Kabuki Plus
Skylight
notable!The town of Yawata was in the past surrounded by a thick bamboo forest. Because the homes were dark inside even during the day, many had a skylight built into their roofs, which could be opened and closed with a rope. That became a local feature of the village. On stage, the light from the skylight reflects Nuregami’s image in the garden’s hand-washing basin. When this is noticed by Jujibei, Oyaha quickly shuts the skylight. The opening and closing of the skylight and changes in the moonlight give the play a poetic mid autumn ambience.
Old mother as main character
It is not rare in Kabuki for an old woman to play a key role. Such roles are generally high-ranking women in historical dramas. In contrast, The Skylight is a domestic drama, and Oko is a humble commoner’s mother. She agonizes, caught between her love for her real son from her previous marriage and adopted son from her current marriage. All four characters are of good nature and try to live honestly, making a heartwarming story.
Release of Animals Day and Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine
The fifteenth day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, the day of the full autumn moon, is the annual Release of Captive Animals ceremony at the Iwashimizu Hachiman Shrine in Kyoto (celebrated today on September 15). One Buddhist precept is to forbid killing living creatures. However, because humans must kill to survive, people atone for this crime by releasing captive birds and fish on the ceremony day. In The Skylight, Jujibei releases the captive Nuregami on this day.
