"Tsûzoku Saiyûki" was premiered in September 1878 at the Ichimuraza [casting]. It used Tokiwazu, Kiyomoto and Gidayû musical ensembles. In modern times, "Tsûzoku Saiyûki" was successfully revived in July 1953 at the Meijiza [casting]. The star Ichikawa Ennosuke III worked with the playwright Tobe Ginsaku to create his own version of Kawatake Shinshichi III's drama "Tsûzoku Saiyûki". It was entitled "Kaka Saiyûki" (Kaka is the haimyô of Ichikawa Ennosuke III) and was premiered in December 2000 at the Kabukiza [casting].

This play "is based on part of "Xiyouji", a lengthy 16th-century novel written by the Ming-dynasty writer Wu Chengen, featuring the adventures of the renowned Buddhist priest Xuanzang (known in Japan as Priest Sanzô) who went to India during the 7th century with three unique attendants: a monkey named Son Gokû (Sun Wukong) with supernatural powers, a pig with human qualities named Cho Hakkai (Zhu Bajie), and a water sprite (kappa) named Sa Gojô (Sha Wujing). The book gained popularity in Japan after it was translated in the late 18th century, and was staged as a Bunraku play in 1816 and as a Kabuki performance in 1878" (Rei Sasaguchi).

"Kaka Saiyûki" is made up of 3 scenes.

Scene I: at Chichûden Palace in the Sairyô Province

Priest Sanzô's party is passing through the Sairyô Province where only women live. He was ordered to bring Buddhist sutras from India to China by the emperor of Tang Dynasty. He is accompanied by the pig Cho Hakkai and the kappa Sa Gojô. The monkey Son Gokû hasn't arrived yet. Cho Hakkai finds a fountain and drinks water from it. Suddenly the queen of the Sairyô Province appears in from of them. She says to Sanzô to stay several days there. Sanzô at first refuses her request because he doesn't want even to sit in the same room with a woman before the end of his pilgrimage. The queen implores Sanzô to help Fuyô, her younger sister, who has been seriously love-sick for the past three years. Sanzô finally accepts to stay in the queen palace in order to help curing Fuyô through his prayers. They plan to stay here until the arrival of Son Gokû. The queen takes Sanzô to Fuyô's room.

Left alone, Cho Hakkai and Sa Gojô start to discuss with two ladies-in-waiting (kanjo). Cho Hakkai asks them how women can become pregnant in the Sairyô Province, where no male lives in. They say that if they drink the water of the Shibo Fountain (shi means child and bo mother), they would become pregnant. Cho Hakkai remembers it is the fountain from which he drank water. He suddenly feels pain. His stomach looks swollen and he feels like he is going to give birth. Sa Gojô and the ladies-in-waiting have no idea what to do for Cho Hakkai. The two pilgrims wish their friend Son Gokû was here because he has supernatural power.

Then Son Gokû magically appears on stage. He is late because he had to feed Sanzô's white horse. Son Gokû takes a knife, a needle and a thread out of his ear. He is about to perform a comical abortion on his friend. He cuts open Cho Hakkai's stomach, takes out a lump of blood and stitches the wound. Cho Hakkai has been successfully rescued and the ladies-in-waiting applaud Son Gokû's marvelous skills.

The queen's younger sister Fuyô looks depressed, suffering from lovesickness. She can't forget a young man whom she met three years ago. She loves him, but she has no way to meet him again. Sanzô comes to her room to comfort her. When Fuyô sees Sanzô, she says he is her lover. Sanzô is extremely confused. Son Gokû appears and says that there is strange smell, that the atmosphere is too weird. Son Gokû hits Fuyô with his stick. Instantly, the two beautiful women reveal their true characters and their monstrous appearances: they are both the spirits of giant spiders. They start fighting back by throwing threads. Amid the chaos, the spiders abduct Sanzô and take him to their shelter. Sa Gojô and Cho Hakkai are attacked by the palace kanjo, who have also turned into giant spiders. Cho Hakkai and Sa Gojô are captured and Son Gokû is almost cornered but he can escape.

Scene II: in the clouds

Son Gokû is flying through the air, riding on a cloud in search of Sanzô. He takes some of his hair and transforms them into a lot of small Son Gokû (performed by children on stage). Son Gokû says to his other selves to find and rescue Sa Gojô and Cho Hakkai. Then, he hurries to the mountain on which his master is confined.

Scene III: on top of Mt. Banshirei

Son Gokû reaches Mt. Banshirei, the foul shelter of the spiders. He fights fiercely against them. At the end of the fight, Son Gokû strikes a rock, which contains the spider's spirit. When the rock is broken, the spider's dynasty is completely destroyed. Son Gokû finds Sanzô and manages to help him. After their rescue, Sa Gojô and Cho Hakkai rejoin Sanzô and Son Gokû. They can resume their hazardous journey westward.

This summary was written by Sekidobashi Sakura (December 2000) and edited by Shôriya Aragorô (January 2011).

"Tsûzoku Saiyûki" (1901)