The drama "Sannin Kichisa Kuruwa no Hatsugai" was premiered at the Ichimuraza in the 1st lunar month of 1860 [casting]. It was both a kakikae kyôgen and a naimaze kyôgen as it parodied the famous story of Yaoya Oshichi and mixed it with Umemori Kokuga's popular novel "Keiseikai Futasujimichi", which was about the love of the lumber-merchant Kiya Bunzô (who became Kiya Bunri in the play) and the courtesan Chôjiya Hitoe. The original story of Yaoya Oshichi had one Kichisa in it but Kawatake Shinshichi II added his own story about three Edo bandits, who all bear the name of Kichisa.

"The theme of the play may be described as "honour among thieves," for the three Kichisa, who have sworn blood brotherhood, have one redeeming characteristic - loyalty to each other. Because of this, in spite of the crimes they commit, the playwright allows them to escape the public executioner and die a more honourable death. The three Kichisa are: Oshô Kichisa, a priest; Ojô Kichisa, a young pickpocket who because of his girlish appearance often disguised himself as a woman; and Obô Kichisa, a rônin. The story has a moral: the evil which the same sum of money can cause if wrongfully acquired." (Aubrey and Giovanna Halford in "The Kabuki Handbook")

The drama "Sannin Kichisa Kuruwa no Hatsugai" was made up of seven acts and 14 scenes. The scenes with Kiya Bunri are rarely revived nowadays. The scenes with the three Kichisa are very popular and it is a custom to use the title "Sannin Kichisa Tomoe no Shiranami" instead of the original one. The scene "By the Sumida River near the Kôshin Shrine" (scene 2 of act 1 in our summary) is often staged independently of the rest of the play.

Act I Scene 1: By the Sumida River

Dozaemon Denkichi finds a man who is about to jump into the river, and stops him. Denkichi asks him what had happened to him. That man, Jûzaburô is a clerk in a sword shop. After he received an important sum of money from a customer, he bought a streetwalker (yotaka in Japanese) last night. A fighting had happened between the other guests then, so that he got away immediately from there. After that, he noticed that he had lost his money, 100 ryô. He searched for that streetwalker all day long today, but he couldn't find her. And he thought that he had no way except dying in the river.

Denkichi is surprised to hear Jûzaburô's talking. Denkichi has a streetwalker daughter, Otose, an honest girl in spite of her profession, and he heard that a stupid guest left behind a purse last night. That stupid guest must have been Jûzaburô. Denkichi takes Jûzaburô to his home.

Act I Scene 2: By the Sumida River near the Kôshin Shrine

Otose is looking for her guest of last night in order to hand back his purse. A young girl accosts Otose to ask her the way to home. She introduces herself as a greengrocer's daughter Oshichi, but he is in reality the thief Ojô Kichisa disguised as a girl. He suddenly mugs Otose, robbing Jûzaburô's purse and kicking Otose into the river. There is 100 ryô in the purse. The moneylender Taroemon, who has watched everything, comes by. He tries to rob the purse from Ojô Kichisa, but Ojô Kichisa robs him of a short sword that the man was bringing. The man got away. Ojô Kichisa does not know that she has in her hand the short sword called Kôshinmaru, a treasure sword that was stolen from Yasumori Genbê.

Meanwhile, a passing palanquin halts nearby. The newcomer who had been watching the crime scene speaks to Ojô Kichisa to demand the money. The newcomer is known as Obô Kichisa, and he knows the mugger is Ojô Kichisa. Ojô Kichisa refuses his demand and they begin to fight each other. Another newcomer intervenes to stop their fight. Both Ojô Kichisa and Obô Kichisa know who he is. He is well known in the underworld as the wicked priest Oshô Kichisa. They all know that they have the same name, Kichisa. Oshô Kichisa says that the 100 ryô should be divided equally between Ojô Kichisa and Obô Kichisa. But Ojô Kichisa suggests giving the money to Oshô Kichisa, because he has ended their fight before they could kill each other. Obô Kichisa agrees with him, and they present Oshô Kichisa with the 100 ryô.

They each cut their arm to take blood into a cup and they drink it, celebrating their blood brotherhood.

Act II Scene 1: Denkichi's Home in Warigesui

The following evening, Denkichi is worried about his daughter Otose because she hasn’t come home since the previous day. The yaoya Kyûbê comes here with Otose. Kyûbê had saved her from drowning, after Ojô Kichisa mugged her. When Kyûbê hears the story about the incident from Otose, he thinks that the stupid guest who had left behind 100 ryô might have been his son Jûzaburô. Jûzaburô works as a clerk in a sword shop, and he has disappeared since the previous evening. He was on the way bringing the 100 ryô that was the proceeds of the sword Kôshinmaru to his master Kiya Bunri. Kyûbê and Otose have not been able to locate Jûzaburô and the 100 ryô, in spite of extensive search, and they are worried.

Jûzaburô has stayed in Denkichi's home since the previous night. He was saved by Denkichi, when he was going to commit suicide. Thus Kyûbê and Denkichi each saved the life of the other's child. But the money hasn't been found yet. Kyûbê says that Jûzaburô isn't a legitimate child of him. Kyûbê's son had been kidnapped when he was 5. When Kyûbê was looking for his son, he found a baby at the shrine. He adopted him, named him Jûzaburô and reared him as his own son.

As Denkichi hears this tale he realizes that Jûzaburô is his own son. Denkichi abandoned him before. He was the twin brother of Otose. But he keeps this fact in his mind secretly, because Jûzaburô and Otose are beginning to love each other. Denkichi has realized one more fact: the 100 ryô are the proceeds of the treasure sword Kôshinmaru that he stole before. After that, Kyûbê leaves Denkichi's home, and the twins retire to an adjoining room.

Oshô Kichisa pays his father Denkichi a visit to give him 50 ryô, half the amount of money that he got from the two others Kichisa. Denkichi refuses to receive it, because he thinks Oshô Kichisa got the money illegally. Oshô Kichisa protests, but Denkichi doesn’t listen to him. Finally he leaves his father's home with the 50 ryô.

Denkichi starts to speak alone out loud about his twins and the 100 ryô. Denkichi's wife gave birth to twins, but twins were thought at that time as persons who committed double suicide and were born again. Denkichi decided to abandon the boy at the shrine, because he thought that a girl would make money for him later. Denkichi stole Kôshinmaru from Yasumori Genbê, who was the father of Obô Kichisa. Gembei was ordered to keep Kôshinmaru by the Shôgun himself. After Denkichi stole Kôshinmaru, Gembei had to commit ritual suicide (seppuku). Just after the theft, he also killed a pregnant dog. Afterwards, Denkichi lost Kôshinmaru and his wife gave birth to a baby who had many birthmarks on the body. She jumped into a river with that baby and died.

Oshô Kichisa hears all of it because he didn’t leave his father's home. He knows everything about his siblings and Kôshinmaru now. Oshô Kichisa puts the 100 ryô on the family altar silently and disappears, passing a man named Kamaya Buhê going towards Denkichi's house to propose getting married with Otose. As soon as Denkichi finds the money, he throws it to the man entering his home, thinking it is Oshô Kichisa. It is in fact Buhê, who receives the 100 ryô. Denkichi notices the mistake, but Buhê gets away. Then Denkichi chases Buhê to get back the 100 ryô.

Act II Scene 2: at Otakegura, Honjo Sector

Obô Kichisa accosts Buhê, and the 100 ryô are handed to Obô Kichisa by force. Denkichi appears on the scene, and begs Obô Kichisa to lend him the 100 ryô, but Obô Kichisa refuses. They fight and Obô Kichisa finally kills Denkichi. When Obô Kichisa is going to get away, Jûzaburô and Otose come on the scene of the crime to look for Denkichi. They discover his dead body and the knife that Obô Kichisa has left behind.

Act III Scene 1: At the Kisshôin Temple in Sugamo

Some time has passed. The police is gradually coming close to the three Kichisa. One night, when Oshô Kichisa comes to the Kisshôin temple, his hiding place, he is ambushed and arrested by cops. They say that if Oshô Kichisa helps to arrest the two others Kichisa, he would be free. Oshô Kichisa accepts the suggestion. When Oshô Kichisa comes into his temple, Obô Kichisa is already hiding here. He intends to leave Edo, so that he came here to discuss with Oshô Kichisa. Obô Kichisa, who has listened to the discussion between Oshô Kichisa and the cops, asks the priest to take him to police. Oshô Kichisa refuses it of course, and says that he has tricked the cops to help the two others Kichisa. Oshô Kichisa knows that Obô Kichisa is the heir of the Yasumori family. He should help Obô Kichisa because of his father Denkichi's crime. Oshô Kichisa says Obô Kichisa to hide himself until night has come.

Jûzaburô and Otose come to the temple to notify Oshô Kichisa that Denkichi was killed. They ask Oshô Kichisa to find the murderer, and to help making 100 ryô. When Jûzaburô shows the knife of the murderer, Oshô Kichisa realizes that it is Obô Kichisa's one. When Otose tells that she was mugged, he also realizes that the mugger was Ojô Kichisa. Oshô Kichisa says them to wait for him at the cemetery behind the temple.

Meanwhile Obô Kichisa comes out from his hiding place. He now knows that the man he murdered was Oshô Kichisa's father. He decides to commit suicide to atone for his crime. A voice suddenly calls him out. This is the voice of Ojô Kichisa, who was hiding behind the ornamental lintel of the temple main pavilion. Ojô Kichisa has been hiding himself at the temple for a few days. Both of them have overheard everything that Jûzaburô and Otose told about. So now they know their crime, and they know that Oshô Kichisa also knows it. Ojô Kichisa has realized that he was Kyûbê’s son who was kidnapped. Obô Kichisa and Ojô Kichisa decide to kill themselves as an apology to Oshô Kichisa's family. They write out their last message on a large white piece of cloth.

Act III Scene 2: At the Cemetery Behind the Kisshôin Temple

Oshô Kichisa knows why Obô Kichisa and Ojô Kichisa fell into the unfortunate circumstances. His father Denkichi was responsible for everything because he stole the treasure sword Kôshinmaru. He can’t accept to betray his sworn brothers. Furthermore, he can’t accept the incest of his siblings. Oshô Kichisa kills Jûzaburô and Otose at the cemetery, telling them that the bonds of brotherhood are stronger that the family bounds. He must kill them as substitutes to save both Ojô Kichisa and Obô Kichisa. However, Oshô Kichisa can't tell them that they are twins.

Act III Scene 3: Inside the Temple

When Oshô Kichisa comes back into the temple, Obô Kichisa and Ojô Kichisa are going to kill each other. Oshô Kichisa stops them and shows the two fresh severed heads of Jûzaburô and Otose. He intends to take them to the police as Obô Kichisa and Ojô Kichisa.

Obô Kichisa hands to Oshô Kichisa the 100 ryô he has. Ojô Kichisa hands to Oshô Kichisa the sword that he robbed before. When Obô Kichisa looks at the sword, he realizes that it is Kôshinmaru. They decide that Obô Kichisa takes Kôshinmaru to his home to revive his house. Ojô Kichisa takes the 100 ryô to hand the money back to Kyûbê, who is his real father, to prove that Jûzaburô was innocent.

Act III Scene 4: Under the Fire-Watching Tower in Hongô

The police has found that the two fresh severed heads were fakes, and Oshô Kichisa has been arrested. Obô Kichisa and Ojô Kichisa are being chased. The gate of the town in Hongô is closed, and it can't be opened unless the drum of the fire-watching tower is beaten. They are on opposite sides of the gate. Ojô Kichisa climbs to the top of the fire-watching tower, while Obô Kichisa fights with cops. Ojô Kichisa beats the drum and the gate is opened. Oshô Kichisa suddenly appears on top of a roof, having escaped from prison. Kyûbê comes by to the tower. Ojô Kichisa hands to Kyûbê the 100 ryô. Obô Kichisa hands to him the sword Kôshinmaru because he is the greengrocer of the Yasumori family. His mission is to deliver everything to their rightful owners. Therefore, there is a chance to restore the Yasumori clan. Kyûbê blows out his lantern and goes away. The three Kichisa fight with cops under the falling snow. Their final pose brings the play to a close. The three blood brothers have decided to kill themselves here together.

This summary has been written by Sekidobashi Sakura (February 2004) and edited by Shôriya Aragorô

The actors Iwai Kumesaburô III, Ichikawa Kodanji IV and Kawarasaki Gonjûrô I playing the roles of Ojô Kichisa, Oshô Kichisa and Obô Kichisa in the drama "Sannin Kichisa Kuruwa no Hatsugai", which was staged in the 1st lunar month of 1860 at the Ichimuraza (print made by Utagawa Toyokuni III)