Overview
| Title | Igagoe Dochu Sugoroku (Numazu) |
|---|---|
| Writer | Chikamatsu Hanji and Chikamatsu Kasaku |
| Premiere |
Bunraku: April 1783, Osaka Kabuki: September 1783, Osaka |
| Overview |
The full ten-act puppet play was the final work of Chikamatsu Hanji, the last of the great puppet playwrights. It is based on one of Japan’s three great vendettas, the Revenge at Iga Ueno (or Duel at Kagiya Tsuji) of 1634. The story tracks the Tokaido Highway, as in the popular board game of “sugoroku”, from Kamakura to the vendetta spot in Kyoto’s Fushimi district. The play was a reworking of the Kabuki piece Igagoe Norikake Kappa of 1776. It describes the events in the Uesugi family when a famed sword instructor Wada Yukie is killed by his colleague Sawai Matagoro in a dispute over a treasured sword. Yukie’s son and son-in-law finally manage to kill the enemy after bringing death and difficulties to many others. The main story tells of the struggles to achieve the vendetta at the expense of the compassion for spouse, child and sibling. “Numazu” is a side story.
●main graphic ［from left］Heisaku（Nakamura Karoku）、Jubei（Nakamura Kichiemon） September 2010 Shinbashi Enbujo Theatre
●publication date September 2015 |
- External links
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