Oichi solicitously takes care of Ryûtatsu.

Act I, scene 2: Hayaokeya Tokubê Taku
At the Home of the Coffin Maker Tokubê

Otora is anxiously waiting to meet Tajû at the house of the coffin maker (hayaokeya) Tokubê, next door to Tajû's home. Tokubê's wife Otoma is trying to comfort the weeping girl, telling her that her life as Kyûan's mistress could not possibly be as bad as living with Oichi who regularly abuses her. Otora, however, answers that death would be better than the love of Kyûan. Tajû arrives at Tokubê's home and orders Otora to go back as soon as possible to Kyûan. Tajû is heavily in debt to Kyûan. Financially speaking, he can't afford to witness the end of the relationship between Otora and Kyûan. Realizing that there is no way to convert Tajû to her cause, Otora says in resignation that she will return to Kyûan. However, she has secretly determined to kill herself rather than go back to the clutches of the old doctor.

Act I, scene 3: Torafugu no Tajû Taku
At the Home of Torafugu no Tajû

Ryûtatsu hesitantly, almost reluctantly, starts to ask Tajû for a favor. The truth is that he has 100 ryô buried in the temple yard and he needs Tajû to retrieve it for him. The operation has to be done at night without taking any risk to reveal the existence of the treasure to the priests of the Myôrenji. Ryûtatsu is suspicious of Tajû's sincerity and hesitates to reveal the location to his nephew but he has no other choice. He finally reveals everything and then impatiently demands that Tajû go out immediately to dig it up.

Act II, scene 1: Torafugu no Tajû Taku (Yoru)
At the Home of Torafugu no Tajû (in the Evening)

Tajû has gone off to bring back the 100 ryô. Meanwhile, Ryûtatsu is dozing under the mosquito netting (kaya). He can't sleep well as he has nightmares about Tajû making off with his money. Tajû comes home. He has succeeded in digging up the buried treasure without attracting the attention of anyone and brought it home with him. He awakens Ryûtatsu, who is overjoyed. The old man suspiciously counts it to be sure that all 100 coins are there before going to bed again clutching the gold. Tajû is understandably highly dissatisfied as he has been expecting at least 30 ryô as reward for the stealth retrieval operation. However, he decides to wait until next morning before bringing the matter up and settling the account with Ryûtatsu.

Act II, scene 2: Torafugu no Tajû Taku (Asa)
At the Home of Torafugu no Tajû (in the Morning)

Ryûtatsu has gotten up for breakfast, but is about to slip under the mosquito netting (kaya) again to sleep after eating. Tajû stops him and brings up the matter of sharing money between the uncle and the nephew. Ryûtatsu pretends to have forgotten about the matter and apologizes. He brings out the packet of money and takes out three coins. After a moment of hesitation he greedily keeps one coin for himself and hands only two ryô to Tajû. Tajû loses his temper and throws the money back at Ryûtatsu saying he expects 30 ryô, not just a ridiculous and insulting tip of two ryô. Ryûtatsu in his turn quivers with anger at the thought that Tajû has the temerity to ask for so much money that he does not deserve at all. They start flinging insults at each other, then they come to blows over the money. Otoma, who is hearing the commotion from next door, quickly intervenes to stop the fight and she pulls Tajû away with her to her own house.

Act II, scene 3: Hayaokeya Tokubê Taku
At the Home of the Coffin Maker Tokubê

Otoma, after bringing Tajû home with her, tries to calm him down, but Tajû keeps muttering angrily to himself. In the meantime deaf Tokubê is napping at his work, so Otoma wakes him a couple of times. Tokubê loses his temper. Now Tokubê and Otoma start to quarrel with each other, and Otoma angrily says she is going to go away. Tokubê chases after her, and Tajû is left alone at the house.

As he is sitting there, he hears the voice of Katsuzô, a street peddler selling rat poison (nezumitori-gusuri). He tells Tajû that the poison he is selling is a particularly potent one, dangerous even to human beings. Tajû says he would like some of the poison because his house has been recently infested by rats. Then, when he is alone again, he sits darkly, thinking of murdering Ryûtatsu with the poison.

Act III, scene 1: Torafugu no Tajû Taku
At the Home of Torafugu no Tajû

Tajû has made up with Ryûtatsu after the quarrel. The old man is now in a good mood and his nephew is preparing food for him. Ryûtatsu is not aware that the food will be seasoned with …rat poison (nezumitori-gusuri). While eating the food made by Tajû, Ryûtatsu says that he wishes he could meet his daughter Otora. Deep within himself, he suspects that she has been sold to become a mekake or a courtesan in the pleasure quarter by Tajû and Oichi. Tajû and Oichi answer that he should not worry about her as she is well.

Ryûtatsu begins to feel the effects of the poison. He feels dizzy and his face is burning. He stumbles around and is helped to go to bed under the kaya by Oichi. Groaning in agony, he desperately asks for water. Oichi brings him some water and then comes running to Tajû in terror, saying that Ryûtatsu looks terrible. Tajû shows no surprise, quietly saying that the poison has started to work as planned.

Taking a tenugui towel, Tajû goes under the kaya. A moment later Ryûtatsu comes staggering out from under the kaya, the tenugui wrapped around his neck. This is a swollen-bodied and mottled-faced Ryûtatsu. He is discoloured like a dead man. Tajû gets out of the kaya, pulls the tenugui out and strangles the old man. He finally grabs the long-desired 100 ryô and orders Oichi to take out a wooden box and empty it of its contents. Once it is done, Tajû puts the body in it and the box on a cart to dispose of it somewhere.

Oichi is terrified and does not want to stay at the house alone but Tajû tells her to wait for him at home. After the departure of her husband, she is frightened by the sound of a kimono falling from its hanger on the wall. Then, the lamp light flickers. Now the frightening ghost of Ryûtatsu appears on stage in the yard of the house. Oichi goes out to the well without noticing the ghost, to wash out the blood-tainted rag. Meanwhile, the ghost enters the house...

Oichi returns inside the house and locks the door behind her. Then she suddenly sees the ghost of Ryûtatsu sitting near the entrance. She shrieks in terror and the ghost orders her to give him back his 100 ryô. Oichi says that the money will be returned to him later by Tajû. Then, Ryûtatsu asks about his daughter and Oichi answers that she will bring the girl home the next day. The lamp goes out. Oichi goes to light it again while Ryûtatsu slips back under the kaya.

Tajû returns at his home. Too frightened to speak, Oichi points numbly at the kaya. Tajû tells her that he threw the corpse into the river, but Oichi informs him that Ryûtatsu has come back. Tajû does not believe her, so Oichi pulls him to the kaya. Tajû looks inside but there is absolutely nothing or nobody to see. He goes outside to put the cart away.

Oichi, still believing Ryûtatsu to be inside the kaya, apologizes from outside but there is no answer. She peers in and realizes that Ryûtatsu is not there. Startled, she moves away. But at that moment the end of her obi is caught from inside the kaya and she is violently pulled inside.

Tajû comes back into the house and hears Oichi moaning under the kaya. He slips in and her dead body. Otoma comes running from next door, reporting that a corpse has been found in the river near the Maruta Bridge ^[4]. This is the body of Otora who has committed suicide by jumping into the river.

Act III, scene 2: Fukagawa Marutabashi
At the Maruta Bridge in Fukagawa

Otora's corpse is lying by the river covered with a straw mat. The place is surrounded by a crowd of Fukagawa commoners. Otoma comes hurrying to the scene and falls weeping on the body of the girl. It starts to rain. After everyone has left to take shelter from the rain, the ghost of Ryûtatsu is seen kneeling beside the body of Otora. Now Tajû comes to the Maruta Bridge ^[4] and starts to cross it. Ryûtatsu calls to him with a ghostly voice. Seeing the ghost of Ryûtatsu, the over-frightened Tajû slips on the wet planks of the bridge and falls into the river. The rain beats down harder than ever as the ghost of Ryûtatsu stands silently on the bridge, staring at the water below and savouring his vengeance.

[1] The title "A Tale of Rain on the Festival Eve" comes from Samuel Leiter's "Historical Dictionary of Japanese Traditional Theatre".

[2] He is nicknamed Tajû the Tiger Blowfish (torafugu).

[3] This district does not exist anymore. What used to be Kuroe-chô was integrated within the 2nd district of Eitai and the 1st district of Monzen Nakachô at the beginning of the 1930s.

[4] Marutabashi, Maruta Bridge, literally the log bridge, was built during the Edo period on a small canal linking the Sendai-bori and the Abura-bori canals.

The actors Ôtani Tomoemon VI, Onoe Taganojô III and Onoe Kikugorô VI playing the roles of Torafugu no Tajû, Tajû's nyôbô Oichi and Ryûtatsu in the drama "Kôdan Yomiya no Ame", which was staged in September 1935 at the Kabukiza