Hikosan Gongen Chikai no Sukedachi (Keyamura)

彦山権現誓助剱~毛谷村

Hikosan Gongen Chikai no Sukedachi (Keyamura)

Overview

by Hashimoto Hiroki
Title

Hikosan Gongen Chikai no Sukedachi (Keyamura)

Writer Umeno Shitakaze and Chikamatsu Yasuzo
Premiere

Bunraku: October 1786, Osaka Kabuki: March 1787, Osaka

Overview

The original 11-act puppet drama is a dense period piece involving Shogun Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s Korean invasion, one of many plays based on the great general’s life, and spies loyal to Akechi Mitsuhide, who murdered Hideyoshi’s predecessor. In recent years, “Keya Village” (Act IX) has become the main scene, focusing on the vendetta by Osono and Rokusuke. The full-length drama has been performed three times in recent years: October 1967 and December 2002 in Tokyo, and February 2011 in Osaka. Osono is an unusual character in both the puppet and Kabuki theater as a woman both physically strong and a martial arts expert, and stands out for her charm and distinctive character. The pairing of the determined Osono with Rokusuke, a young martial arts master in a quiet village near Mt. Hiko, makes a dynamic combination.

 

●main graphic [from left]Osono(Nakamura Tokizo)、Onoemon(Ichikawa Sadanji)、Keyamura Rokusuke(Onoe Kikugoro)、Oko(Nakamura Tozo) February 2015 Kabukiza Theatre

 

●publication date March 2016