The play in nine acts "Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki" was originally written for the puppets theater and performed for the first time in the 7th lunar month of 1749 at the Takemotoza in Ôsaka. It was adapted for Kabuki a few weeks later by the zamoto Arashi San'emon IV in the 8th lunar month of 1749 in Kyôto. The roles of the 2 sumô wrestlers Nuregami Chôgorô and Hanaregoma Chôkichi were played by the actors Nakayama Shinkurô I and Fujikawa Heikurô.

The "Horie Sumôgoya Mae" scene ("In front of the small sumô arena at Horie"), commonly called "Sumôba", is the second act of the play "Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki".

The first scene takes place outside a sumô wrestling enclosure in Horie, where the last match of the day is going on between two wrestlers, Nuregami Chôgorô, the favorite and certain winner, and the young upstart Hanaregoma Chôkichi. When the contest is over the spectators pour out, talking excitedly because Nuregami has lost.

As the story unfolds we find out that the match was thrown. The truth is that Nuregami, a noted wrestler from Ôsaka, wanted to help his merchant patron, Yamazaki Yogorô, to whose father he was much indebted. Yogorô wanted to win the hand of his favorite geisha girl, Azuma, as his mistress. But Hanaregoma's samurai patron Hiraoka Gôzaemon also wanted to buy Azuma from the geisha house. So, hoping to help his merchant patron, Nuregami purposely lost the match so that Hanaregoma would get a promotion and would then owe Nuregami a favor. That favor was that Hanaregoma would try to dissuade his samurai patron from taking Azuma from the geisha house, so that Nuregami's patron could have her. The two wrestlers meet in front of the sumô enclosure. The young bluffing Hanaregoma gets angry when he hears the truth, as he had been elated over his victory, believing he had won by his own power. Nuregami tries to placate him, but Hanaregoma shows no sign of reconciliation.

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

This short scene is usually performed independently of the rest of the play. When the play is performed as a Tôshi Kyôgen, the "Sumôba" act is much longer and includes discussions between the characters about the events that occurred in the first act of the play, a comical scene in which Yogorô gives all his money and belongings to the people around him when they say they support Chôgorô and the triumphant walk of Chôkichi on the hanamichi.

This scene is a typical Kamigata confrontation between 2 honest, proud characters with a high sense of honor, serving 2 opposite sides. It is usually followed by a reconciliation scene, where the character on the villains side joins the right side. In the case of "Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki", the reconciliation occurs in a following act ("Komeya").

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

The actors Nakamura Fukusuke I and Arashi Kichisaburô III playing the roles of Hanaregoma Chôkichi and Nuregami Chôgorô in the "Sumôba" act of the drama "Futatsu Chôchô Kuruwa Nikki", which was staged in the 7th lunar month of 1854 at the Ichimuraza (print made by Utagawa Kuniyoshi)

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