Overview
| Title | Hikimado (The Skylight) from Futatsu Chocho Kuruwa Nikki (A Diary of Two Butterflies in the Pleasure Quarters) |
|---|---|
| Writer | Takeda Izumo, Miyoshi Shoraku and Namiki Senryu |
| Premiere |
Bunraku: July 1749, Osaka Kabuki: August 1749, Kyoto |
| Overview |
One act of a nine-act drama. The butterflies (chocho) in the full title are a pun on the names of the two main characters Chogoro and Chokichi. Nuregami is modeled on a real-life sumo wrestler in the early 1700s. The pun on their names suggests butterflies flying around together, implying the way the fate of the two characters intertwines in the drama. Acts II (The Sumo Stable) and VIII (The Skylight) are frequently performed, and in recent years there have been revivals of Acts III (Izutsuya), IV (Komeya) and V (The Back Streets of Nanba). The Skylight was also discontinued for some time, but was revived during the Meiji Period by Ganjiro I and has since remained a staple of the repertory. This was originally a Bunraku puppet play, but became popular after being presented on the Kabuki stage, especially with the excitement of the sumo match between the established wrestler Nuregami and an amateur wrestler in Act II. The popularity of the show gave rise to a number of variations using the same characters. Four years before this work, the same team of playwrights had a major hit with The Summer Festival, whose portrayal of competitive and ego-driven men had an influence on this show.
●main graphic [from left] Nuregami（Ichikawa Sadanji）、Jujibei（Kataoka Nizaemon）、Ohaya（Nakamura Tokizo）、Oko（Bando Takesaburo） November 2012 Shinbashi Enbujo Theatre
●publication date December 2014 |
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